Stormwater / drainage permit requirements across 17 Seattle-area cities
Side-by-side: which of Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah, Renton, Kent, Federal Way, Mercer Island, Shoreline, Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, Everett, Lynnwood, Woodinville require a permit for drainage work, and what triggers one — each row quoted from the city's own code or permit page, with the source linked. Fees and review times appear where the city publishes them.
10 of 17 cities have authoritative rules on file · 16 always require a permit · 1 depends on the scope · 0 do not.
16 of 17 cities. New or replaced impervious surface and land disturbance are reviewed under the drainage manual this jurisdiction adopts; the threshold is the manual's.
King County
| Jurisdiction | Threshold | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Bellevue's single-family storm connection permit is $648 for review plus a $432 inspection deposit. Clearing and grading review is $203 for minor residential work and $290 in a critical area, with a $53 operations fee on the clearing and grading permit; utility review is $367 for a single-family addition and $1,296 for a new house (Ordinance 6879, Tables 12, 13, 25 and 26). Apply via mybuildingpermit.com. | Cite verified 2026-10-23 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Federal Way's Public Works development review fee for a single-family project is $340, and a clear-and-grade permit outside of a development is $1,742. The surface water system development charge is $1,271.51 for a detached single-family house, and for other development $1,271.51 for each 3,200 sq ft of new impervious surface (2026 Fee Schedule, Sections Ten and Thirteen). | Cite verified 2026-09-06 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Issaquah's grading permit is $1,210.56 for less than an acre; street and utility plan review for a remodel or site alteration is $3,631.67, NPDES review $3,631.67, and a stormwater adjustment $4,236.93. A new connection pays the City's stormwater general facilities charge, $4,697 per equivalent service unit. The City's technology surcharge is added (IMC 3.66.020). Apply via mybuildingpermit.com. | Cite verified 2026-09-06 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: — | Cite verified 2026-09-06 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Kirkland's grading permit is $61 for 50 cubic yards or less, $121 for 51 to 100, and $121 plus $25.68 for each 100 cubic yards more up to 1,000, with a $121 intake plan review up to 1,000 cubic yards. Public Works' surface water review is $575 basic, $1,926 simplified, $2,428 targeted or $4,857 full; a new detached house on its own lot pays a $1,598 surface water capital facility charge, and altering or expanding a single house on its lot is exempt from it. A 3.5% technology fee applies to the permit and review fees, not to the capital facility charge. Apply via mybuildingpermit.com. | Cite verified 2026-05-29 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Mercer Island's storm drainage review and inspection is billed hourly, $364 at the least (2 hours at $182); a land clearing permit is $214, and grading $285 for 50 to 100 cubic yards and $405 for 101 to 1,000. Wet season construction approval is $1,638 (2026 Fee Schedule). | Cite verified 2026-05-02 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Redmond's clearing, grading and stormwater review of a single-family project is $1,399.30 for plan review and $1,023.23 for inspection (the inspection line reads single-family residential, 50 to 100 cubic yards). The citywide stormwater capital facilities charge is $2,310 for each 2,000 sq ft of impervious area, due at building permit issuance. A 4% technology surcharge applies (Development Engineering Fee Schedule, effective 2/1/2026). Apply through the Redmond ePermitting Service, REPS (cityofredmondwa-energovweb.tylerhost.net/ | Cite verified 2026-05-29 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Renton's storm water system development charge is $2,350 for a new house or ADU, and $0.94 a square foot, up to $2,350, for an addition over 500 square feet. A surface water connection permit is $375. Clearing, grading and new or replaced hard surface of 500 sq ft or more is priced by tier: Tier 1 (50 to 499 cubic yards, or 500 to 4,999 sq ft of hard surface) is $553 review and $532 inspection. The City adds its 5% technology surcharge to each of these fees (Fee Schedule 2025-2026). Apply via permitting.rentonwa.gov. | Cite verified 2026-05-17 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Sammamish reviews clearing and grading twice: a minor clear and grade permit, up to 100 cubic yards, is a $267 Planning base fee and a $543 Public Works base fee. A drainage adjustment review takes a $4,000 deposit against its actual cost. The City's stormwater utility rate is $504.68 a year for a residence. The City adds a 15% technology fee to each fee (2026 Fee Schedule). Apply via mybuildingpermit.com. | Cite verified 2026-05-29 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Where a project needs drainage review, SDCI's minimum is one hour at $292, due at intake, with further hours at $292; grading or drainage review outside a development permit starts at half an hour for each review type, and an environmentally critical area review at half an hour, plus the 5% technology fee (SMC 22.900D.145). Connecting a drain to the storm drain, combined sewer or an on-site infiltration system is a separate Seattle Public Utilities permit, $375 for each connection and $375 for each repair (Director's Rule FIN-220.2). | Cite verified 2026-09-07 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Shoreline bills a clearing and grading permit at its $267 hourly rate with a 3-hour minimum. The grading inspection fee, by the sum of cut and fill, is $267 for 50 to 500 cubic yards without a drainage conveyance, $570 with one, and $1,140 for 501 to 5,000 cubic yards. Residential civil (drainage) plan review, where it applies, has a 4-hour minimum, or 1 hour up to 1,000 square feet. A 4% technology surcharge is added to the City's permit fees (SMC FEE.010). Apply electronically via eTRAKiT (shorelinewa.gov/ | Cite verified 2026-05-17 |
