Seattle Building Permit Office
Seattle
City of Seattle
206-684-8600
700 5th Avenue, Suite 2000, Seattle, Washington, 98104
Seattle construction permits are handled by the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI). Most applications, plan-review activity, payments, permit records and inspection scheduling are managed through the Seattle Services Portal. Seattle also has an important agency split: plumbing and gas piping permits are handled by Public Health – Seattle & King County, while work affecting streets, sidewalks or other public right-of-way can require separate approval from the Seattle Department of Transportation.
Jurisdiction
Who Handles Permits in Seattle?
Construction and Land Use
Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections
SDCI administers Seattle construction permits, land-use review, zoning compliance, many trade and equipment permits, construction inspections and code enforcement. Building projects inside Seattle city limits generally stay within the City of Seattle permit system rather than King County’s building department.
Plumbing and Gas
Public Health – Seattle & King County
Plumbing, fuel-gas, backflow and certain related permits use the Public Health Permit Center. Public Health specifically lists Seattle among the jurisdictions where it issues plumbing and gas-piping permits and performs inspections.
Public Right-of-Way
Seattle Department of Transportation
Construction that occupies or alters streets, sidewalks, planting strips or other public right-of-way may require an SDOT Street Use permit in addition to the SDCI construction permit.
Application Process
Starting a Seattle Construction Permit
Research the property before filing
SDCI directs applicants to review the site’s zoning, permit history and property information before preparing the application. The Seattle Services Portal can be searched by address or record number for permit activity from 2005 forward, including current permit status, inspection status, related records and available project documents.
Open the project in the Seattle Services Portal
A Building & Land Use Pre-Application is used to begin the Construction and Land Use or Master Use Permit process, including projects intended for the Subject-to-Field-Inspection route. Preliminary materials are submitted electronically through the portal.
Prepare the permit-specific plans and forms
Plans must show the proposed work and follow SDCI’s drawing standards. Required forms and supporting documents depend on the permit type, site conditions and scope. SDCI publishes separate checklists and standards rather than using one document list for every construction project.
Complete intake and plan review
Regular construction applications generally use an electronic intake process. SDCI also offers optional application screening for construction records before intake. Subject-to-Field-Inspection applications follow a different streamlined route and do not require the regular intake appointment.
If reviewers require revisions or more information, the portal is used to upload corrected documents. Review may involve building, zoning, drainage, geotechnical or other disciplines depending on the project.
Pay remaining fees and obtain the permit
After the required reviews are complete, outstanding fees must be paid before issuance. Approved permits and plan sets are made available electronically through the Seattle Services Portal for printing and use at the job site.
Permit Paths
Seattle Projects Do Not All Follow the Same Review Route
Smaller Projects
Subject-to-Field-Inspection
Seattle’s Subject-to-Field-Inspection (STFI) construction permit is available for qualifying smaller projects with simpler plan requirements. SDCI reviews the submission to confirm that it qualifies for STFI and complies with applicable land-use requirements. Examples published by SDCI include some residential remodels, detached garages, small single-story additions and certain nonstructural commercial alterations.
Land Use Review
Master Use Permits
A Master Use Permit is Seattle’s land-use application process for proposals requiring applicable discretionary land-use review. Depending on the type, the process can involve public notice, environmental review, shoreline review, conditional use, variance or other land-use decisions.
When a project has both a Master Use Permit and a related construction permit, SDCI allows the construction application to begin after the land-use application has been submitted, but the required land-use permit must be issued before the related building permit can be issued.
Specialty Work
Separate Permit Records May Be Required
A building permit does not automatically authorize every trade involved in a project. Electrical, mechanical, side-sewer, boiler, elevator, refrigeration, fire-protection and other specialty work can have separate permit requirements. The exact permits should be matched to the scope using SDCI’s permit list before work begins.
Inspections
Scheduling SDCI Construction Inspections
After a construction permit is issued, required inspections verify that work follows the approved plans and applicable codes. Depending on the project, inspections can include site or preconstruction work, foundations, framing, insulation and final inspection.
Seattle inspection scheduling
Construction inspections can be requested online or through SDCI’s 24-hour automated inspection line at (206) 684-8900. SDCI states that requests made by phone before 7:00 a.m. are usually inspected the same day; requests made after 7:00 a.m. are scheduled for the following workday. A specific arrival time is not guaranteed.
Final inspection generally occurs after construction is complete and related permits that require final inspection have been completed. Projects requiring special inspections follow additional requirements outside the standard SDCI inspection sequence.
Fees
How Seattle Building Permit Fees Are Charged
Seattle does not use one flat building-permit price. SDCI calculates permit costs from factors such as project value, size and complexity, additional permits, review effort, inspections and technology charges. The department publishes a fee estimator and the current fee subtitle for project-specific calculations.
- Plan-reviewed building permits: SDCI states that 75 percent of the total plan-review and permit fees are due when the application is accepted. Final charges are calculated after review and must be paid before issuance.
- Subject-to-Field-Inspection permits: plan-review and permit fees are due when the permit is issued.
- Equipment permits: SDCI identifies boiler, electrical, elevator, refrigeration and side-sewer permits among the permit types that can be applied for through the Seattle Services Portal without an intake appointment; applicable fees are due before issuance.
For 2026 applications, SDCI provides a 2026 Fee Subtitle, fee estimator and related fee documents on its official permit-cost page.
Related Authorities
Approvals That Can Sit Outside the Building Permit
Plumbing
Use the Public Health Permit Center
Public Health – Seattle & King County issues plumbing and gas-piping permits in Seattle. Its system is also used for plumbing plan review, inspection requests, permit status, renewals and related permit management.
Fire Protection
SDCI and Seattle Fire Can Both Be Involved
Seattle Fire states that fire-sprinkler, fire-alarm and other fire-protection-system permits are issued by SDCI as part of the City’s building process. Certain systems also involve Seattle Fire Department plan review or inspection.
Street and Sidewalk Work
SDOT Street Use Permits
Work conducted in the public right-of-way requires review through Seattle’s Street Use program when applicable. This can affect projects involving construction staging, sidewalks, street improvements, utility work, scaffolding or other uses of public space.
Permit Records
Checking a Seattle Permit or Project
The Seattle Services Portal provides public record searches by address or permit number. For records from 2005 forward, SDCI says the portal can display the applicant team, project description, permit status, inspection status, related permits and available project documents.
Older Seattle permit records
Historical microfilm permits are not included in the normal Seattle Services Portal search. SDCI directs searches for those older records to its Permit and Property Records resources.
Official Resources
Seattle Permit Links
SDCI
Permits and Common Projects
Seattle construction permit types, common projects and related permit information.
Application Portal
Seattle Services Portal
Start applications, search records, pay fees, manage permit activity and schedule supported inspections or appointments.
Application Process
How to Get a Permit
Official SDCI instructions for pre-application, plan preparation, intake, review, corrections, payment and issuance.
Inspections
Construction Inspections
Inspection types, scheduling methods and inspector contact procedures.
Permit Search
Research a Project, Permit or Property
Official tools for researching permit history, project records and property information.
Fees
Permit Cost and Fee Documents
Current SDCI fee information, fee estimator and fee subtitle.
Land Use
Master Use Permit Overview
Seattle land-use permit categories, application steps and the relationship between land-use and construction permits.
Plumbing and Gas
Public Health – Seattle & King County
Applications, plan review and inspections for plumbing and gas-piping work within Seattle.
Right-of-Way
SDOT Construction Use Permits
Street Use requirements for construction affecting Seattle’s public right-of-way.