Washington Permit Costs · 2026 Guide
How Much Do Building Permits Cost in Washington? A 2026 Guide
What Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, and Kirkland actually charge, which fees sit on top of the permit itself, and where homeowners can lower the total.
If you are budgeting for a remodel, addition, or ADU in Washington, the first question is usually simple: how much does the permit cost? The honest answer is that there is no single statewide price. Every city and county sets its own fee schedule, and the permit itself is only one line on a much longer invoice.
This guide breaks down how Washington permit fees are built, what Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, and Kirkland charge in 2026, which costs are not technically permit fees but still land on your budget, and how to avoid paying more than you need to.
The figures in this guide come from published 2026 city schedules and notices, checked in November 2026. Fees change, often every January, and some cities bill by the hour. Treat every number here as a planning reference and confirm the current amount with your jurisdiction before you budget.
The Short Answer: It Depends on Valuation, Location, and Site
Most Washington jurisdictions calculate the building permit fee from the estimated value of the construction work. They then add a plan review fee, state and local surcharges, and separate permits for trades like electrical and plumbing. Sites with slopes, drainage issues, or critical areas can add hourly review charges on top.
To give you a real anchor: in its own 2026 fee examples, the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) shows a plan review and permit fee of $3,453 for a detached ADU (DADU), up from $2,908 in 2025. A single-family house in the same examples runs $6,853. These are illustrative examples from SDCI, not quotes, and they cover the base permit and plan review only. Everything else in this guide is billed separately.
How Washington Permit Fees Are Built
Think of a permit invoice as a stack of layers. Which layers apply depends on your project and your city.
Usually based on the estimated construction value of the project. Kitsap County uses International Code Council square foot construction costs, while Seattle sets fees through a fee table in its fee code.
Often calculated as a percentage of the building permit fee. Kirkland's published schedule lists plan review at 65% of the building permit fee. Seattle's examples combine plan review and permit into one fee.
State law adds $6.50 to each residential building permit, plus $2 for each unit after the first in a building with multiple units. Seattle also adds a 5% technology fee to SDCI fees.
Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work is often permitted separately, and who issues each permit varies. In Tacoma, an ADU's plumbing and mechanical ride on the building permit, while electrical goes through Tacoma Power.
Drainage, geotechnical, critical area, and land use reviews are commonly billed by the hour. SDCI's 2026 base hourly rate is $292.
Charged by cities, school districts, and utilities for new homes and ADUs. State law caps ADU impact fees at 50% of the fee for the principal unit.
Seattle: SDCI Permit Fees in 2026
Seattle raised fees again on January 1, 2026. SDCI applied a 6.5% inflationary increase to most fees, set the base hourly rate at $292, and raised construction and master use permit fees by 18% year over year.
SDCI's own examples show what that means in practice. The plan review and permit fee for a DADU rose from $2,908 to $3,453, an increase of 18.7%. A single-family house went from $5,759 to $6,853.
How payment works: SDCI generally collects about 75 percent of the plan review and permit fee when it accepts your application, and the remaining balance before the permit issues.
What sits on top: a 5% technology fee on SDCI fees, the $6.50 state building code fee, separate trade permits, and hourly charges for reviews that go beyond the base fee, such as drainage, geotechnical, and critical area review. Land use review is billed at a higher hourly rate than the standard $292.
Do not forget the King County sewer capacity charge. Connecting an ADU to the sewer system can trigger a separate charge from King County. For properties connecting in 2026, the rate is $77.99 per residential customer equivalent (RCE) per month, billed quarterly for 15 years. King County lists an ADU at 0.59 RCE, which works out to about $46 per month, or roughly $8,280 over 15 years if the balance is not paid off early. Owners can prepay the remaining balance at a discount.
Building a DADU in Seattle? Pre-approved designs can shorten review. See our guide to pre-approved ADU plans in Washington.
Tacoma: Building Permit and Plan Review Fees
Tacoma calculates building permit fees from project valuation and charges plan review as a percentage of the building permit fee, set in the city's Planning and Development Services fee schedule. Because the percentage can differ by permit type, check the current schedule for your project.
Tacoma's pre-approved DADU program changes the math. The city says the cost of preparing the plans, evaluating the site for services, and city support information is included and initially free. If you want modifications beyond the pre-approved sets, you work with the designer, and those changes carry separate fees.
An ADU in Tacoma is submitted under a residential new construction permit that includes plumbing and mechanical, with site development reviewed in the same permit. Electrical and new service go through Tacoma Power. Expect other charges as well, including a water service fee for the additional dwelling and sanitary sewer rate changes.
