Spokane basement planning · Bedrooms
Basement bedroom requirements in Spokane: a legal checklist
An egress window is only one part of a basement bedroom. This checklist follows the City of Spokane's basement bedroom guide and shows what to ask your own permit office if you are outside City limits.
Based on City of Spokane guidance, last checked October 14, 2026. County, Spokane Valley and Airway Heights rules were not verified here: ask the office serving your address.
Get a Spokane egress window quoteStart with the permits
The City of Spokane's guide says finishing a bedroom or other room in a basement requires a building permit and an electrical permit at a minimum. It asks for a drawing of the whole basement showing the hall, laundry, bathrooms, bedrooms, furnace and water heater areas, existing and proposed, with dimensions. With that information, the sheet says, the City should be able to review and issue the permits over the counter.
Ceiling height
Habitable basement space needs a minimum ceiling height of 84 in (7 ft) in the City's guide. If the ceiling is lower, the space can still be finished and used, but it is not habitable space and sleeping rooms in it are not legal bedrooms for sale of the house. Measure the lowest point you plan to sleep under, not just the middle of the room.
The escape opening
The City says all bedrooms need an egress window or a door directly outside, and that unless the City has a permit record for a basement bedroom, it is not a legal bedroom without one. The sill may not be more than 44 in above the finished floor and the open window needs at least 20 in by 24 in and 5.7 sq ft of clear area. Use the size calculator to test a window.
Alarms, wiring and insulation
For a new basement bedroom the City guide lists: smoke detectors on line voltage with battery backup in each bedroom, outside the bedrooms and on each floor, interconnected; arc-fault protection on all new bedroom wiring; an outlet within 6 ft of a door opening and no more than 12 ft apart; and at least R-21 insulation on exposed exterior concrete walls with a vapor barrier. Carbon monoxide alarm rules are not in that sheet, so ask the permit office.
Basement bedroom basics check
Enter your basement ceiling height and the open-window measurements for the room. The checks compare them with the City of Spokane's basement bedroom guide (84 in habitable ceiling height) and the egress minimums used on this site. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or stored.
Results below use the example values shown. Turn on JavaScript to change them.
- Clear opening area
- 900.0 sq in
- Clear opening area
- 6.25 sq ft
- Ceiling above the 84 in line
- 6.00 inA negative number means the ceiling is under 84 in.
- Ceiling height. Meets the 84 in habitable-space minimum stated in the City of Spokane basement guide.
- Clear width. Meets the 20 in minimum stated in the City of Spokane guides.
- Clear height. Meets the 24 in minimum stated in the City of Spokane guides.
- Clear area. Meets the 5.7 sq ft minimum stated in the City of Spokane egress guide.
- Sill height. Meets the 44 in maximum stated in the City of Spokane guides.
This covers only the numbers that can be measured. Permits, smoke alarms, wiring, insulation and the well are separate. It is not a legal bedroom determination: the permit office serving your address decides. Figures are from the City of Spokane SFR-13 basement guide and egress guidesheet.
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Basement bedroom checklist (City of Spokane guide)
Building and electrical permits applied for
Before finishing walls, not after.
Basement drawing with dimensions
Rooms, furnace and water heater areas, existing and proposed.
Ceiling at least 84 in where people will sleep
Check beams and ducts if the room is tight.
Escape window or door directly outside
Sill no more than 44 in, 20 in by 24 in minimum open, 5.7 sq ft clear.
Well and route outside meet the rules
9 sq ft, 36 in projection and width, and a ladder past 44 in deep.
Smoke detectors in each bedroom, outside bedrooms and on each level
Hardwired with battery backup and interconnected, except where the guide gives a battery-only exception.
Arc-fault protected wiring and outlets spaced as listed
Within 6 ft of a door opening, at most 12 ft apart, any wall section 2 ft or wider.
R-21 insulation and a vapor barrier on exposed exterior concrete walls
As stated in the City guide, tied to the Washington State Energy Code.
Inspections requested and passed before the walls are covered
Ask the inspector listed on the permit which ones apply.
Who usually does what
Egress installer
Foundation opening, window, well, ladder, drainage. Ask whether the permit for this part is theirs.
Finish contractor or you
Framing, insulation, drywall, flooring. Ask who is the applicant for the basement finish permit.
Electrician
New circuits and alarms. The City's guide requires an electrical permit; ask who buys it.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-10-14
- City of Spokane SFR-13 Basement: Finish a Bedroom or Other Room (PDF)
Permits, drawing, 84 in habitable ceiling height, bedroom escape opening, insulation, wiring and smoke detector expectations for City of Spokane basements.
- City of Spokane Sleeping Room Egress guidesheet (PDF, rev. 2016-05-13)
5.7 sq ft openable area, 24 in height, 20 in width and 44 in maximum sill; all three opening minimums apply together; ladder or steps in wells deeper than 44 in. Older document: confirm against the current code.
- City of Spokane SFR-21 Window Replacement Policy (PDF)
When replacing a window needs a City building permit, and when a changed bedroom opening must meet current egress minimums (5.7 sq ft; 5.0 sq ft cited for grade-level egress windows).
- City of Spokane inspection procedures sheet (PDF)
Posting the permit, approved plans on site, address visible, adult on site, what the applicant must arrange. The inspection chart on the sheet is dated 2012: confirm current practice.
Common questions
How high must a basement ceiling be to count as a bedroom in Spokane?
The City of Spokane's basement guide sets a minimum ceiling height of 84 in (7 ft) for habitable basement space. Below that, the space can be finished and used but sleeping rooms in it are not considered legal bedrooms for sale of the house.
Do I need a permit to finish a basement bedroom in Spokane?
In the City of Spokane, yes: the guide says finishing a bedroom or other basement room requires a building permit and an electrical permit at a minimum. Outside City limits, ask the County, Spokane Valley or Airway Heights office serving your address.
What smoke alarms does a new basement bedroom need?
The City guide says line-voltage smoke detectors with battery backup are required in each bedroom, outside the bedroom areas and on each floor level, interconnected so all sound together. It allows battery-operated alarms where hardwiring is not practical in finished areas.
Is a basement room without an egress window a legal bedroom in Spokane?
Not under the City's guide. It says all bedrooms need an egress window or a door directly outside, and that without a City permit record for a basement bedroom the room is not legal unless it has one.
What insulation and outlets does a new basement bedroom need?
The City guide calls for at least R-21 insulation on exposed exterior concrete walls with a vapor barrier, arc-fault protection on new bedroom wiring, an outlet within 6 ft of a door opening, and outlets no more than 12 ft apart.