Permits
Do You Need a Permit? A Bellevue, WA Remodeling Permit Guide
Which home projects need a permit in Bellevue, WA: kitchens, bathrooms, decks, fences, roofing, windows and more, based on the City's own rules.
“Do I need a permit for this?” is one of the first questions we hear. In Bellevue the answer depends less on the size of the job and more on what is being changed: plumbing, wiring, structure, or the outside of the house.
Below is a plain-English summary of the City of Bellevue’s rules for single-family homes. It is based on the City’s own page, Work Requiring Permits (checked September 2026). Rules change, so always confirm your specific project with the City, or ask us: when we do the work, we pull the permits.
Quick answers
| Project | Permit needed? |
|---|---|
| Replace kitchen cabinets or countertops | No building permit. A plumbing or electrical permit may be needed if that work is part of the job |
| Replace a sink, toilet or similar fixture in the same spot | No |
| Add a new fixture or move one (changing water lines, drains or vents) | Yes |
| Install or replace a shower or bathtub | Yes |
| Replace an appliance with a similar one in the same spot | No |
| Move an appliance when gas, water, drain, vent or electrical changes are needed | Yes |
| Add or move electrical circuits, or change the service panel | Yes |
| Interior remodel that adds walls or turns a basement into living space | Yes |
| Replace a window or door, same size and same location | No |
| Add, move or widen an exterior window, door or skylight | Yes, with plan review |
| Roofing that modifies or replaces the sheathing | Yes |
| Replace siding | No, except stucco and brick or stone veneer more than 4 ft above grade |
| Deck less than 30 in above the ground | No |
| Deck more than 30 in above the ground (new, repair, replace or enlarge) | Yes, with plan review |
| Repair deck or porch handrails and stairs | Yes |
| Fence up to 8 ft tall | No (but see setbacks below) |
| On-grade patio or pavers | No, unless earthwork is over the City’s thresholds or the lot is in a critical area |
| Retaining wall over 4 ft (bottom of footing to top), or holding back extra load | Yes |
| Addition: new square footage, second story, dormers, changing roof slope | Yes, with plan review |
| Replace or move a water heater | Yes |
| Install or replace a furnace or heat pump | Yes |
| Detached shed, playhouse or gazebo of 200 sq ft or less | No (zoning rules still apply) |
| Accessory dwelling unit (ADU, “mother-in-law” unit) | Yes: City approval plus a building permit |
Kitchens
Swapping cabinets and counters is a no-permit job. The moment the plan moves the sink, adds a dishwasher line, relocates the range, or adds circuits for new lighting or an island, it needs plumbing, mechanical and/or electrical permits. Taking out or adding walls makes it a building permit too.
Bathrooms
A straight swap of a toilet or vanity sink in the same place does not need a permit. Showers and bathtubs always do, and so does moving any fixture. Most real bathroom remodels involve at least one of these, so plan on a permit.
Decks and fences
The line for decks is 30 inches: measured from the ground to the highest walking surface. Below that, no permit; above it, a permit with plan review, even for repairs. Fixing deck stairs or handrails always needs a permit, because that is where most falls happen.
Fences don’t need a permit up to 8 feet, but location matters: fences over 4½ feet usually cannot go in the front-yard setback, and fences over 8 feet cannot go in any required setback.
Roofs, siding and windows
A re-roof needs a permit when the work modifies or replaces the sheathing (the boards under the shingles), which is common on older roofs. Siding replacement generally does not. Same-size window and door replacements don’t; anything that cuts a new opening or makes one wider does.
Yards and landscaping
Most landscaping, patios and pavers need no permit. That changes if the job moves a lot of soil (more than 50 cubic yards, or disturbs more than 1,000 sq ft), or if the property has critical areas such as steep slopes, wetlands or streams. Lots in Bellevue’s Critical Areas Overlay District can need permits for work that would otherwise be exempt.
How permits work in Bellevue
- Applications are submitted online through MyBuildingPermit.com.
- Simple plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits (no plan review) can often be issued quickly. Anything with plan review (additions, decks over 30 in, new openings) takes longer, so it belongs early in the schedule.
- Permitted work is inspected before walls are closed up and again at the end.
- Emergency repairs (a burst water heater, a dead furnace in winter) can be done first, but the permit must be requested on the next City business day.
- Questions: Bellevue Permit Center, 425-452-4898, permits@bellevuewa.gov.
Why it matters
Unpermitted work can surface when you sell, or when an insurer looks at a claim. Permits also mean a City inspector checks the parts you’ll never see again once the drywall is up.
When we give you an estimate, we tell you which permits your project needs and include them in the written quote. We handle the applications and inspections.