What's Required in Seattle
- No building permit for cabinets, countertops, flooring and surface finishes in the same layout, or for minor alterations worth $6,000 or less in six months with no load-bearing changes.
- Layout changes over $6,000, wall openings and structural work need an SDCI construction permit; non-structural work and bearing-wall openings with beams up to 14 ft qualify for STFI.
- Plumbing and gas piping permits come from Public Health Seattle and King County ($137 plus $27 per fixture or outlet in 2026); homeowners may permit their own plumbing.
- New or altered circuits need an SDCI electrical permit pulled by a licensed electrical contractor or the owner-occupant doing the work; the online minimum is $105.12 plus a $55.48 administrative fee.
- STFI fees are value-based: Table D-1 index plus 40 percent plan review, 5 percent technology fee and the $6.50 state surcharge.
- Submit scaled existing and proposed floor plans with the Building and Land Use Pre-Application; a professional stamp is rarely required.
- Unremodeled parts of the house need not be upgraded to current code, but structural impacts of the remodel must be accounted for.
- The construction permit is valid for 18 months; reinspections cost half the $292 base fee.
Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Kitchen in Seattle?
It depends on what you touch. Seattle Residential Code R105.2 exempts installing kitchen cabinets, paneling or other surface finishes over existing walls and ceilings, painting, and any minor repair or alteration worth $6,000 or less in a six-month period that does not remove, reduce or relocate load-bearing support. So a same-layout kitchen with new cabinets, counters, flooring and backsplash needs no SDCI building permit. Three things pull the job into permit territory: plumbing (moving the sink, adding a dishwasher line, running gas) needs a permit from Public Health Seattle & King County, which issues every plumbing and gas permit in the city; new or altered circuits need an SDCI electrical permit; and a layout change over $6,000 or any wall work needs an SDCI construction permit, for a non-structural kitchen a subject-to-field-inspection (STFI) permit priced on value.
Seattle Kitchen Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| New cabinets, countertops, flooring, backsplash, paint; same layout, same hookups | None | SRC R105.2 item 2 |
| Minor alterations worth $6,000 or less in six months, no load-bearing changes | None (building); trade permits still apply | SRC R105.2 item 1; R105.3 |
| Moving the sink, adding a dishwasher or disposal drain, new water or gas line | Public Health plumbing or gas permit: $137 plus $27 per fixture or outlet | PHSKC fee schedule (2026) |
| New circuits, relocated outlets, more than 5 like-for-like devices | SDCI electrical permit (online; $26.28 per circuit up to 25 A, $105.12 minimum plus $55.48 admin) | Seattle Electrical Code 80.50; Table D-15 |
| Non-structural layout change over $6,000 (moving partitions, new window openings in non-bearing walls) | STFI construction permit, value-based | Tip 316; Fee Subtitle Table D-2 |
| Opening a bearing wall supporting one story and roof, beam span up to 14 ft | STFI construction permit with structural detail | Tip 316 |
| Replacing a range, dishwasher or fridge on the existing circuit and hookups | No electrical permit; plumbing permit only if the piping changes | Seattle Electrical Code 80.50(B)(4); PHSKC |
How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Permit Cost in Seattle?
Three permits, three fee systems. SDCI construction permit: Table D-1 of the 2026 Fee Subtitle converts job value (labor and materials) into a Development Fee Index; an STFI permit pays 100 percent of the index as the permit fee and 40 percent as plan review, plus a 5 percent technology fee and the $6.50 state surcharge. A $30,000 kitchen: $709 for the first $25,000 plus 50 x $1.55 = $77.50, index $786.50; permit $786.50 + plan review $314.60 = $1,101.10; with $55.05 technology fee and $6.50, $1,162.65. A $60,000 kitchen: index $1,246.50, total $1,838.85. Plumbing: Public Health charges $137 plus $27 per fixture, so a sink and dishwasher are $191. Electrical: SDCI's online table charges $26.28 per new or altered branch circuit up to 25 amps and $43.80 for 30 to 50 amps, with a $105.12 minimum and a $55.48 administrative fee; four small-appliance and lighting circuits come to $105.12 + $55.48 = $160.60, or $168.63 with the technology fee. A permitted $30,000 kitchen therefore carries about $1,520 in permits, and a $60,000 kitchen about $2,200. SDCI raised construction permit fees 18 percent in 2026.
Who Can Pull the Permits?
The building permit is applied for by the owner or the owner's agent through the Seattle Services Portal, and house drawings rarely need an architect's or engineer's stamp. Electrical permits go to a contractor holding a Washington electrical contractor license and a Seattle business license, or to the owner-occupant doing the work personally; if you take a homeowner permit and then hire someone, SDCI can add the contractor. Plumbing permits are issued by Public Health to a registered plumbing contractor or, for owner-performed work, as a homeowner permit under RCW 18.106.150.
How the STFI Process Works
Start a Building & Land Use Pre-Application in the Seattle Services Portal with a site plan and the legal description, then upload existing and proposed floor plans to scale; Tip 316 confirms that non-structural interior alterations in single-family and duplex homes typically qualify for STFI, as do bearing-wall openings within the 14 ft beam limit. SDCI screens the application in a few days, you pay the fee, and the permit and stamped plans appear in the portal. The inspector then checks framing, insulation and the energy and ventilation rules on site rather than through plan review. Converting attic storage into living space, or work that disturbs more than 750 sq ft of ground, cannot be STFI. Existing parts of the house you are not remodeling do not have to be brought up to current code. The permit is valid for 18 months, and a reinspection costs half the base fee.
How to Get a Kitchen Remodel Permit in Seattle
Sort the scope into three buckets
Finishes and same-place fixtures need nothing; moved plumbing goes to Public Health; new circuits go to an SDCI electrical permit; layout or wall changes over $6,000 go to an SDCI construction permit.
Draw existing and proposed plans
Prepare scaled floor plans showing walls, fixtures, appliances, ventilation and any beam over a bearing wall; keep the beam span to 14 ft or less to stay in the STFI track.
Apply in the Seattle Services Portal
Create a Building and Land Use Pre-Application with a site plan and legal description, upload the plans, answer yes to the subject-to-field-inspection question, and pay the value-based fee when SDCI issues the permit after a few days of screening.
Pull the trade permits
The electrician (or you as owner-occupant) buys the online SDCI electrical permit; the plumber (or you) gets the Public Health plumbing or gas piping permit before opening walls.
Inspect before cover and at final
Schedule the SDCI framing and electrical cover inspections and the Public Health rough plumbing inspection before drywall, then the finals; plan several business days for a plumbing inspection slot.