How to Estimate and Pay Permit Fees

Public Space Permits - Occupation Fees

Visit the Public Space Permits web page for a complete list of these permits.

We are assessing Occupation fees for many of our permits based on the impacts to high use areas like arterials and in Urban Centers and Villages. Table 1: New Occupation Fee Model (below) illustrates the model 

Table 1: Occupation Fee Model (Effective 6/10/2019)

You can look up information about Urban Centers, Urban Villages, and street types on Streets Illustrated.

Permits with Occupation Fees

The table below shows the permitted use description and relevant Occupation fee. 

Table 2: Occupation Fee According to Permitted Use

Public Space Vending Permits

We encourage street-food and flower vending to increase public use, enjoyment, and safety of our public right-of-way. Street-food vending is a great way to encourage walking, add vitality to the street, and promote local economic development. Please visit our Vending Permits page for more information about these permit types.

Curb Space Vending 

Vending from a food vehicle parked in a curb space is permitted under a site specific vending permit. These permits are valid for a one-year duration. The Occupation fee is an annual fee based on the number of 4-hour blocks of vending time per week and the type of parking space where the vending takes place. 

Example: vending one day a week in a paid parking stall for 4-hours would have a $478 yearly Occupation fee. Vending two days a week in a paid parking stall for 4-hours each day would have a $956 yearly Occupation fee. 

Stadium and Event Center, Sidewalk, and Plaza Vending (19C and 19E)

The Occupation fee for stadium and event center, sidewalk and plaza vending permits are calculated by the square footage of the vending site and by the location of vending per the table below. You can look up the street type, Urban Center, and Urban Village designations on Streets Illustrated.

Stadium and Event Center, Sidewalk, and Plaza Vending Occupation Fees, per sq. foot

Temporary Vending (19I)

Temporary vending permits allow vending at a private or public event and fees are charged per day.

Mobile Vending (19J)

Mobile food vending includes selling pre-packaged food, beverages, or flowers from a mobile unit on a route and are issued for a one-year duration. This does not apply to food vehicles selling prepared food from a curb space.

First Amendment Permits (19B/19K)

First Amendment permits include vending for eligible First Amendment merchandise or First Amendment expressive activity. 

Depending on the proposed First Amendment vending or expressive activity, permit applicants may be invoiced for review and inspection at an hourly rate.

How to Pay Your Permit Fees

Invoiced Fees

To pay an invoice, please mail a check to the address listed on your invoice.

Invoiced fees cannot be paid over the phone or at either the Street Use or Traffic permit counters. If your permit was issued through the Seattle Services Portal, invoiced fees can be paid online. Otherwise, please remit payment according to the instructions on the invoice.

Online Fee Payments

If your permit number is six digits long, you can pay your fees online using the Pay Permit Fees application. When doing so, you will be asked to enter your permit number, customer/company ID, customer/company name, or permit address.  

If you applied for your permit using the Seattle Services Portal, please log into the Seattle Services Portal to make your payment.

In Person Payments

You can make payment in person at either the Street Use or Traffic permit counters during normal business hours. We accept payment in cash, checks made payable to the City of Seattle, Visa, or Mastercard.

Street Use permit counter Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Tuesday, Thursday: 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Traffic permit counter Hours

Monday through Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm