Seattle, WA
Seattle building permit cost
A Seattle building permit is priced in two steps.
Table D-1 of the fee subtitle returns a Development Fee Index for the valuation, and Table D-2 then sets the permit fee at 100% of that index and the plan review fee at 100% of the same index — so a $2,000,000 building pays $14,984.00 twice. The 5% technology fee is charged on both, and the state's building code council fee adds $25.00 on a commercial permit or $6.50 on a residential one: $31,491.40 in total.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Fee Index, $0 to $1,000Permit fee | $325.00 flat fee | Project valuation up to $1,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $750,001 to $1,000,000Permit fee | $6,609.00 + $7.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $750,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $750,000 and up to $1,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $1,000,001 to $1,500,000Permit fee | $8,359.00 + $6.75 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,000,000 and up to $1,500,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $1,500,001 to $2,000,000Permit fee | $11,734.00 + $6.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,500,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,500,000 and up to $2,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $2,000,001 to $2,500,000Permit fee | $14,984.00 + $6.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $2,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $2,000,000 and up to $2,500,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $2,500,001 to $3,000,000Permit fee | $17,984.00 + $6.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $2,500,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $2,500,000 and up to $3,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $3,000,001 to $3,500,000Permit fee | $20,984.00 + $5.25 per $1,000 of project valuation above $3,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $3,000,000 and up to $3,500,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $3,500,001 to $4,000,000Permit fee | $23,609.00 + $5.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $3,500,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $3,500,000 and up to $4,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $4,000,001 to $4,500,000Permit fee | $26,109.00 + $4.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $4,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $4,000,000 and up to $4,500,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $4,500,001 to $5,000,000Permit fee | $28,359.00 + $4.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $4,500,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $4,500,000 and up to $5,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $5,000,001 to $10,000,000Permit fee | $30,609.00 + $4.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $5,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $5,000,000 and up to $10,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $1,001 to $25,000Permit fee | $325.00 + $16.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,000 and up to $25,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $10,000,001 to $25,000,000Permit fee | $50,609.00 + $4.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $10,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $10,000,000 and up to $25,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $25,000,001 to $50,000,000Permit fee | $110,609.00 + $3.25 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $25,000,000 and up to $50,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $50,000,001 to $75,000,000Permit fee | $191,859.00 + $2.75 per $1,000 of project valuation above $50,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $50,000,000 and up to $75,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $75,000,001 to $100,000,000Permit fee | $260,609.00 + $2.75 per $1,000 of project valuation above $75,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $75,000,000 and up to $100,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $100,000,001 to $150,000,000Permit fee | $329,359.00 + $2.25 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $100,000,000 and up to $150,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $150,000,001 to $200,000,000Permit fee | $441,859.00 + $2.25 per $1,000 of project valuation above $150,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $150,000,000 and up to $200,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $200,000,001 and upPermit fee | $554,359.00 + $2.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $200,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $200,000,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $25,001 to $50,000Permit fee | $709.00 + $15.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $25,000 and up to $50,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $50,001 to $75,000Permit fee | $1,096.50 + $15.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $50,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $50,000 and up to $75,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $75,001 to $100,000Permit fee | $1,471.50 + $14.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $75,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $75,000 and up to $100,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $100,001 to $175,000Permit fee | $1,821.50 + $7.75 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $100,000 and up to $175,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $175,001 to $250,000Permit fee | $2,402.75 + $7.75 per $1,000 of project valuation above $175,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $175,000 and up to $250,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $250,001 to $500,000Permit fee | $2,984.00 + $7.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $250,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $250,000 and up to $500,000 | — |
