Shed 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 does not require a permit for a shed.
A permit is not required for a shed that meets all of the following: the total roof footprint is 120 square feet or less, the shed is a single-story building, it sits on a simple concrete slab, pier blocks, or soil, it is not attached to a house or other building, it is not in or near an environmentally critical area such as a steep slope, wetland, or flood-prone area, and it is used only for storage, growing plants, or similar generally unoccupied uses. All other sheds require a permit.
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Sources
- shed — 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.
- Deck permit checklist
- Fence 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.