Do I Need a Permit?
Pick your city and project, answer a couple of yes/no questions, and see what the city's own published rules say. Free, no sign-up.
Where these rules come from
We only show a rule when we could read it on an official page. Where we could not, the tool says "Depends, check with the city" instead of guessing. For cities we have not covered, it falls back to the statewide residential code, which cities can amend. Sources were read on October 11, 2026.
- City of Bellevue: work requiring permits
- City of Kirkland: do you need a permit?
- City of Redmond: work exempt from permit (PDF, 2021 IBC/IRC)
- City of Redmond: residential permits
- City of Bothell: when is a permit necessary?
- City of Bothell: Permit Center
- Woodinville Municipal Code 21.62 (work exempt from a permit)
- Seattle SDCI: do you need a permit?
- City of Issaquah: do I need a permit?
- City of Kenmore: do I need a permit? (KMC 15.30.205)
- City of Shoreline: permit FAQ
- City of Mill Creek: do I need a permit? flyer (Aug 2025)
- King County Permitting: do you need a permit?
- Snohomish County PDS: residential building permits
- WAC 51-51: Washington State Residential Code (adopts the 2021 IRC, WAC 51-51-003)
- 2021 IRC R105.1 and R105.2 (text as published by Grant County, WA)
- WA L&I: electrical permits
- WA L&I: cities that issue their own electrical permits
Planning a bigger project? See our bathroom permit guide or the cost estimator.