| Development Fee Index, $500,001 to $750,000Permit fee | $4,859.00 + $7.00 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $500,000 and up to $750,000 | — |
| Plan review fee, 100% of the Development Fee IndexPlan review | 100% of calculated permit fee | review type is not provided | — |
| Plan review fee, 40% of the Development Fee Index (subject to field inspection)Plan review | 40% of calculated permit fee | review type is stfi | — |
| Technology fee, 5% of all fees chargedTechnology fee | 5% of fees charged | Every permit of this type | — |
| State surcharge, $2.00 for each residential unit after the firstState surcharge | the first dwelling unit is included in the permit fee, then $2.00 for each additional dwelling unit | building class is not provided or building class is residential | — |
| Washington State Building Code Council fee, commercialState surcharge | $25.00 flat fee | building class is commercial | — |
| Washington State Building Code Council fee, residentialState surcharge | $6.50 flat fee | building class is not provided or building class is residential | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A new commercial building in Seattle with a construction valuation of $2,000,000, permitted with plans rather than processed as subject to field inspection.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $2,000,000 |
| Building class | commercial |
Example total
$31,491.40
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 4Rules considered 32
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Development Fee Index, $1,500,001 to $2,000,000Permit feeTable D-1: "$1,500,001 to $2,000,000 — $11,734 for the first $1,500,000 of value plus $6.50 for each additional $1,000 of value or fraction thereof"Show the working
| $11,734.00 + $6.50 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,500,000, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $14,984.00 |
Plan review fee, 100% of the Development Fee IndexPlan reviewTable D-2 for 22.900D.010, item 1 — "Building, with or without mechanical, with or without use": permit fee "100% of DFI", plan review fee "100% of DFI". The review is charged on the `permit_fee` basis — the index this run computed — so the two can never disagree about which band the valuation fell in.Show the working
| 100% of calculated permit fee | $14,984.00 |
Technology fee, 5% of all fees chargedTechnology feeSMC 22.900A.100: "A technology fee will be applied in addition to all listed fees in Chapters 22.900B, 22.900C, 22.900D, 22.900E, 22.900F and 22.900H in the amount of five percent of all fees or charges required under the above chapters." Read on the `fee_subtotal` basis, because a percentage of each component separately is not a percentage of the total.Show the working
| 5% of fees charged | $1,498.40 |
Washington State Building Code Council fee, commercialState surchargeRCW 19.27.085(3), the same subsection: $25.00 for each commercial building permit. Charged when `custom.building_class` is "commercial".Show the working
| $25.00 flat fee | $25.00 |
| Total | $31,491.40 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Development Fee Index, $0 to $1,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $750,001 to $1,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $1,000,001 to $1,500,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $2,000,001 to $2,500,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $2,500,001 to $3,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $3,000,001 to $3,500,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $3,500,001 to $4,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $4,000,001 to $4,500,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $4,500,001 to $5,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $5,000,001 to $10,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $1,001 to $25,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $10,000,001 to $25,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $25,000,001 to $50,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $50,000,001 to $75,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $75,000,001 to $100,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $100,000,001 to $150,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $150,000,001 to $200,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $200,000,001 and up — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $25,001 to $50,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $50,001 to $75,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $75,001 to $100,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $100,001 to $175,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $175,001 to $250,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $250,001 to $500,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Development Fee Index, $500,001 to $750,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Plan review fee, 40% of the Development Fee Index (subject to field inspection) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- State surcharge, $2.00 for each residential unit after the first — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Washington State Building Code Council fee, residential — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 4 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
The valuation falls at the top of the fourth band ($1,500,001 to $2,000,000), whose published figure is $11,734.00 for the first $1,500,000 plus $6.50 for each additional $1,000: 500 more thousands is $3,250.00, so the index is $14,984.00. That is the same figure the next band opens with, which is why $2,000,000 is a clean place to demonstrate the mechanism. The permit fee is 100% of the index, $14,984.00, and plan review is another 100% of the same index, $14,984.00. The technology fee is 5% of those two together, $1,498.40. The state building code council fee is $25.00 on a commercial permit. Total: $31,491.40. Processed as subject to field inspection, the review fee would be 40% of the index instead — $5,993.60 — and the same building would come to $22,051.48.
