Customer Service Support
You can submit applications for all our permit types through the Seattle Services Portal.
For customers who need language assistance or technical coaching, visit our Permitting Customer Service Support page for more details.
How to Estimate and Pay Permit Fees
Updated: January 2, 2025
What's New
We're making important changes to our fee schedule that will take effect on January 1, 2025. Each year, we adjust our review and inspection rates, along with our issuance and renewal fees, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue. For 2025, our Director is updating these fees by 2.4%. Additionally, the City Council sets our occupation, use, and citation fees, which were last updated in 2019. For 2025, these fees will increase by 25.8%. As a reminder, several fees for specific activities will be waived until January 1, 2026 as part of Mayor Harrell's Downtown Activation Plan. This includes fees for Year-round, Seasonal, or Temporary Public Street & Sidewalk Activities and all types of Vending permits.
I'd like to learn more about...
Parking Permits and Related Fees
Street Use Permits and Related Fees
How to Use the Use Fee Estimator
Public Space Permits - Occupancy Fees
How to Pay Your Permit Fees or Dispute a Fee or Charge
Parking Permits and Related Fees
For information about parking permit fees, please visit the Parking Permits page.
Street Use Permits and Related Fees
There are several types of fees related to Street Use permits.
- Permit Fees
- Hourly Rates
- Use Fees
- Occupation Fees
Permit fees are one-time fees for the issuance or renewal of a permit.
NOTE: Depending on its complexity, an application may incur our hourly rate for inspection and review for which you will be billed separately.
Use fees are what we charge permit holders for the square footage area of the right-of-way that they use short-term for non-transportation uses. Use fees are charged in addition to permit and hourly rates.
Occupation fees are what we charge permit holders for the square footage area of the right-of-way that they use long-term for non-transportation uses. Occupation fees are charged in addition to permit and hourly rates.
Both Use and Occupation fees help fund the voluntary improvement program (SMC 15.04.100) and road maintenance programs, subsidize permitting for positive uses of the right-of-way, program administration, and process improvements. These fees will be adjusted annually based on the percentage change of the Average Assessed Land Value (AALV).
Click here for the complete fee schedule.
How to Use the Use Fee Estimator
With the completion of our migration to Accela, we have updated our online fee estimating tool accordingly. Please note that this tool is only for Use fees and does not include any related permit fees or hourly rates that you may incur. If you are applying for a Public Space or Vending permit, see the section below on Public Space Occupancy Fees and Vending Permits.
Public Space Permits - Occupation Fees
Visit the Public Space Programs web page for more information and links to Public Space Management 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: Occupation Fee Model (below) illustrates the model.
Table 1: Occupation Fee Model (Effective 1/2/2025)
| Cost per square foot | Urban Center | Urban Village | Neither |
| Arterial street | $1.76 | $1.70 | $1.13 |
| Non-arterial street | $1.51 | $1.45 | $.88 |
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
| Permitted Use Description | Occupation Fee |
| At-grade structures | See Table 1: Occupation Fee Model |
| Above- or below-grade structures | $0.88 per square foot |
| Fixed ground sign | $965 per sign |
| Fenced material storage and private use | See Table 1: Occupation Fee Model |
| Non-decommissioned underground storage tanks | $965 per tank |
| Permanent soldier piles | $1,272 per pile |
| Structures, moorage, and overhangs in state waterways | $2.74 per square foot |
| Active areaways | $0.88 per square foot |
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.
How to Pay Your Permit Fees or Dispute a Fee or Charge
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
Please log into the Seattle Services Portal to make your payment.
Information on how to find and pay fees can be found in the Fees section of the Help Center.
Fee Dispute and Inquiry Process
If you have a fee dispute and/or inquiry related to a Street Use permit, please follow the process below:
-
Complete the Dispute Request Form
-
Upload the Dispute Request Form to the permit using a Document Type of Dispute Request Form on the Attachments tab per the instructions in the How Do I Submit a Street Use Fee Dispute Request? help article.
For customers who would like to make a payment in person or mail a check, please visit our Permitting Customer Service Support page for more details.