bathroom remodel permit requirements across 10 verified Seattle-area cities
Side-by-side: which of Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah, Renton, Kent, Federal Way, and Mercer Island require a permit for a bathroom remodel, what triggers one, what it costs, and how long review takes. Verified against each city's own page; sources cited per row.
11 of 11 cities have authoritative rules on file · 11 typically require a permit · 0 often do not.
King County
| Jurisdiction | Permit? | Threshold | Fee | Review days | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City of Bellevue city | Yes | Replacing a fixture with a similar fixture in the same location does not require a permit; relocating fixtures, adding plumbing or electrical, or moving walls does. | Fees set by jurisdiction. Plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits. Apply via https://mybuildingpermit.com. | 10–21 days | Cite verified 2026-06-14 |
City of Federal Way city | Yes | Clearing stoppages and repairing leaks are exempt, but new or relocated plumbing fixtures are not on the exemption list and require a permit; finish-only work (tile) is exempt. | Fees set by jurisdiction. Plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits. | — | Cite verified 2026-06-14 |
City of Issaquah city | Yes | Tub and shower replacement requires a permit; sink/toilet replacement without plumbing-line modification is exempt. Processed under the Single-Family Interior Remodel permit. | Fees set by jurisdiction. Plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits. Apply via https://mybuildingpermit.com. | — | Cite verified 2026-06-14 |
City of Kent city | Yes | Replacing plumbing or fixtures in the same location without removing surfaces (gypsum, framing) is treated as minor plumbing work; opening surfaces or rearranging fixtures requires a permit. | Fees set by jurisdiction. Plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits. Apply via https://mybuildingpermit.com. | — | Cite verified 2026-05-29 |
City of Kirkland city | Yes | Like-for-like sink/toilet swap without plumbing-line modification is exempt, but tub and shower replacement does require a permit. New/relocated fixtures or new circuits trigger a permit. | Fees set by jurisdiction. Plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits. Apply via https://mybuildingpermit.com. | — | Cite verified 2026-06-14 |
City of Mercer Island city | Yes | Like-for-like fixture replacement in same location with no plumbing rerouting and no new circuits: typically exempt under 2021 IRC R105.2(2)(g). Any relocation, new fixture, new circuit, or shower-pan replacement triggers permits. | Fees set by jurisdiction. Plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits. | — | Cite verified 2026-06-14 |
City of Redmond city | Yes | Like-for-like fixture replacement in same location with no plumbing rerouting and no new circuits: typically exempt under 2021 IRC R105.2(2)(g). Any relocation, new fixture, new circuit, or shower-pan replacement triggers permits. | Fees set by jurisdiction. Plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits. Apply via https://eplans.redmond.gov. | — | Cite verified 2026-06-14 |
City of Renton city | Yes | Like-for-like fixture replacement in same location with no plumbing rerouting and no new circuits: typically exempt under 2021 IRC R105.2(2)(g). Any relocation, new fixture, new circuit, or shower-pan replacement triggers permits. | Fees set by jurisdiction. Plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits. Apply via https://permits.rentonwa.gov. | — | Cite verified 2026-05-17 |
City of Sammamish city | Yes | Bathroom remodels are processed as a Single-Family Residential Remodel permit. A Sewer Availability Certificate is required when the project exceeds 50% of the assessed value or includes additional plumbing fixtures; like-for-like finish work is exempt. | Fees set by jurisdiction. Plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits. Apply via https://mybuildingpermit.com. | — | Cite verified 2026-06-14 |
City of Seattle city | Yes | Like-for-like fixture replacement in same location with no plumbing rerouting and no new circuits is sometimes exempt; any relocation, new fixture, or circuit change triggers permits. | Subject-to-Field-Inspection typical. Plus electrical, plumbing, mechanical permits. | — | Cite verified 2026-06-14 |
City of Shoreline city | Yes | A plumbing permit is required to add, install, or replace any plumbing fixture; replacing a fixture in the same location (or changing faucets) does not normally require a permit. Moving walls requires a building permit. | Apply electronically via eTRAKiT (https://www.shorelinewa.gov/government/departments/planning-community-development/permit-center-remote-services/register-for-a-professional-etrakit-account). Building Permit + Mechanical/Plumbing Permit fees set by City schedule. Electrical via L&I. | — | Cite verified 2026-05-17 |
How this table is built
Each row reflects the most-recently-verified authoritative rule on file for that jurisdiction and project type. “Pending verification” means we have the jurisdiction in our database but haven't yet personally checked the city page for bathroom remodel rules — those rows fall back to county or WA-state baselines until verified. Sources link directly to the city or county page we read on the verified-on date. See our data-quality leaderboard for how we keep these current.