What is different in Seattle
The mechanism is what makes Seattle different from every other jurisdiction here: there is no fee table. There is an index table, and then a table of percentages of it. Table D-1 returns a Development Fee Index — 26 bands, from "$325 for the first $1,000 of value or fraction thereof" to a rate that eases to $4.50 per $1,000 at the top — and Table D-2 says a building permit is 100% of that index, a plan review is 100% of the same index, and a project processed as subject to field inspection pays 100% for the permit and 40% for the review. A project therefore pays the index twice, and the two charges can never disagree about which band the valuation fell in, because they are the same number.
The index is exact across its bands, and the handovers are worth checking because a split fee doubles the cost of any error in them. The band opening at $1,500,001 starts at $11,734.00, which is exactly what the band below produces at $1,500,000; the band opening at $2,000,001 starts at $14,984.00, which is exactly what its own band below produces at $2,000,000. A $2,000,000 project lands on the same index either way, and this site asserts those handovers in its tests rather than trusting them.
Two charges sit on top of the index. The technology fee is the more interesting one: SMC 22.900A.100 imposes five percent of "all fees or charges required" under the fee chapters, so it is charged on the permit fee and the review fee together rather than on either alone. It is the first surcharge in this dataset that reads the whole bill rather than one component, and it is why the calculation engine carries a fee-subtotal basis. The second is the state building code council fee under RCW 19.27.085: $6.50 on a residential building permit, $25.00 on a commercial one, and $2.00 for each residential unit after the first. Seattle collects it and remits it, and it is a statute rather than an ordinance — the City could not change it if it wanted to.
What the valuation is matters as much as the rates. The fee is read against the total value of the work, and where a project's value is disputed the department determines it; the subtitle also prices the consequence of a disagreement, which is a plan re-submittal charged as additional review at the base fee and hourly rate of $292.00 each.
Finally, a project processed as subject to field inspection pays 40% of the index for review instead of 100% — the same job for a little more than two-thirds of the fee. That is a real discount published in the table, and it is a decision about how the project is processed rather than about what is built.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This estimate is Table D-1's Development Fee Index for the valuation, charged once as the permit fee and once as the plan review fee, plus the 5% technology fee and the state building code council fee. It excludes:
- Land use, design review, environmental and shoreline fees, which are set elsewhere in the subtitle: administrative design review, master planned community design review and streamlined design review carry a $5,510 minimum, full design review $11,020, and land use review is otherwise charged at an hourly rate against a minimum that covers a set number of review hours.
- All hourly work: additional plan review beyond what a permit includes, and every other charge calculated at the SDCI base fee and hourly rate, each of which is $292.00.
- Equipment permits priced on their own tables — elevators under Table D-13, refrigeration under D-10, boilers under D-12 — and fire, hazardous materials and tenant improvement permits that are not building, electrical or plumbing permits.
- The tenant alteration rows, which are charged per 100 square feet, and blanket permits, which are charged a minimum share of the index.
- Phased permits, where a project is divided into separate applications: the subtitle charges an additional one times the base fee for each resulting application.
- The mechanical share of the project, which is inside the building index where it is part of one permit and 100% of its own index where it is filed separately.
- Plumbing and gas piping, priced by Public Health — Seattle & King County rather than by the City.
- Utility and connection charges from Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light, which are utility accounts rather than permit fees.
- The cost of the work itself, and any tax on it. No sales or use tax line appears in this subtitle and none is added here.
What you need before applying
- The fee is read off an index, not off a fee tableRequired
Table D-1 for 22.900D.010 returns a Development Fee Index for the project valuation, in 26 bands from $325 for the first $1,000 of value to a rate of $4.50 per $1,000 at the top. Table D-2 then sets the permit fee at 100% of that index and the plan review fee at 100% of the same index, or 40% for a project processed as subject to field inspection. The practical consequence is that the index is the only published dollar figure: everything else is a percentage of it, and the index itself is never the fee.
