Warehouse & Industrial in Seattle
Warehouse construction for owners, tenants and facility managers who need the building to keep shipping while the work gets done.
- We walk the floor with your operations lead before pricing, so trucks, forklifts and shifts shape the plan.
- Racking, mezzanine and storage height questions are checked against the permit rules up front.
- Loud or dusty tasks can move to nights or weekends when your operation cannot stop.
By appointment. Limited start dates.
- Over 200 projects
- 4.9 on Google
- 20+ years building
- WA license VOLCABI792C6
Trusted to build for
Buildings where the floor never really stops
Industrial space earns its keep by moving goods, so construction has to fit around receiving, picking and shipping.
Owners of industrial property
You hold a distribution or flex building and need a bay ready for the next lease: offices carved out, restrooms updated, dock doors repaired and the slab sound.
Tenants running an operation
Your crews load trailers every day. You need a supervisor office, a break room or a mezzanine without losing dock positions, and you want to know which change triggers a permit before you commit.
Facility and operations managers
You answer for uptime and safety across one or several sites, and want one contractor who works around shift changes and keeps forklift lanes open.
Warehouse and industrial work we take on
As an industrial contractor we run the general construction and bring in licensed trades for electrical, plumbing and fire systems.
Warehouse office build-outs
Shipping offices, supervisor rooms and meeting space framed inside the bay, with ceilings, heat and lighting sized for people rather than pallets.
Mezzanines and storage platforms
Engineered platforms that add usable area over offices or storage, with stairs, guards and the structural drawings the permit asks for.
Demising walls and bay splits
Walls that divide a large floor into leasable units or separate a clean area from the dock, with fire rated assemblies where the code calls for them.
Dock doors and dock areas
Overhead and roll-up door replacement, damaged jambs and bumpers, bollards, and the concrete repairs that follow years of trailer traffic.
Restrooms and break rooms
Crew restrooms, locker areas and break rooms rebuilt for the headcount on each shift, with the plumbing permit that goes with them.
Slab repair and lighting
Cracked or spalled slab sections cut out and patched, joints filled, and high bay lighting and circuits upgraded by licensed electricians under their own permits.
Leasing a bay that needs a full interior? See Tenant Improvements in Seattle. Ongoing repair tickets go to Facility Maintenance & Repairs in Seattle, a new building to Ground-Up Commercial Construction in Seattle, and leaks overhead to Commercial Roofing in Seattle. Every service is listed on Commercial Construction in Seattle.
Building inside a working warehouse
Dock schedules, forklift routes and shift changes set the order of work. We plan the job zone by zone so receiving and shipping keep running.
-
Floor walk with operations
We tour the building with the person who runs the floor, mark dock positions, forklift lanes and exits that must stay open, and note rack heights.
-
Permit map and phased plan
You receive a written scope, the permits it needs and a phase plan that fences off one zone at a time. Cutting, coring and slab work can be booked for nights or weekends.
-
Inspections and hand back
Our project manager runs the trades and inspections, cleans each zone before it goes back into use, and hands over the permit records.
Permits and fire code for warehouse work
-
The Seattle rule
Racks and mezzanines take different permit paths
SDCI Tip 316 allows a subject-to-field-inspection permit for industrial storage racks whose top shelf sits over 5 feet 9 inches and under 8 feet. Structural alterations of any kind to a commercial building, a new mezzanine included, and changes to exits or restroom fixture counts need full plan review.
What we doWe measure rack heights and list every structural item before choosing the permit path, and the engineer's drawings go in with the application.
-
The Bellevue rule
Rack height decides the paperwork
Bellevue needs no permit for racks 5 feet 9 inches or lower. Racks up to 8 feet, or up to 10 feet when also anchored to a wall, need a permit and anchors at each leg; taller racks need full engineering stamped by a Washington engineer, and anchors on racks 8 feet or taller get special inspection. In a post-tensioned slab, tendons are located before drilling.
What we doWe confirm whether the slab is post-tensioned before any anchor is drilled and book the special inspector with the install.
-
The fire code rule
High-piled storage has its own permit
The Seattle Fire Code, chapter 32, treats combustible goods stored over 12 feet high, or tires, Group A plastics, lithium-ion batteries and idle pallets over 6 feet, as high-piled storage. Using more than 500 square feet for it, aisles included, needs a Fire Department permit renewed each year, and a changed storage layout can bring the space under the current code. Bellevue requires the same operational permit.
What we doWhen walls, offices or mezzanines will change a storage area, we flag it so the owner can confirm the fire permit and sprinkler design still fit.
Bellevue requires separate permits for work that alters fire, plumbing, mechanical or electrical systems. Electrical work in Washington needs a permit and inspection bought by the electrical contractor doing it, from Seattle or Bellevue inside city limits and from L&I elsewhere.
What an industrial owner can verify first
Facts to check before a contractor starts cutting your slab.
Registered in Washington
Contractor license VOLCABI792C6, registered with L&I and listed on its Verify tool. Licensed, bonded and insured.
Registered trades on your floor
RCW 18.27.020 makes it a gross misdemeanor to subcontract to or use an unregistered contractor, so electricians, plumbers and rack installers are checked against L&I before they work.
Permit records you keep
Rack, structural and electrical approvals are collected in one close out file for your landlord, insurer or the next fire inspection.
Warehouse and industrial construction questions
What does warehouse construction in Seattle usually include?
Mostly interior work in existing buildings: warehouse office build-outs, mezzanines, demising walls, dock doors, restrooms, break rooms, slab repair and lighting, with licensed electrical, plumbing and fire system trades coordinated by us, in Seattle and on the Eastside.
Do new storage racks need a permit in Seattle or Bellevue?
Usually, once the top shelf passes 5 feet 9 inches. SDCI handles racks up to 8 feet with a field inspection permit, and its tenant improvement checklist flags racks that need engineering. Bellevue requires stamped rack and anchor engineering above 8 feet, or 10 feet for racks also anchored to a wall.
Does a mezzanine need a building permit?
Yes. A mezzanine is structural work, and SDCI Tip 316 sends structural alterations of any kind in a commercial building to full plan review with structural drawings and calculations. If the platform moves or adds an exit path, that change also rules out the field inspection route, so stairs and exits are settled before design starts.
When does a warehouse need a high-piled storage permit?
When more than 500 square feet, aisles included, holds combustible goods stacked over 12 feet, or high hazard goods such as plastics, tires or idle pallets over 6 feet. The Seattle Fire Department issues that permit yearly; Bellevue uses the same threshold. See SFD Client Assistance Memo 5983.
Can you build a warehouse office while we keep shipping?
In most buildings, yes. Work is split into fenced zones with dust control, forklift lanes and exits stay open, and loud tasks can be scheduled for nights or weekends.
How do we start a warehouse or industrial project with you?
Book a floor walk through the form below. Bring drawings, the lease and your rack layout; we send a written scope, the permit list and a phase plan. For interior work tied to a new lease, see Tenant Improvements in Seattle.
Plan your warehouse or industrial project
Tell us about your project, investment range, and timeline. We’ll review the details and reach out to discuss your project and see if we’re the right fit.