Deck permit checklist — Seattle, Washington
Assembled from Seattle’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
Seattle requires a permit for a deck.
A permit is required only if the deck is more than 18 inches above the ground, is a roof deck built on top of part of the building, or is in an environmentally critical area such as a landslide-prone or flood-prone area. Decks that meet none of these conditions do not require a construction permit.
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Sources
- deck — permit rules ↗verified August 2026
Other permits Seattle publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Fence permit checklist
- Shed permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Re-roof permit checklist
- Retaining wall permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
- General building work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with Seattle before you build.