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Kitchen Remodel Cost in Seattle, Washington
The median declared cost of a kitchen remodel in Seattle, Washington is $50,000, based on 140 residential building permits issued in the last 24 months.
Updated November 2026 · next refresh December 2026 · computed from permits issued through November 2026.
| Median declared cost | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Typical range (middle half) | $25,000 – $99,000 |
| Full spread (10th–90th percentile) | $10,000 – $150,000 |
| Permits in sample | 140 |
| Period covered | 2024-11-12 to 2026-11-12 |
| Source | City of Seattle building permits (open data) |
How to read this number
These are declared permit values — the job value the applicant reported to the City of Seattle when the permit was filed. Declared values are a real-world sample of what these projects get filed at, but they are not final invoices: applicants have no reason to inflate them, and final costs often run higher once the work is done. Use the median as a planning anchor and the range to see how far real projects spread.
One more caveat: a permit value covers the whole permitted job. When a kitchen remodel is filed together with other work, the single declared figure covers all of it — one reason the top of the range runs high.
Planning one of your own? Every kitchen quote starts from the room's measurements — our square footage calculator turns them into the floor and wall areas that flooring and tile pricing depends on. And once the cabinets are in, the paint calculator works out the walls and ceiling by the gallon, primer included.
How the costs spread
Half of all permits in the sample declared between $25,000 and $99,000. The full spread is wider: the cheapest 10% declared under $10,000, and the most expensive 10% declared over $150,000.
Median cost by ZIP code
Per-ZIP samples for this project type are thin, so this table uses a longer window than the headline figure: every permit in our Seattle archive, January 2023 to November 2026 (271 permits after the same outlier rules). A ZIP is listed only when at least 15 of its permits are in that sample, and each row shows its own count.
| ZIP code | Permits | Median declared cost |
|---|---|---|
| 98117 | 35 | $50,000 |
| 98105 | 17 | $50,000 |
| 98115 | 17 | $40,000 |
How this project gets permitted in Seattle
Seattle permit descriptions name the review path each job actually took. Of the 132 permits in this sample whose descriptions name it, 87% went through subject-to-field-inspection (STFI) (115 STFI vs 17 full plan review). STFI is the city's faster track for work that does not need a full plan check; structural work goes through plan review.
The permit itself is a small line item. SDCI charges by declared value (Development Fee Index, Seattle Municipal Code 22.900D.010, Tables D-1 and D-2): at this project's median declared value of $50,000, the building permit and plan review on the subject-to-field-inspection (STFI) path come to about $1,618, including the 5% technology fee and the $6.50 state building-code fee. Across the middle half of declared values ($25,000–$99,000), the same fees run about $1,049–$2,664. Trade permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) are charged separately.
Trend
Median declared cost was $52,500 in 2025 (62 permits) and $50,000 in 2026 (64 permits) — about flat across the two years.
| Year issued | Permits | Median declared cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 62 | $52,500 |
| 2026 | 64 | $50,000 |
Recent kitchen remodel permits in Seattle
Anonymized examples from the sample — work description and declared value as filed, no addresses or names.
| Issued | Permit description | Declared cost |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | Construct alterations to existing kitchen and bathroom at main level of one-family dwelling subject to field inspection [STFI]. | $124,500 |
| Nov 2026 | Alterations to kitchen in one-family dwelling subject to field inspection. | $70,000 |
| Oct 2026 | Tenant improvements to bathroom living room and kitchen areas of unit 3 and unit 7 subject to field inspection. | $15,000 |
| Oct 2026 | Construct alterations to one-family dwelling at kitchen per plan. | $60,000 |
| Sep 2026 | Construct interior alterations to one-family dwelling to add a bathroom and remodel kitchen subject to field inspection (STFI) | $30,000 |
| Sep 2026 | Kitchen remodel including opening up bearing wall and installing a post and beam (less than 14'). New egress window and window well in base… | $20,000 |
Methodology
We pull every issued residential building permit the City of Seattle publishes through its open-data portal (Socrata), keep permits from the last 24 months with a declared value above zero, and classify each one by the project its description names. Records above $2,000,000 and statistical outliers (outside 1.5× the interquartile range) are excluded before the median is computed. Every classifier rule set is spot-checked by hand against 20 sampled permits before a project type is published. This page is refreshed monthly from the permit archive.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a kitchen remodel cost in Seattle, Washington?
Based on 140 Seattle, Washington building permits issued in the last 24 months that included a kitchen remodel, the median declared cost was $50,000. The middle half of permits declared between $25,000 and $99,000.
Where do these numbers come from?
They are computed from building permits published by the City of Seattle through its open-data portal. Each permit carries a declared job value reported by the applicant. We filter to residential permits, classify them by the project described, drop outliers, and publish the median and the middle-half range.
Why might my quote be higher than the permit median?
The declared value is what the applicant reported to the city when the permit was filed, and final project costs often run higher. Scope also varies widely: a permit value covers the whole permitted job, so a remodel combined with other work declares one combined figure. Treat the median as a planning anchor, not a bid.
What does the declared value on a kitchen remodel permit cover?
Whatever work the permit describes — for combined projects that can include rooms or work beyond the headline project. That is why we publish the range alongside the median: it shows how wide real declared costs spread for this project type in Seattle.
Does a kitchen remodel in Seattle need plan review?
Most take the subject-to-field-inspection (STFI) path: 87% of the 132 permits in our sample whose descriptions name the review path went that way (115 STFI, 17 full plan review). SDCI decides the path at intake — non-structural work usually qualifies for STFI, structural work does not.
How much is the permit fee for a kitchen remodel in Seattle?
SDCI charges by declared value. At this project's median declared value of $50,000, the building permit plus plan review on the subject-to-field-inspection (STFI) path comes to about $1,618, including the 5% technology fee and the $6.50 state fee (Seattle Municipal Code 22.900D.010). Trade permits are extra.
Plan the work
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About the author
Harrison Alley is a web publisher and data enthusiast based in Dallas, Texas. He built Urbarama’s remodeling calculators and maintains them.
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