Do You Need Permits to Remodel a Bathroom?

Which bathroom work needs a permit in Seattle?

In Seattle, any bathroom alteration needs a building permit unless the code exempts it. Section R105.1 of the 2021 Seattle Residential Code (PDF page 6, read October 2026) requires a building permit "prior to erecting, constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, improving, removing, changing the occupancy of, or demolishing such building or structure". Section R105.2 then lists the exceptions.

Plumbing and wiring have their own permits. Public Health, Seattle and King County says on its plumbing permits page (read October 2026): "Whenever you are going to install, relocate, or change a plumbing or gas piping system, Seattle and King County codes require that you obtain a permit." The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections Electrical Permit page (read October 2026) says: "You need an electrical permit any time electrical wiring is installed, altered, extended, or connected to any electrical equipment".

So moving a drain, adding a shower valve, a new circuit for a heated floor or a new fan wire all need a permit. For the permit process, fees and penalties in general, read Do you need a permit to remodel in Seattle?

Which bathroom work needs no permit in Seattle?

Two items in Section R105.2 (PDF page 7) cover most small bathroom jobs. Item 1 exempts "Minor repairs or alterations if the value of construction, as determined by the building official, is $6,000 or less in any six month period." It adds that "Egress, light, ventilation and fire-resistance shall not be reduced without a permit." Taking out a bathroom fan reduces ventilation, so that needs a permit at any cost.

Item 2 exempts "installing kitchen cabinets, paneling or other surface finishes over existing wall and ceiling systems", provided no changes are made to the building envelope. It names wall and ceiling finishes only. It does not name floor coverings or tile, so ask SDCI before you count a floor retile as exempt.

Neither exemption covers the trades. Section R105.3 says "separate master use, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and other permits may be required for the above exempted items." A full bathroom remodel starts at $25,000+ for a small bath in our bathroom pricing guide, well past the $6,000 line.

Which bathroom work needs a permit in each King County city?

Each city issues its own permits, and each words its rules differently. This table quotes or condenses what each city publishes for a house or condo bathroom.

Sources: each city's code or permit page linked above, and for Seattle the 2021 Seattle Residential Code, the SDCI Electrical Permit page and Public Health, Seattle and King County, all read October 2026. Rules change; confirm with the city before work starts.

Do you need a permit to replace a toilet, sink or shower?

A toilet or sink swapped in the same spot on the same pipes needs no permit in Bellevue, Kirkland, Sammamish or Bothell. A shower or tub needs one in Bellevue, and any of the three needs one in Redmond. Bellevue's Work Requiring Permits page (read October 2026) says: "We do not require a permit for replacing a fixture with a similar fixture in the same location, such as wash basins, toilets, bidets and laundry tubs. Showers and bathtubs require permits." Kirkland, Sammamish and Bothell exempt a like-for-like swap only when no valve, pipe or circuit changes.

Redmond's plumbing application, published in 2025, says "A plumbing permit is required before a plumbing system or fixture is installed, altered, or remodeled." Its trade permit page (read October 2026) lists "New or replacement of toilet, sink or shower fixtures".

Moving a fixture needs a permit everywhere, because the drain, vent and supply lines move with it. Tile follows the same split. Kirkland lists tiling as exempt but lists "Sheetrock (drywall) removal or installation" as needing a permit, so a shower retile that strips the walls is permit work there.

Do you need a permit to add a new bathroom?

Yes, in every city in this guide. A new bathroom installs new fixtures, drains and vents, so it needs a plumbing permit. Public Health, Seattle and King County requires one to "install, relocate, or change a plumbing or gas piping system". Bellevue's Work Requiring Permits page says "A permit is required to install a new fixture". In Seattle, new walls need the building permit and a new fan circuit needs the electrical permit.

Does a new bathroom exhaust fan need a permit?

In Seattle, yes, when the fan needs new wiring: that is electrical permit work. Code also requires every bathroom to have a fan vented outside. The 2021 Seattle Residential Code, Chapter 15 (read October 2026), Section M1505.4.4.1, says: "Bathrooms, toilet rooms, and kitchens shall include a local exhaust system." Table M1505.4.4.1 sets the rate for a bathroom at 50 cfm intermittent or 20 cfm continuous (PDF page 8). Section M1505.2 says bathroom exhaust "shall not discharge into an attic, crawl space or other areas inside the building."

Bellevue applies the same figure on its remodel permit page (read October 2026): fans vented to the exterior in all remodeled bathrooms, minimum 50 cfm, per IRC M1505.4.

Does new shower glass or a bathroom window change the permit?

It can, because glass near a tub or shower is safety glass territory. Section R308.4.5 of the 2021 Seattle Residential Code, Chapter 3 (PDF page 46, read October 2026) makes glazing "in walls, enclosures or fences containing or adjacent to" bathtubs and showers a hazardous location "where the bottom exposed edge of the glazing is less than 60 inches (1524 mm) measured vertically above any standing or walking surface".

Sammamish ties this to permits. Its code exempts some window replacements, but "this does not include windows which require safety glass, fall protection, or provide egress" (SMC 16.20.200(2)(k), read October 2026).

For the full glazing rules, read Should You Have a Window in the Bathroom?

What does a permitted bathroom remodel look like on a real job?

Our condo bathroom in Kirkland is a typical case. The owners wanted the corner tub and a small brass framed stall replaced by one walk-in shower. That meant reworking the plumbing and electrical, so the work ran under a permit issued on April 4, 2023, and the rough plumbing and electrical went in under it. The bathroom took about 13 weeks, March 15 to June 14, 2023, and cost about $40,000. For more of our work in the city, see Home Remodeling Contractors in Kirkland, WA.

Permit fees are not in our published starting prices. The bathroom pricing guide lists them under "Not included in starting prices", and its on-site timelines start "after design and permits". Small baths take 4 to 8 weeks on site and primary baths 10 to 18 weeks.

Who files the bathroom remodel permits?

On our jobs, we do. We prepare and file the permits your scope needs and book each inspection, and your estimate lists the permits for your address. In Seattle that means SDCI for the building and electrical permits and Public Health for plumbing. In Bellevue it means Bellevue Development Services. See Bathroom Remodeling Across the Greater Seattle Area for the full service, and Home Remodeling Contractors in Bellevue, WA for our Eastside work.

Planning a kitchen too? The rules differ for cabinets and appliances. Read Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Kitchen?