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King County

Public Health – Seattle & King County, Environmental Health Services (pet business, water recreation, on-site sewage, and plumbing & gas piping programs)

In short

Public Health – Seattle & King County, Environmental Health Services (pet business, water recreation, on-site sewage, and plumbing & gas piping programs) issues 8 permits we publish for King County, last verified 2026-09-25. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Kennel / Pet Daycare Operating Permitonly if it applies to youPublic Health – Seattle & King County, Environmental Health Services (pet business, water recreation, on-site sewage, and plumbing & gas piping programs)$506 a year per location (2026), commercial kennel or pet daycare facilityannual (expiry date set by the Director)2026-09-25
Pet Shop / Pet Food Retail / Poultry Retail Operating Permitonly if it applies to youPublic Health – Seattle & King County, Environmental Health Services (pet business, water recreation, on-site sewage, and plumbing & gas piping programs)$281–$506 a year per location (2026): pet food retailer $281, aquarium-only pet shop $281, poultry retailer $394, standard pet shop $506annual2026-09-25
On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permit — non-single-family (commercial)only if it applies to youPublic Health – Seattle & King County, Environmental Health Services (pet business, water recreation, on-site sewage, and plumbing & gas piping programs)Installing a new non-single-family (commercial) system: $1,575 installation permit (2026) plus design review of $731 (gravity or holding tank system) or $1,181 (pressurized system). Moving a business into an existing septic-served building instead of installing a new system — a residential-to-commercial or commercial-to-commercial change of use — pays a separate, lower building-remodel application fee of $338 application review plus $450 inspector review fee, $788 total (2026). The 2024 Board of Health Code priced the non-single-family installation permit at $1,512.one-time, per installation or change of use2026-09-25
Pet Grooming Service Operating Permitonly if it applies to youPublic Health – Seattle & King County, Environmental Health Services (pet business, water recreation, on-site sewage, and plumbing & gas piping programs)$281 a year per location (2026); the 2026 sheet prices a mobile grooming unit at a flat $281, while the Board of Health Code (2024) prices a mobile unit at $270 for the first vehicle plus $270 for each additional vehicleannual2026-09-25
Plumbing / Gas Piping / Backflow Permitonly if it applies to youPublic Health – Seattle & King County, Environmental Health Services (pet business, water recreation, on-site sewage, and plumbing & gas piping programs)$137 base fee plus $27 per fixture (plumbing/backflow) or per outlet (gas piping/medical gas) (2026); plan review $273/hour; permit renewal $68. King County Code §16.32.080 prints $132 base plus $26 per fixture, $66 renewal and $264/hour review, and directs readers to Public Health for the current schedule.per project; renewal $682026-09-25
Water Recreation Facility (Pool / Spa) Annual Operating Permitonly if it applies to youPublic Health – Seattle & King County, Environmental Health Services (pet business, water recreation, on-site sewage, and plumbing & gas piping programs)$693 a year per pool or spa (2026); temporary pool $63; pool not in use $189annual; due June 1, delinquent June 102026-09-25
Veterinary Clinic — Board of Health Pet-Business Exemption for Medical Care (King County)only if it applies to youPublic Health – Seattle & King County, Environmental Health Services (pet business, water recreation, on-site sewage, and plumbing & gas piping programs)No feenot applicable2026-09-25
Child Care Licensing — State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (King County)only if it applies to youPublic Health – Seattle & King County, Environmental Health Services (pet business, water recreation, on-site sewage, and plumbing & gas piping programs)No feenot applicable2026-09-25

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Commercial Kennel / Pet Daycare Operating Permit

A business that boards, trains or breeds four or more dogs or cats commercially, or runs a pet daycare, needs an annual operating permit from Public Health – Seattle & King County: $506 a year (2026), one permit per location and owner, required county-wide. Plan review applies before construction or conversion ($225 plus $225 per hour over one hour, 2024 Board of Health Code amount). Two or more permit classifications at one location pay the highest applicable fee plus $266 for one additional classification or $532 for two or more (2024 amounts). A veterinary clinic that also boards animals needs this permit for the boarding side of its business, separate from its state veterinary license. Non-commercial hobby kennels and catteries in the unincorporated area are licensed separately under KCC 11.04.060. Public Health has a pet-code and fee overhaul under consideration by the Board of Health that would restructure boarding fees by animal-count tier and rename this permit a 'pet boarding facility' permit; confirm the current fee structure with Public Health before applying if that overhaul has since been adopted.

