Building permits in Snohomish County, Washington
Of the 10 common home projects we have verified in Snohomish County, 3 need a permit outright and 7 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
By Mario Bailey Last checked · 2 official sources
Verified against official sources- Project types verified
- 10
- in Snohomish County
Snohomish County Planning and Development Services
- 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, M/S 604, Everett, WA 98201
- Phone: 425-388-3311
- Email: epermittech@snoco.org
- Official permit page
- Permit portal
- Official fee schedule
Look up a permit in Snohomish County
Snohomish County runs an online permit portal. Many local portals let you check application status, search permit records, and view inspection results without calling the office.
Search the Snohomish County permit portal
What needs a permit in Snohomish County
Of the 10 common home projects we have verified in Snohomish County, 3 need a permit outright and 7 depend on size or scope. Click any project for the full rule, fee, and how to apply.
| Project | Permit needed? | Threshold | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deck Permit | It depends | uncovered decks, deck steps, and uncovered porches for residential buildings exempt if 30 inches or less above adjacent grade at any point, not over a basement or story below, and not part of a required accessible route; covered or taller decks require a permit | Base application fee $150 per application plus 3% technology surcharge and $6.50... |
| Electrical Permit | Permit required | Any size | See schedule |
| Fence Permit | It depends | fences 8 feet or less in height exempt, provided they have no masonry or concrete elements above 6 feet (wire strands atop an 8-foot fence are excluded from the height measurement); taller fences, or fences with masonry/concrete above 6 feet, require a permit | Base application fee $150 per application plus 3% technology surcharge and $6.50... |
| HVAC Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...residential trade permit priced from the PDS valuation table starting at a $45... |
| Patio Permit | It depends | open at-grade patios are treated as exempt sidewalks and driveways under SCC 30.50.103(1)(e) with no size limit; freestanding patio covers (roofed, not attached to another structure) are exempt only if 200 sq ft or less inside the UGA or 400 sq ft or less outside the UGA; larger or attached patio covers require a permit | Priced from the PDS valuation table starting at a $45 permit fee plus $29.25 plan check... |
| Plumbing Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...residential trade permit priced from the PDS valuation table starting at a $45... |
| Pool Permit | It depends | prefabricated swimming pools regulated under the IRC (one- and two-family dwellings) exempt if less than 24 inches deep, with no gallon-volume cap; in-ground pools or pools 24 inches deep or more require a building permit | Priced from the PDS valuation table starting at a $45 permit fee plus $29.25 plan check... |
| Roof Replacement Permit | It depends | re-roof overlay or tear-off-and-replace of a residential roof exempt if limited to 2 total layers of roofing material, uses the same type of roofing material as the existing roof, and the roof sheathing is not removed or replaced; adding a layer beyond 2, changing material type, or replacing sheathing requires a permit | A like-for-like reroof limited to 2 layers with no sheathing removal needs no permit |
| Shed Permit | It depends | one-story detached accessory structure not used for human habitation (tool/storage shed, playhouse) exempt if floor area is 200 sq ft or less and sidewalls 9 ft or less inside the Urban Growth Area (UGA), or 400 sq ft or less and sidewalls 11 ft or less outside the UGA; larger structures require a building permit | Base application fee $150 per application plus 3% technology surcharge and $6.50... |
| Solar Permit | It depends | ground-mounted residential solar PV systems never need a building or mechanical permit; roof-mounted residential PV on a detached single-family house is exempt from a building/mechanical permit only if total dead load is 3.5 lbs per sq ft or less (up to 4.5 lbs per sq ft for frameless panels on a 3:12 or steeper slope, or 5 lbs per sq ft for frameless panels on a 5:12 or steeper slope), panels are mounted 18 inches or less above the roof surface, and an electrical permit has already been issued; a separate electrical permit through WA L&I is always required regardless | non-qualifying systems price from the PDS valuation table starting at a $45 permit fee... |
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Snohomish County permit fees compared with nearby Washington localities
| Washington locality | Deck Permit | HVAC Permit | Electrical Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snohomish County | Base application fee $150 per application plus 3%... | ...priced from the PDS valuation table starting at a $45... | See schedule |
| Bellevue | ...fee by valuation per Table 4 of Ordinance 6879, $44... | ...8 of Ordinance 6879: furnace up to 100,000 BTU $59... | ...fee by valuation per Table 6 of Ordinance 6879, $79... |
| Clark County | See schedule | Application rev 1.30.23: $94 issuance plus per-appliance... | See schedule |
| King County | ...approximately 14% on January 1 2026 plus a $126... | Mechanical installation-only permit is a flat $183... | ...single or two family home wiring starts at $119.90... |
Each cell is the opening clause of that Washington jurisdiction's own fee schedule; the full wording and source sit on each permit page.
Snohomish County permit questions, answered from the data
- Do you need a permit in Snohomish County?
- For most projects, yes. Of the 10 permit types we have verified for Snohomish County, 3 always require a permit (for example an electrical permit), 7 depend on size or scope (a deck permit, for instance). Each Snohomish County permit type's page states the exact rule and its source.
- How much does a permit cost in Snohomish County?
- Snohomish County publishes a fee for 10 of the 10 permit types we cover, each quoted on its page from the jurisdiction's own schedule (linked on every page that carries one). Fees are set by Snohomish County Planning and Development Services; we do not estimate or mark them up.
- Where do you apply for a permit in Snohomish County?
- Snohomish County Planning and Development Services issues permits in Snohomish County, with an online portal for applications, plan uploads and status checks, and takes questions at 425-388-3311. The Snohomish County official page and portal are linked in the office section above.
How the Snohomish County pages were verified. 10 permit types, 7 distinct official sources, most recently checked . Every rule is read from Snohomish County Planning and Development Services or the applicable code and cited on its page; anything we could not confirm for Snohomish County is marked rather than estimated. How we verify.
Permitting activity in Snohomish County
In 2025, Snohomish County authorized permits for 3,372 new residential housing units (1,909 single-family, 1,463 in multi-family buildings), valued at $993M , down from 4,149 the year before. That works out to about 3.9 permits per 1,000 residents. It is a useful gauge of how busy the local permit office is.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025 annual data · population 870,656.