Depends on scope | Woodinville requires a site development permit for land-disturbing work, unless, outside a critical area and its buffer, it moves under 25 cu yd of earth in the R-1 to R-8 zones (under 50 in other zones), adds or replaces under 2,000 sq ft of impervious surface, and disturbs under 7,000 sq ft in any 12 months. Woodinville requires a site development permit for most land-disturbing work. Outside a critical area or its buffer, none is needed when all three hold: under 25 cubic yards of earth moved in the R-1 to R-8 zones (50 in other zones), under 2,000 sq ft of new or replaced impervious surface, and under 7,000 sq ft disturbed in any 12 months. Digging foundations and footings under a building permit, topsoil up to 6 in at a house, and pavement maintenance are also exempt. The application includes a drainage report, an erosion control plan and a tree protection plan. | Fee: A site development permit in Woodinville is $2,179 for up to 100 cubic yards of grading, $2,179 plus $2.25 a cubic yard over 100 up to 1,000, and $4,204 plus $1 a cubic yard over 1,000 (2026 Fee Schedule). Apply through Woodinville's online Permit Portal (aca-prod.accela.com/ | Cite verified 2026-11-07 |
Pierce County
| Jurisdiction | Threshold | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Lakewood's site development permit is $650 for land clearing or grading only of less than 500 cubic yards, and $1,000 for a residential project. Every permit application carries the City's $90 administrative base fee, mechanical permits excepted, and a 4% technology fee (2026 Fee Schedule). Apply through Lakewood's Online Permit Center (app.oncamino.com/ | Cite verified 2026-05-02 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Puyallup's clearing, grading and filling permit is a $190 permit fee plus plan review, $70 for clearing only, $130 for up to 50 cubic yards, $240 for 51 to 100, $510 for 101 to 1,000 and $760 for 1,001 to 10,000, and an inspection fee of 3% of the work's cost on the Engineering Division's cost estimate form (2026 Municipal Fee Schedule). Apply through Puyallup's online permit system, CityView (permits.puyallupwa.gov/ | Cite verified 2026-09-06 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Tacoma's site development permit is $490 for minor work under 2,000 sq ft of new or replaced hard surface, under 50 cubic yards of grading and under 7,000 sq ft disturbed, and $3,000 for 2,000 to 5,000 sq ft of hard surface, 50 to 500 cubic yards or 7,000 sq ft to an acre disturbed; for a new house or an addition it is instead 65% of the building permit fee, with plan review at 45% (Tables 6-2 and 8-4). A storm sewer connection in the street is $540. Table 1 adds the technology (5%), emergency preparedness (5%) and reserve fund (2%) surcharges, and the natural resources program (5%) on site development permits. | Cite verified 2026-09-05 |
Snohomish County
| Jurisdiction | Threshold | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Everett charges a stormwater system development fee at permit issuance: $906 for new construction or redevelopment with up to 2,500 square feet of impervious area, $0.3624 a square foot above that, and $0.3624 a square foot of new impervious area added to existing development. Grading is $25 for 50 cubic yards or less, $50 up to 100, and $50 plus $20 for each 100 cubic yards more up to 1,000; erosion and sediment control on a lot is $50, and machine clearing a residential lot $35 (Site Work Permit Fees, effective 01/01/2026). | Cite verified 2026-04-26 |
Always | Ecology's Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW, 2024 edition) is the state floor. A municipal stormwater permittee may instead adopt a REGIONAL manual Ecology has determined equivalent, and most do — some counties publish their own, some cities publish their own, and others adopt Ecology's directly. Which manual applies is a per-jurisdiction fact and it changes the numbers: review thresholds for new plus replaced impervious surface and for land-disturbing activity differ between manuals, so read this jurisdiction's own adopting chapter before quoting one. Critical-area and closed-basin parcels get stricter review under every manual. | Fee: Lynnwood's grading permit, where grading is over 50 cubic yards, is a $695 administrative fee plus inspection ($71 for 51 to 100 cubic yards) and plan review ($47 for 51 to 100 cubic yards, $71 for 101 to 1,000). A residential roof or foundation drain installation permit is $247 for 50 feet or less, or a connection to an existing drain within 50 feet, and $671 over 50 feet; a retention or detention system is $2,006. A 2.5% technology fee is added (LMC 3.104). | Cite verified 2026-09-06 |
How this table is built
Each row reflects the most-recently-verified authoritative rule on file for that jurisdiction and project type. “Not verified” means we have the jurisdiction in our database but haven't yet personally checked the city page for stormwater / drainage 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.