Pet Shop / Pet Food Retail / Poultry Retail Operating Permit

A store selling live animals needs a Public Health pet shop permit: $506 a year for a standard pet shop or $281 for an aquarium-only shop; a poultry retailer pays $394. A 'pet food retail business' under Board of Health Code §8.03.040.N is defined broadly and pays $281: it covers a retail establishment selling either (1) pet foods or treats requiring refrigeration or freezing to prevent spoilage, or (2) uncooked or partially cooked animal-derived pet foods or treats not requiring refrigeration or freezing — both categories need the permit, not just the uncooked-food category. Selling only canned or other fully cooked pet food and treats needs no permit under §8.03.340.F, and a holder of a Public Health food establishment permit under Title 5 needs no separate pet-food permit. Each location needs its own permit, and KCC 11.04.070 requires every pet shop to report monthly to the county animal-control manager the pets it gives away or sells. Ordinary retail with no animal or raw or refrigerated pet-food sales needs no Public Health permit.

On-Site Sewage (Septic) System Permit — non-single-family (commercial)

A business on a septic system rather than public sewer needs Public Health approval before building or changing use, county-wide. Installing a brand-new non-single-family (commercial) septic system costs $1,575 in 2026 plus design review of $731 (gravity or holding tank) or $1,181 (pressurized). A different, cheaper fee applies when a business simply moves into an existing building already served by septic and changes its use from residential to commercial or from one commercial use to another: the 2026 fee sheet groups this under 'Building remodel application' at $338 application review plus $450 inspector review, $788 total — not the $1,575 new-installation figure. Public Health's food-permit pages state that a food business on septic needs Septic Program approval before opening. Businesses connected to public sewer do not need this permit at all. Contact the Eastgate office at 206-477-8050.

Pet Grooming Service Operating Permit

This permit reaches self-service dog-washing businesses, not grooming done incidentally to another licensed activity. Board of Health Code §8.03.040.O defines pet grooming to 'include any self service dog washing business where customers wash their own pets' but expressly excludes 'incidental bathing or combing of pets as part of regular animal care performed at a pet shop, commercial kennel, pet daycare facility or animal shelter,' and excludes grooming done on an infrequent, nonprofit basis. A fixed self-service dog-wash pays $281 a year (2026). A mobile grooming operation's price is not settled between the two published documents: the 2026 fee sheet lists 'Pet Mobile Grooming Service $281' as a flat figure, while the 2024 Board of Health Code fee table prices a mobile grooming vehicle at $270 base for the first vehicle plus $270 for each additional vehicle — a multi-vehicle mobile operator should confirm which figure Public Health is currently charging. This permit is separate from cosmetology; ordinary human hair and nail salons are not covered unless they also run a self-service pet-wash operation. Plan review applies to new or converted grooming facilities.

Plumbing / Gas Piping / Backflow Permit

This is not a county-wide permit. Public Health – Seattle & King County issues plumbing, gas piping and backflow permits under the King County Plumbing Code (KCC 16.32) only in Seattle, Clyde Hill and unincorporated King County — Public Health's own applications-and-permits page states the jurisdiction list by name and adds, 'If the property is in another King County city, you will need to get your plumbing and gas piping permits from that city's building department.' Within that three-jurisdiction scope, the 2026 fee is $137 base plus $27 per fixture or outlet, with plan review at $273 an hour and a $68 renewal; the County Code table itself prints $132 and $26 and directs readers to Public Health for the current schedule. Food businesses in Seattle, Clyde Hill or the unincorporated area need this permit when adding a sink or changing plumbing; a food business anywhere else in the county gets its plumbing permit from its own city instead. The unincorporated-area building permit is separate and comes from King County Permits. Electrical permits are issued by the state Department of Labor & Industries, not the County, anywhere in King County.

Water Recreation Facility (Pool / Spa) Annual Operating Permit

A gym or fitness studio with a swimming pool, spa or hot tub needs an annual water recreation facility permit from Public Health, county-wide: $693 per pool or spa in 2026, due June 1 and delinquent June 10 regardless of the dates the pool actually operates. A new pool's initial permit is half the annual fee if it is obtained after November 30 (BOH §2.20.020.B). New-construction plan review is $1,008 plus $252 an hour after four hours; renovation review is $504 plus $252 an hour after two. A temporary pool is $63 and a pool taken out of use is $189. A studio without a pool, spa or hot tub does not need a Public Health permit under this program. Separately, in unincorporated King County a sauna or hot-tub facility can also trigger the County's Title 6 public bathhouse license, listed separately.