Tacoma is clear that pre-approved is not the same as pre-permitted. Items like utility service and critical areas are still reviewed separately, so budget for that work even when the plan itself is free.
Bellevue: Submittal Fees, Issuance Fees, and Deposits
Bellevue splits its fees into two payments. Submittal fees are paid when you apply and cover plan review and administrative services. Issuance fees are paid when the permit and approved plans are released, and they generally cover inspection and administrative services and may include impact fees.
Either payment can be a flat fee or a deposit. With a deposit, the city charges its hours of review and inspection against the balance, sends monthly invoices if the deposit runs out, and refunds any unused balance. That makes Bellevue a good example of why correction cycles matter: more review hours can mean more cost.
Water is a separate line. Bellevue's 2026 Cascade Water Alliance Regional Capital Facilities Charge is $8,852 for a 3/4-inch meter, which can apply when a project needs a new water meter. Bellevue also offers an online Permit Fee Estimator for a general starting point, though the actual fee is determined after you apply and may be higher.
Kirkland: ADU Impact Fees Started July 1, 2026
Kirkland raised development services fees by 2.7% on January 1, 2026, based on the Consumer Price Index for Western Washington. The bigger change for ADU owners is on impact fees. According to the city's 2026 fee notice, complete ADU building permit applications received on or after July 1, 2026 are charged impact fees, while ADUs of 800 square feet or less remain exempt.
Kirkland's published building fee schedule lists plan review at 65% of the building permit fee. The same 2026 notice lists the Cascade Water Alliance charge at $8,852 for a 3/4-inch meter, matching Bellevue. Kirkland also runs a pre-approved detached ADU program, which can reduce design costs.
Washington Cities Compared
Here is how several jurisdictions structure their fees, based on their published 2026 materials.
| Jurisdiction | How fees are structured | 2026 detail worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Combined plan review and permit fee from a fee table, plus a 5% technology fee. About 75% due at intake. | SDCI's DADU example is $3,453. Base hourly rate is $292. |
| Tacoma | Valuation-based permit fee with plan review as a percentage of the permit fee. | Pre-approved DADU plans and site evaluation are initially free. Electrical goes through Tacoma Power. |
| Bellevue | Submittal fee at application and issuance fee at permit release, flat or deposit. | Deposits are billed against hourly review. Cascade water charge is $8,852 for a 3/4-inch meter. |
| Kirkland | Valuation-based permit fee, with plan review listed at 65% in its published schedule. | ADU impact fees apply to complete applications from July 1, 2026. ADUs of 800 sq ft or less are exempt. |
| Renton | Standard fee schedule, with a special rule for pre-reviewed ADU plans. | Review fee is $0 for ADUs using the Permit Ready ADU program plans. |
| Port Angeles | Fee Waiver Program for qualifying housing types within city limits. | Effective January 1, 2024, it eliminates 26 building permit fees for 16 housing types, including projects using the city's permit-ready plans. |
Estimate Your Own Permit Fees With Our WA Permit Cost Calculator
Reading fee schedules is slow, and every city formats them differently. To make the first pass easier, we built the WA Permit Cost Calculator, a quick starting point for homeowners and contractors planning a project anywhere in the state.
It covers all 39 Washington counties and shows an itemized breakdown of the fee components instead of a single number, along with the source documentation behind the figures. Where a county's fee formula has not been verified against primary sources, the result is labeled as an approximate range rather than presented as exact.
A calculator estimate is a planning tool, not a quote. Your jurisdiction sets the final fee, and impact fees, utility charges, and hourly reviews can change the total.
Try the WA Permit Cost Calculator
Send us your project address and scope. We will tell you which fee layers apply and what to budget for before you commit.
Costs Beyond the Permit That Still Hit Your Budget
A permit is only part of what a city or utility collects before you can build or occupy. These charges usually arrive at permit issuance or when you connect services:
- Impact fees: one-time charges that help pay for growth in transportation, parks, schools, and fire services. For ADUs, state law caps them at 50 percent of the fee for the principal unit, and some cities exempt smaller ADUs.
- Water and sewer charges: meter and capital facility charges, side sewer work, and regional charges such as King County's sewer capacity charge.
- Right-of-way and utility permits: separate permits for work in the street or alley, driveway changes, or new utility service.
- Specialized site reports: geotechnical, drainage, or critical area documentation required when your lot calls for it.
What Makes Permit Costs Climb
Project value
Because building permit fees scale with valuation, a larger scope or higher-end finish raises the base fee even when the footprint stays the same.
Site conditions
Slopes, shoreline, drainage, and critical areas bring hourly review charges. These reviews are billed by the hour, so complex lots tend to cost more to permit.
