EVERETT – Quick, here’s a bit of trivia: What’s the tallest building in Snohomish County?

Building maintenance mechanic Ruben Herrera (left) shows Connie Lewis around the roof of the new Snohomish County Administration Building, which is 2 inches taller than the Everett Mutual Tower on Colby, visible in the background. Dan Bates / The Herald

The Everett Mutual Tower, right? Since 1994, the Colby Avenue building has been the tallest at 147 feet, 6 inches.

But the new winner, seemingly by no more than a finger’s length, is the new Snohomish County Administration Building.

“We’re the tallest!” said Connie Lewis, county campus redevelopment spokeswoman. “Our building is two inches taller than their building. We believe we have bragging rights now.”

The building is 149 feet, 9 inches tall, Lewis said, but factoring in elevation, it comes out ahead by a nose.

Unless, of course, someone leaves a cup of coffee on top of the Everett Mutual Tower – then it becomes the tallest once again.

Local developer Skotdal Real Estate owns the tower. Craig Skotdal, president of the company, said he had no idea the county building was taller.

“Since Everett Mutual Tower has lost its status as a landmark, I’m sure the county assessor will recognize the loss in value and reduce our property tax bill,” Skotdal joked.

Lewis said county residents suspected the two buildings’ heights were close and wondered which building was really taller.

Recently, a survey crew took unofficial measurements from the roof of the new county building to the roof of the Everett Mutual Tower to see whether there was a clear winner.

The surveyors “did a quick line-of-sight shot from the top of the stairway,” Lewis said. “It came back that there is the belief that the very top of our stair tower, which is taller than the roof, is two inches taller than their building.”

Technically, the Everett Events Center is the tallest structure in Snohomish County. Though the building itself isn’t a high-rise, its masts push the building’s total height to 196 feet, 6 inches.

And make no mistake – Snohomish County is getting to be all grown up. And at this rate, the current tallest buildings might be dwarfed by more than two inches.

Earlier this year, the Lynnwood City Council opted to boost allowable heights in the city’s core to 350 feet tall, or about 26 stories.

Recent decisions by the Everett City Council will allow Providence Everett Medical Center to build to a height of 175 feet as part of its upcoming $400 million expansion in north Everett.

And on several blocks of Rucker Avenue in Everett, there could soon be buildings up to 150 feet tall.

Skotdal, whose company owns property on Rucker and plans to develop high-rise housing there, said he doesn’t know how tall the buildings will be.

It doesn’t bother him that his company’s building is now only the second tallest in the county.

“Not at all,” Skotdal said. “The county building is beautiful, and they did a super job with it.

“I’m just glad that the tallest building in our county isn’t the jail,” he said, laughing.

In reaching high, the county campus’s new 10-story jail isn’t a record breaker – it is nearly evenly matched with the 10-story Wall Street Building a few blocks away.

Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.