Veterinary Clinic — Board of Health Pet-Business Exemption for Medical Care (King County)

No fee applies to the veterinary clinic itself for its medical practice. King County's Board of Health pet-business regulations exclude licensed veterinary hospitals and clinics from the commercial kennel definition where animals are kept for surgical or medical treatment, and §8.03.340.A states directly that no license 'shall be required for the veterinarian's possession of animals solely for the purposes of veterinary care.' The clinic does need a Public Health pet-business operating permit for any other service it offers: boarding four or more dogs or cats commercially (commercial kennel or pet daycare, $506 in 2026), grooming ($281) or retail pet sales — each listed separately. King County Code §11.04.030.G places a related duty on veterinarians and shelters: they must make pet-license application materials available to a new owner when a pet is sold or given away. Veterinary practice and premises licensing itself is a Washington State Department of Health function (state layer). In the unincorporated area a veterinary clinic is also barred as a home occupation in the R, UR, NB, CB and RB zones (KCC 21A.30.080.E.9), though not in the county's agricultural, forest and rural zones — see the home-occupation record.

Child Care Licensing — State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (King County)

No fee applies at the county level. Neither King County Code Title 6, 'Business Licenses and Regulations,' nor the Board of Health Code's table of contents names a county child care license. Public Health – Seattle & King County's own Child Care Health Program page states it directly: 'Child care and early learning programs are regulated by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families,' recorded at the state layer. That page lists what Public Health offers — child care health consultation, training and model policies — and names no license or permit. In unincorporated King County a child care centre is a 'daycare' land use under the zoning code (KCC 21A.06.265) and must be an allowed use in its zone, which a zoning certification ($483) can confirm, and it needs a commercial building permit or change-of-use permit and an occupancy certificate for its space. A child care centre's kitchen is not among the exemptions on Public Health's food-permit exemptions page — that page exempts only a private-home kitchen operated by a licensed family day care provider or an adult family home — so a commercial kitchen serving meals to the public at a child care centre may still need a Public Health food permit; confirm with Public Health, 206-263-9566.

Contact

Jurisdiction
King County
Phone
206-263-9566 / 206-477-8050

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Board of Health Code Table of Contents (February 15, 2019) — Titles 1-23; no child-care, salon or general business titleKing County Board of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  2. Board of Health Code Title 2, 'Officers and Administration,' UPDATED January 14, 2026 (chs. 2.06, 2.10 food, 2.13 pet business, 2.18 on-site sewage, 2.20 pools); fee tables last amended by R&R 24-04 (2024)King County Board of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  3. Board of Health Code Title 8, 'Zoonotic Disease Prevention Regulations,' UPDATED March 22, 2017 — ch. 8.03 Pet Business Regulations (§8.03.340 permit requirement, §8.03.040 definitions)King County Board of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  4. Child Care Health Program — consultation and training; states 'Child care and early learning programs are regulated by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families'Public Health – Seattle & King County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  5. King County Code Title 11, 'Animal Control,' UPDATED September 9, 2026King County Council Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  6. King County Code Title 16, 'Building and Construction Standards,' UPDATED June 5, 2026 (§16.02 administration; certificate of occupancy §§16.02.470-.540; fees §16.02.400; ch. 16.32 Plumbing Code)King County Council Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  7. King County Code Title 21A, 'Zoning,' UPDATED September 9, 2026King County Council Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  8. King County Code Title 6, 'Business Licenses and Regulations,' UPDATED September 8, 2026King County Council Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  9. On-site Sewage System (OSS) Program fees, effective January 1, 2026Public Health – Seattle & King County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  10. Permit forms and application materials (Commercial sign; change of use/tenant improvement; Health Department approval of building permit application; other-agency electrical/septic/plumbing information)King County Dept. of Local Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  11. Pet Business Program fees, effective January 1, 2026Public Health – Seattle & King County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  12. Plumbing and gas piping — applications and permits, stating the permit is issued 'in the following jurisdictions: Seattle, Clyde Hill, Unincorporated King County' and that other cities issue their ownPublic Health – Seattle & King County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  13. Plumbing and Gas Piping Program fees, effective January 1, 2026Public Health – Seattle & King County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
  14. Water Recreation Program Fees – 2026Public Health – Seattle & King County · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27

Other offices serving King County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

Washington jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.