Correction cycles
When a reviewer sends comments, the resubmittal takes more review time. In cities that bill hourly or against a deposit, that time is a real cost, which is why a complete first submittal matters.
New utility connections
A new water meter, side sewer, or electrical service can add charges that sit outside the building permit entirely.
Starting work without a permit
Work done without a required permit can bring additional fees and the cost of reviewing or correcting what was already built. Permitting first is almost always the less expensive route.
Ways to Lower Your Permit Costs
Start with a pre-approved plan where one exists. Renton sets its review fee at $0 for ADUs using its Permit Ready ADU plans. Tacoma says its pre-approved DADU plans and site evaluation are initially free. Port Angeles waives certain building permit fees for qualifying projects, including those using its permit-ready plans, within city limits. You still need a site-specific application, so read our guide to pre-approved ADU plans in Washington.
Know your size thresholds. Kirkland currently exempts ADUs of 800 square feet or less from impact fees. Check whether your city has a similar line before you finalize the design.
Submit a complete package. Complete drawings and documents reduce correction cycles, which protects both your timeline and any hourly review budget.
Use the official estimators. Bellevue offers a Permit Fee Estimator, and our WA Permit Cost Calculator gives you a starting range for your county.
Ask about prepaying the King County capacity charge. King County allows the balance to be paid off early at a discount. Contact the county for a payoff figure and decide what makes sense for your situation.
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions About Washington Permit Costs
There is no single statewide price. Each city and county sets its own fee schedule, usually based on the estimated construction value of the project, plus plan review, state and local surcharges, and separate trade permits. As one reference point, Seattle's own 2026 fee examples show a plan review and permit fee of $3,453 for a detached ADU and $6,853 for a single-family house.
In SDCI's 2026 fee examples, the plan review and permit fee for a detached ADU is $3,453. That is the base fee. Additional charges such as the 5% technology fee, the $6.50 state fee, trade permits, hourly reviews for items like drainage or geotechnical conditions, and utility charges including King County's sewer capacity charge are billed separately, so your total will be higher.
On January 1, 2026, SDCI applied a 6.5% inflationary increase to most fees, set its base hourly rate at $292, and raised construction and master use permit fees by 18% year over year. SDCI's own examples show the DADU example rising from $2,908 in 2025 to $3,453 in 2026.
It depends on the city. Some jurisdictions list plan review as a percentage of the building permit fee. Kirkland's published schedule, for example, lists 65%. Seattle's examples combine plan review and permit into one fee, and Bellevue collects plan review and administrative costs at submittal.
RCW 19.27.085 requires a $6.50 fee on each residential building permit, plus $2 for each residential unit after the first in a building that contains more than one unit. Cities and counties collect it with the permit and remit it to the state.
Yes, but they are limited. State law (RCW 36.70A.681) prohibits cities and counties from charging ADU impact fees greater than 50 percent of the impact fees for the principal unit. Local rules vary. Kirkland, for example, began charging ADU impact fees on complete applications received on or after July 1, 2026, with ADUs of 800 square feet or less exempt.
For properties connecting to the sewer system in 2026, King County's capacity charge is $77.99 per residential customer equivalent (RCE) per month. King County lists an ADU at 0.59 RCE, which works out to about $46 per month. It is billed quarterly for 15 years and can be paid off early at a discount.
They can. Renton's fee schedule sets the review fee at $0 for ADUs that use its Permit Ready ADU plans, Tacoma says the cost of its pre-approved DADU plans and site evaluation is initially free, and Port Angeles waives certain building permit fees for projects using its permit-ready plans within city limits. Site-specific fees, utility charges, and impact fees can still apply.
Usually not. Seattle generally collects about 75 percent of the plan review and permit fee when the application is accepted and the balance before the permit issues. Bellevue charges submittal fees when you apply and issuance fees when the permit is released, and some of those are deposits billed against hourly review time.
Consequences vary by city but can include stop-work orders, additional fees, and the cost of having completed work reviewed or corrected. In Seattle, review of work that is already built can be billed at SDCI's hourly rate on top of regular permit fees. Permitting first is almost always less expensive and less stressful than permitting after the fact.
How Evergreen Permits Helps You Plan for Permit Costs
City fees go to the jurisdiction and are only part of what a permit project costs. Evergreen Permits helps homeowners, contractors, and architects see the whole picture before they commit.
We identify which fee layers apply to your address, flag impact fees and utility charges early, and prepare complete submittal packages so you are not paying for avoidable correction cycles. We provide fixed-fee residential permit packages once the scope and permit path are confirmed. Our fees are separate from city fees.
Get a Clear Picture of Your Permit Costs
Send us your project address and a short description of the work. We will tell you which fees apply and what to budget for.
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