Seattle Building Permit Lookup
Search 192,844 Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections records covering 1986 to 2026. See what was filed, who filed it, and what was never closed out.
Searching in Seattle, Washington · Street address only, no city or state
Not sure what you’ll get? See a sample report
Navigating the Seattle permit registry
Building permits in Seattle are public records. Every renovation, addition and structural change that went through the proper process left a filing with Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections, and the gaps in that record are often more revealing than the filings themselves.
We pull directly from Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections, whose published records begin in 1986 and now run to 192,844 permits. That includes building work alongside the trade permits — electrical, mechanical and plumbing — that carry most of a house's renovation history.
Work started without a permit, or started under one that was never closed out, can surface at the worst possible moment: during an appraisal, at closing, or when you make an insurance claim. A permit that shows as open or expired years after the work finished is the signal worth chasing.
Across Seattle's whole record, 153,938 permits closed out properly, 9,639 are still open, and 13,620 expired without ever being finaled.
Use Cases
Most filed in Seattle
- Building154,779
- ECA / Shoreline Exemption18,830
- Demolition16,076
- Roof2,064
- Grading1,095
Source
- Authority
- Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections
- Feed
- Socrata
- Index refreshed
- September 2026
- Typical review
- ~20 days
Seattle Permit Registry FAQ
How far back do the records go?
Seattle's published permit records begin in 1986 and run through 2026. Work done before then will not appear here, even if it was properly permitted at the time.
How many permits are in the database?
192,844 for Seattle, pulled from Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections over Socrata. Our index was last refreshed in September 2026.
Are these records official?
Yes. Every permit shown comes from Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections through its public data feed. We reformat the records, we do not create them.
Can I see which permits are still open?
Yes. Of the 192,844 permits on file, 153,938 closed out properly, 9,639 remain open and 13,620 expired without ever being finaled. Expired is usually the more serious of the two.
What if I find work without a permit?
Unpermitted work is common and usually negotiable before closing. Get a contractor's estimate for bringing it into compliance, and raise it with the seller while you still have leverage.
Does every minor repair need a permit?
Most cosmetic work does not. Anything structural, electrical or plumbing almost always requires a filing, which is why those are the gaps worth checking.
How current is the data?
We query Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections's feed directly at search time. How fresh that feed is depends on the department, and some publish on a lag of days. The most recent permit in our Seattle index was issued 2026.
Ready to check another address?
Searching in Seattle, Washington · Street address only, no city or state
Not sure what you’ll get? See a sample report