Building Permits in Washington

How much does a building permit cost in Washington?

Most building permits in the United States cost between $150 and $2,000, with a national median around $1,300. Permit fees are usually set as a percentage of the declared project value — commonly 0.5% to 2% — or on a per-$1,000-of-valuation schedule, so a larger Washington project pays a proportionally larger permit fee.

Across the 67,653 Washington permits we currently track, the average declared project value is about $53,400. At a typical 0.5%–2% permit-fee schedule, that implies roughly $270–$1,100 in permit fees for an average Washington project — though your city's fee schedule and project scope set the exact figure.

Washington Building Permit Activity

Across 28 Washington cities we tracked 8,732 new building permits in the last 30 days, representing $331M in declared construction value. That's down 17.6% from the prior 30 days.

Fastest-growing Washington markets this month

• Seattle — 250 permits, up 127.3% vs the prior month
• Auburn — 61 permits, up 7.0% vs the prior month
• Bellingham — 637 permits, up 4.8% vs the prior month
• Spokane — 1,656 permits, up 2.3% vs the prior month
• Bellevue — 764 permits, up 2.1% vs the prior month

Biggest project in Washington this month

$35.5M commercial building permit in Everett at 616 Pecks Dr, Everett, Wa, 98203-4403, filed by Tbd.

Washington Construction Market

We're tracking 67,653 active building permits across 28 Washington cities, led by Pierce County (pierce-county) with 7427 tracked permits.

PermitGrab pulls this data daily, directly from Washington municipal permit offices — so you see new residential renovations, commercial buildouts, and major developments as they're filed, before your competition finds them.

Browse the cities above to explore specific markets, or sign up for Pro to get daily email alerts and full contact information for permit holders.

Frequently Asked Questions About Washington Building Permits