Permit fees - Building and land use
Please see below for both our current building and land use permits, effective January 1, 2023, as well as new fees which will be effective January 1, 2025.
Current Fees (Effective January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024)
Please see below for access to our current fee guides for building and land use permits, effective January 1, 2023.
2025 Permit Fee Changes (Effective January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025)
Please see below for access to our detailed fee guides for 2025. Effective January 1, 2025, most permit-related fees charged by King County Department of Local Services, Permitting Division will increase by 49%. These changes were approved by the Metropolitan King County Council on November 19, 2024 (per ordinance 19857) and will be in effect until December 31, 2025.
School Impact Fees have also been updated effective January 1, 2025 (per ordinance 19859).
- Please note, for applications submitted before January 1, 2025, and subsequently screened and accepted for review by the County without corrections, will be subject to the 2024 fees.
Pre-Development Services fees
The Pre-Development Services Fee Guide lists fees on:
- Critical Area Designation
- Pre-application Conference
- Zoning Inquiry
- Code Interpretation
- Work without Permit Investigation
Single Family Residential fees
The Single-Family Residential Construction Fee Guide for a new dwelling, remodel, repair, or accessory structure fees.
The School Impact Mitigation Fee Guide for school impact fees.
Commercial or Multifamily Residential fees
- The Commercial or Multifamily Residential Building Construction Fee Guide lists fees for Building Construction, Installation, or Operating Permit fees.
- The Land Disturbance and Site Development Fee Guide lists fees for clearing, grading, or site construction fees.
- The Road Construction Review and Inspection Fee Guide for road construction fees.
- The Storm Water Engineering and Facility Inspection Fee Guide for storm water facility construction fees.
Use fees
The Use or Shoreline Permits Variances and Zoning Amendment Fee Guide lists fees for:
- Use permits
- Variance
- Critical Area Alteration Exception
- Flood Plain Permit
- Shoreline Permit or Exception
- Map Amendment
Land Division fees
The Land Division and Plat Construction Fee Guide lists fees for:
- Land Division Preliminary Plat
- Boundary Line Adjustment
- Other Land Segregation
- Plat Construction and Final Approval
Other services fees
- The Professional Occupation and Business Licenses Fee Guide
- The General Services and Supplies Fee Guide
- The Standard Building Construction Values Fee Guide with Engineering Complexity Level Definitions
Septic systems
New septic systems, or improvements to an existing septic system, are reviewed and approved by the Public Health Department before a permit is issued.
Fee waivers
In accordance with 27.02.040 of the King County Code, fee waivers are granted at the discretion of the Permitting Division Director and are limited to the following criteria:
- If fees collected are for service not performed If fees duplicate another fee or charge for a service for which a fee has already been collected
- If fees are based on a professional error or unnecessary review by a Department of Local Services, Permitting Division employee
- If a customer has incurred additional expenses due to a process error by a Permitting Division staff member
- If fees are assessed to replace, repair, abate, or demolish a structure due to property damage caused by a natural disaster
- While the Executive's state of emergency concerning homelessness is in effect, we will not assess or collect fees for temporary use permit applications for homeless encampments in unincorporated areas.
Apply for permits online
You can apply for most King County building and land use permits online using MyBuildingPermit.com.