What's Required in Seattle
- No building permit for a one-story detached storage shed with a projected roof area of 120 sq ft or less on soil, pier blocks or a slab on grade, outside any ECA.
- Sheds over 120 sq ft and up to 750 sq ft with beam spans under 14 ft use a subject-to-field-inspection (STFI) construction permit; larger sheds, long spans and ECA sites need an addition or alteration permit with plan review.
- Fees are value-based: the Table D-1 index on SDCI's $72.18 per square foot valuation, plus 40 percent plan review for STFI, a 5 percent technology fee and the $6.50 state surcharge.
- Any wiring to the shed needs a separate SDCI electrical permit; a sink needs a plumbing permit from Public Health Seattle and King County.
- The zoning code caps a shed at 12 ft tall and keeps it out of the front setback and within 5 ft side setbacks in NR zones; a side setback agreement may be needed.
- Apply through the Seattle Services Portal starting with a Building and Land Use Pre-Application, a site plan and the legal description; drawings rarely need a professional stamp.
- A construction permit is valid for 18 months; reinspections cost half the $292 base fee.
- Disturbing more than 750 sq ft of ground, or any ground in an ECA, moves the project to a regular permit with a pre-application site visit.
Do You Need a Permit to Build a Shed in Seattle?
Not for a small one. A one-story storage shed whose roof covers 120 sq ft or less, sitting on soil, pier blocks or a simple slab, not attached to the house and not in an environmentally critical area (ECA), needs no building permit at all (Seattle Residential Code R105.2 item 3 and SDCI's Sheds page). Anything bigger needs a permit, and for most backyard sheds that is a subject-to-field-inspection (STFI) construction permit priced on the value of the work: about $700 for a 10x14 shed and about $790 for a 12x16, all fees included, using SDCI's 2026 Fee Subtitle and its published building valuation table. Either way, zoning caps a shed at 12 ft tall.
Seattle Shed Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| One-story shed, roof area 120 sq ft or less, on soil, pier blocks or a slab, detached, storage use, not in an ECA | None | SRC R105.2 item 3; SDCI Sheds page |
| Same shed with a light, outlet or heater wired to it | Electrical permit for the wiring (online, from $105.12 plus $55.48 admin) | Seattle Electrical Code 80.50; SRC R105.3 |
| Shed over 120 sq ft, up to 750 sq ft, beams spanning less than 14 ft, not in an ECA | STFI construction permit, value-based | SDCI Sheds page; Tip 316 |
| Shed over 750 sq ft, beams spanning more than 14 ft, or in or near an ECA | Addition or alteration permit with full plan review | SDCI Sheds page |
| Small shed on a poured concrete foundation other than a slab on grade | STFI construction permit (the exemption is lost) | SRC R105.2 item 3.2 |
| Shed taller than 12 ft | Not allowed by the zoning code, permit or not | SDCI Sheds page (SMC 23.44) |
| Shed within 5 ft of a side lot line or in the front setback | Zoning problem; a side setback agreement with the neighbor may be possible | SDCI Sheds page |
How Much Does a Shed Permit Cost in Seattle?
SDCI does not publish a flat shed fee. A permitted shed is a small construction permit, and the fee comes from Table D-1 of the 2026 Fee Subtitle, which turns the value of the work into a Development Fee Index (DFI). Value is set from SDCI's building valuation data, not your receipts: Director's Rule 5-2025 prices a Group U utility building of Type VB (wood frame) construction at $72.18 per square foot. For an STFI permit the permit fee is 100 percent of the DFI and plan review is 40 percent (minimum $116.75), then a 5 percent technology fee and the $6.50 state Building Code Council surcharge are added.
Worked example, 12x16 shed: 192 sq ft x $72.18 = $13,858.56 of value. Table D-1 gives $325 for the first $1,000 plus $1.60 for each additional $100 or fraction (129 x $1.60 = $206.40), so the DFI is $531.40. Permit $531.40 + plan review $212.56 = $743.96; add $37.20 technology fee and $6.50 state fee = $787.66. A 10x14 shed (140 sq ft, $10,105.20 of value) works out to a $472.20 DFI and $700.63 all in. If the shed does not qualify for STFI (over 750 sq ft, long spans, ECA), plan review is 100 percent of the DFI instead of 40 percent, roughly $1,120 for the same 12x16. Construction permit fees rose 18 percent on January 1, 2026.
What the Permit Process Looks Like
STFI means SDCI screens a light plan set for zoning compliance and the building inspector checks code compliance on site. You start a Building & Land Use Pre-Application in the Seattle Services Portal with a site plan and legal description, upload the shed drawings, pay the value-based fee, and SDCI issues the permit and stamped plans electronically after a screening that takes a few days. Shed drawings rarely need a professional stamp. The permit is valid for 18 months. Disturbing more than 750 sq ft of ground, or any ground in an ECA, routes the project to a regular addition or alteration permit with a pre-application site visit.
Zoning Rules That Apply Even Without a Permit
SDCI's Sheds page is explicit that the building permit exemption does not exempt you from the land use code. In Neighborhood Residential zones (NR1, NR2, NR3) a shed cannot be taller than 12 ft, usually cannot sit within 10 to 15 ft of the front property line or within 5 ft of the side lot lines, and belongs in the rear yard. Lot coverage is capped at 50 percent, and the 2025 middle-housing rewrite of the zone (Ordinance 127376) means older summaries of SMC 23.44 may be out of date, so confirm setbacks with SDCI's free land use coaching first.
How to Get a Shed Permit in Seattle
Measure the roof, not the floor
If the projected roof area is 120 sq ft or less and the shed is one story, detached, on soil, pier blocks or a slab, and outside an ECA, skip to the zoning check; no building permit is needed.
Check zoning and ECA maps
Use SDCI's GIS map to confirm the lot's zone and any environmentally critical area, then verify the 12 ft height cap, front and side setbacks and lot coverage before you site the shed.
Start the pre-application in the Seattle Services Portal
Create a Building and Land Use Pre-Application with a site plan and the legal description, then upload the shed plans and answer yes to the subject-to-field-inspection question if the shed qualifies.
Pay the value-based fee
SDCI calculates the fee from Table D-1 on the valuation-table value of the shed; STFI fees are due when the permit is issued, and the permit and stamped plans arrive in the portal after a few days of screening.
Build, then call for inspections
Print the permit, keep it on site, and schedule the field inspections online or at (206) 684-8900; pull a separate electrical permit before wiring the shed.