Remodeling a Bathroom in a Condo or Townhome

A bathroom in a condo or townhome sits inside a building or a community you share, so the remodel has to satisfy two sets of rules: your association's and the city's. The association controls what you may change and how the work is done; the city controls the permit and the code. This page covers both for Vancouver, as of October 2026, and points out the questions to settle before you sign a contract.

Two approvals, not one

The City of Vancouver does not enforce your association's rules. Its residential application states: "It is the responsibility of the applicant/owner to comply with all private conditions, covenants and restrictions (CC&R's) associated with this property." The form also requires a property owner signature.

The reverse is also true: an association approval does not replace a permit. The permit rules on do you need a permit apply to a condo bathroom the same way, plus whatever the association adds.

Which city permit applies

Building size decides the permit type in Vancouver. The city says: "For projects with more than six units or above three stories, you will need a Commercial Building Permit." Its commercial page explains that "Multi-family is defined as seven or more dwelling units, (with the exception of zero-lot line townhomes) and is subject to review under the International Building Code (IBC)." The city publishes a separate "Multi-family Remodel" checklist for those buildings.

• Zero-lot-line townhomes: excluded from the city's multi-family definition, so generally the residential path.
• Condo buildings of six units or fewer and no more than three stories: generally the residential path.
• Larger condo buildings: commercial permit path, with review under the IBC.

Confirm your building's path with the City of Vancouver Permit Center (eplans@cityofvancouver.us, 360-487-7833) before the design is finished. Specific IBC or existing building code requirements for condo bathrooms are beyond what we could verify.

Shared walls and fire separations

Walls between units are often fire-rated and sometimes sound-rated. The city's remodel checklist asks plans to "Locate all fire-resistance rated wall assemblies if utilized" and provide a "Tested assembly detail when fire and/or sound rating is required." In practice, a recessed medicine cabinet, a niche or new plumbing in a party wall can break that assembly. Ask before you plan anything that cuts into a shared wall. Storage ideas that avoid those walls are in bathroom storage.

Shared stacks and water shutoffs

In stacked condos, bathrooms usually line up floor to floor on shared drain stacks and supply risers. That shapes what is practical:

• Moving a toilet or shower far from the stack may be limited by the floor structure below and by what the association allows; see moving bathroom plumbing.
• If your unit has no shutoff of its own, replacing a valve may mean shutting water to other units. Associations usually control that, with notice to neighbors.
• A leak in your bathroom can reach the unit below, which is why many associations ask for proof of the contractor's insurance and set rules about who does plumbing.

Washington's plumbing law defines "Residential structures" as "single-family dwellings, duplexes, and multiunit buildings that do not exceed three stories" (RCW 18.106.010(13)), and the scope of some plumbing certificates follows building type and height. In a taller building, ask which certificate your plumber holds. Either way, plumbing on someone else's property in Washington must be done by an L&I-certified plumber. See plumbing permits.

Noise and floor underlayment

Many condo associations regulate hard flooring because footfall noise carries to the unit below. Some require a specific sound-rated underlayment or a sample approval before tile goes down. We do not have a Vancouver city rule on this; it is an association matter. Ask for the requirement in writing before you choose tile or a heated floor, because the underlayment changes the floor build-up height. Floor options are in bathroom flooring options.

A pre-contract checklist for a condo or townhome

1. Read the declaration, bylaws and rules for anything on remodels, plumbing, flooring and work hours.
2. Submit the association's architectural or alteration request with a drawing and scope.
3. Ask which shutoffs serve your bathroom and how a water shutdown is arranged.
4. Ask what insurance certificate the association needs from the contractor.
5. Ask the City of Vancouver Permit Center which permit path your building is on, and who signs.
6. Keep every approval in writing with your permit card.

Townhomes and HOA-only communities

A townhome on its own lot, or a single-family home in an HOA, often has more freedom inside the walls than a condo unit, depending on what the governing documents say you own. Association rules more often govern the exterior, such as a new exhaust fan vent cap, plus contractor parking and hours. Check whether a new vent termination on the wall or roof needs association approval, since Washington requires the bathroom fan to be ducted outside; see bathroom ventilation code.

Remodeling a condo bathroom with JDI

JDI Construction can prepare the drawings and scope your association asks for, and we handle the city permit. Tell us about your building on our Vancouver bathroom remodeling page.