- A 5% technology fee is charged on all of itRequired
SMC 22.900A.100: "A technology fee will be applied in addition to all listed fees in Chapters 22.900B, 22.900C, 22.900D, 22.900E, 22.900F and 22.900H in the amount of five percent of all fees or charges required under the above chapters." It is charged on the permit fee and the plan review fee together, and on the building code council fee as well when that fee is added inside those chapters — but not on the state fee itself where the statute sits outside them.
- The state's building code council fee is $6.50 or $25.00Required
RCW 19.27.085: "a fee of six dollars and fifty cents on each residential building permit and a fee of twenty-five dollars for each commercial building permit", plus "two dollars for each residential unit, but not including the first unit" on a building with more than one unit. The City collects it and remits it. A project that does not name an occupancy is priced as residential here, which is the common case for a single building permit.
Common questions
How much is a building permit in Seattle?
It is an index charged twice. Table D-1 returns a Development Fee Index for the valuation — $325 at the bottom, $2,984.00 at $250,000, $11,734.00 at $1,500,000, $14,984.00 at $2,000,000 — and the permit fee is 100% of that index and the plan review fee another 100%. Add the 5% technology fee on both and the state's building code council fee: $6.50 residential, $25.00 commercial. A $2,000,000 commercial building comes to $31,491.40.
Why is the permit fee charged twice?
Because the fee is defined as a percentage of an index rather than as a table of fees: "a building permit fee is 100% of the Development Fee Index" and the plan review fee is 100% of the same index. Both are charged. A project processed as subject to field inspection pays 100% for the permit and 40% for the review, which is the only published variation.
What is the technology fee?
5% of all fees charged under the fee chapters, imposed by SMC 22.900A.100: "a technology fee will be applied in addition to all listed fees... in the amount of five percent of all fees or charges required under the above chapters." It applies to the permit fee and the plan review fee together, so on a $2,000,000 project it is $1,498.40 — the largest line after the two index charges.
Is there a state fee on a Seattle permit?
Yes. RCW 19.27.085 imposes $6.50 on each residential building permit and $25.00 on each commercial one, plus $2.00 for each residential unit after the first. The City collects it and remits it to the state, and it is set by statute rather than by ordinance. It is also the reason two identical buildings can differ by $18.50: one is classed residential and one commercial.
Do the index bands agree with each other?
Yes, at every handover that has been checked. The band opening at $1,500,001 starts at $11,734.00 and the band below produces exactly that at $1,500,000; the band opening at $2,000,001 starts at $14,984.00 and its band below produces exactly that at $2,000,000. Because the fee is that index charged twice, an error at a seam would be paid twice, which is why this site checks them.
What does Seattle not include in the permit fee?
Land use, design review, environmental and shoreline fees; all hourly charges at the $292.00 base and hourly rate; elevator, refrigeration and boiler permits on their own tables; tenant alteration charges per 100 square feet; phased-permit charges of one times the base fee per additional application; and the plumbing permit, which the county health department issues. Utility connection charges are separate accounts entirely.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
2026 Fee Subtitle — Table D-15, electrical permit fees when plans are not required
The same document as the row above — the same URL, because a fee subtitle is one document — recorded under a second key so that every electrical rule cites the table it actually came from. Table D-15 is the schedule for work where plans are not required; Table D-14, which prices electrical work by valuation where plans are reviewed, is named in prose and not modelled, because the two tables charge the same job differently ($292.00 for a 200-ampere service under D-15 against a percentage of valuation under D-14) and choosing between them is the department's judgement rather than a rule.
- State agencyStatePrimary source
RCW 19.27.085 — Building code council fees
"There is imposed a fee of six dollars and fifty cents on each residential building permit and a fee of twenty-five dollars for each commercial building permit, issued by a county or a city", plus "an additional surcharge of two dollars for each residential unit, but not including the first unit". The City collects it and remits it, and it sits outside the fee chapters the technology fee applies to. Read 2026-09-24 from the official citation. It is the second source in this dataset set by a state statute rather than a local ordinance, after Texas's — and the first where the two rates are split by occupancy rather than by size.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.