Seattle
Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections
In short
Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections issues 4 permits we publish for Seattle, last verified 2026-09-05. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Registration (State — no Seattle-specific layer confirmed) | Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections | $150.20 application, plus a $30,000 surety bond and $200,000/$50,000 liability insurance | per Washington L&I registration cycle | 2026-09-05 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections | No fee | not applicable — required only when use or dwelling-unit count changes | 2026-09-05 |
| Commercial Building Permit | Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections | Valuation-based via the city's Development Fee Index (Table D-1), e.g. $325 flat up to $1,000, then $325 plus $1.60 per $100 up to $25,000, rising in bands to $554,359 plus $2 per $1,000 above $200,000,000. A standard permit pays 100% of the Index for both the permit fee and plan review; a tenant alteration filed within 18 months of the building's first Certificate of Occupancy pays only 50% of the Index for both. Minimum fee $292. A $25 Washington State Building Code Council surcharge applies to every commercial building permit. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-05 |
| Sign Permit | Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections | $193.20 for the first 32 sq ft or less, plus a marginal charge escalating from $31.45 per additional 10 sq ft (32–100 sq ft) up to $62.70 per 10 sq ft (650+ sq ft). A wall sign painted directly on the building, with no frame, is capped at $884. Renewal or reestablishment is half the base fee ($146). | one-time, per sign; renewable | 2026-09-05 |
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
Contractor Registration (State — no Seattle-specific layer confirmed)
This is the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries contractor registration, already the baseline for the whole state — SDCI verifies this registration number when a permit is pulled. No dedicated Seattle-specific general contractor license page could be found either confirming or ruling out an additional city layer in this pass, so none is asserted here.
Certificate of Occupancy
No separate fee when tied to an active building permit — the city's own fee subtitle states directly that the permanent Certificate of Occupancy fee "is not assessed in addition to the building permit fee." Without a construction valuation, the minimum building permit fee of $292 applies instead. A temporary Certificate of Occupancy is half that base fee ($146), and a duplicate/reissued certificate is $48.85. A single-family home or duplex never needs one.
Commercial Building Permit
A 5% technology fee surcharge applies on top of all Chapter 22.900B–H fees. This is a rate schedule tied to construction valuation by design, not a flat number — the specific total for any project depends on its own estimated cost.
Sign Permit
Confirmed directly against the city's own fee subtitle. An awning or canopy sign is a separate permit priced at 100% of the Development Fee Index instead of this flat sign schedule. A permit is required for any electric sign and any sign over 5 square feet outside the code's narrow allowances.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Seattle
- Phone
- (206) 684-8600
- Website
- www.seattle.gov/sdci
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.
- Seattle Municipal Code chapter 22.900, 2026 Fee Subtitle — Certificate of Occupancy, building and sign permit feesSeattle Department of Construction and Inspections · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
- Washington State Department of Labor & Industries — contractor registration fee and bondWashington State Department of Labor & Industries · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
Other offices serving Seattle
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.