By Alexandru Goncear, Owner and CEO, ElectON Enterprise. Washington electrical contractor license ELECTEL765MN.
Short answer: yes. Seattle lets homeowners pull their own electrical permit and do their own wiring, as long as two things are true. You own the house and live in it, and you are doing the work yourself.
It is a fair question to put to an electrician, and I will answer it straight. Plenty of homeowners do careful work that passes inspection, and SDCI inspects it against the same code whether an owner or a licensed contractor did the wiring. Below is what SDCI actually allows, how the process works, and where I think doing it yourself makes sense and where it does not.
The two conditions SDCI sets
SDCI’s electrical permit page says property owners may do their own work when they own and occupy the property they are working on. Its electrical permit FAQ adds the other half: a homeowner can apply for a permit if they perform the work themselves, and if they are not doing the work, they must hire an electrical contractor.
In practice, that rules out a few common situations:
- A rental you own but do not live in. Owner permits are for the house you occupy.
- A friend, relative or handyman doing the work under your permit. If you are not the one doing it, the person who is needs to be a licensed electrical contractor.
- A house you have not closed on yet. You have to own it first.
If your situation sits in a gray area, such as a duplex where you live in one unit, ask SDCI before you apply rather than after the inspector arrives.
Anyone pulling Seattle electrical permits as a business needs a Washington electrical contractor license and a Seattle business license. That is where SDCI draws the line between owner work and paid work.
This is Seattle’s rule only. Shoreline and unincorporated King County go through L&I, whose homeowner rules are worded differently, and cities like Bellevue, Renton and Burien run their own permit programs.
Do you need a permit at all?
Probably. SDCI requires a permit any time electrical wiring is installed, altered, extended or connected to electrical equipment. The list of exceptions is short. Section 80.50(B) of the Seattle Electrical Code names the few items that can be replaced without a permit, and SDCI’s own examples are dimmers, thermostats, water heaters and baseboard heaters. Read that section before you assume a small job is exempt.
Low-voltage work is the other big exception. Most low-voltage systems in single-family houses do not need a permit. Security alarm systems are the exception to the exception and do.
How an owner permit works, step by step
- Check whether your job needs plan review. Most single-family work does not. SDCI issues over-the-counter, self-issued permits for smaller projects such as a single-family home or renovations under 5,000 square feet. Bigger projects go through plan review under Article 80 of the Seattle Electrical Code, which can take up to a few weeks.
- Apply online through the Seattle Services Portal, under “Permit – Trade, Construction, and Land Use.” When no plan review is needed, most permits can be printed the same day. If an electric heater is the house’s primary heat source, SDCI also asks for a Heat Equipment Sizing Form.
- Pay the fees. They depend on the work, and SDCI adds a technology fee to every permit.
- Do the work, and schedule each inspection when you reach it, one at a time, through the portal or the inspection line at (206) 684-8900. For most owner jobs that means a cover inspection before anything is closed up, a feeder inspection if you add a subpanel, and a final.
- On inspection day, call your inspector between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. to get a two-hour window. You cannot book a specific time in advance.
- Read the results in the portal’s Inspections Review Report, which includes the inspector’s comments. Fix anything written up and request the inspection again.
SDCI’s electrical permit page has the current links, forms and contacts, and SDCI offers free 20-minute coaching sessions if you get stuck on the application.
What the inspector expects from owner work
The same thing they expect from mine. Owner work is inspected against the 2023 Seattle Electrical Code, not against whatever the rest of the house already has. These are the things that trip up owner work most often:
- Covering too early. Insulation or drywall that goes up before the cover inspection has to come back down.
- GFCI and AFCI protection. The current code wants GFCI in more places than most people expect, including every kitchen receptacle and basements whether finished or not, and AFCI on most living-space circuits, including old circuits you extend.
- Boxes and cable. Too many wires crowded into a small box, cable not stapled near the boxes, and missing steel nail plates where cable passes close to the face of a stud.
- Ceiling boxes. A ceiling fan needs a fan-rated box, and most of the boxes we open in older Seattle houses were never rated for one.
- The panel directory. At final, every circuit has to be labeled clearly in its own space.
When a job needs more than one re-inspection, SDCI may charge an extra fee, so it pays to get the corrections right the first time.
Jobs I think are reasonable to do yourself
This part is my opinion, not the code. SDCI’s page does not limit owner permits to small jobs, but some jobs are a much better fit for a careful homeowner than others.
- Replacing or adding receptacles and switches on existing circuits in rooms you can reach.
- New lighting during a remodel, while the walls and ceilings are open.
- A new circuit in an unfinished basement or garage, where the whole run is exposed and easy to inspect.
- Low-voltage work that needs no permit at all.
Jobs I would hire out
- Anything at the service or the meter, which means panel replacements and service upgrades. The wires coming into the house stay live even with the main breaker off, until City Light disconnects them, and a service change needs City Light’s own application on top of the SDCI permit.
- Aluminum branch wiring and knob and tube. Both need specific connectors and methods, and the problems tend to hide at the splices. That is usually a wiring update conversation.
- An EV charger or a heat pump on an older service. The load calculation decides whether it fits, and getting it wrong means a breaker that trips every cold night or a circuit that runs hot.
- Anything where you are not sure what is inside the wall.
If you hire it out, compare a few residential electricians in Seattle, WA and ask each one who pulls the permit and how often they work with SDCI. And if you start a job yourself and get stuck partway, SDCI lets you add a licensed contractor to a homeowner permit, so you do not have to start over.
Owner permits and selling the house
A permitted job with a passed final inspection counts as permitted, whoever did the wiring. Washington’s seller disclosure form, Form 17, asks whether permits and final inspections were obtained for conversions, additions or remodeling. “Yes, and here is the final” is a far better answer than “I did it myself and never got a permit.”
Common questions about owner electrical permits in Seattle
Can I pull an electrical permit for a rental I own?
Not as an owner permit if you do not live there. SDCI’s rule is that owners may do their own work when they own and occupy the property. For a rental you do not live in, hire a licensed electrical contractor.
Can a friend or a handyman do the work under my permit?
No. A homeowner permit covers work you do yourself. If someone else is doing it, SDCI says you need an electrical contractor.
Do small replacements need a permit?
Some do not. Seattle Electrical Code 80.50(B) lists the few items that can be replaced without a permit, and SDCI’s examples are dimmers, thermostats, water heaters and baseboard heaters. If your job is not on that list, plan on a permit.
Can I bring in an electrician partway through?
Yes. SDCI lets you add a contractor to a homeowner permit, or remove one, by contacting them. Expect the contractor to look over what you have done before they take responsibility for it.
Is owner work inspected differently?
No. It is held to the same Seattle Electrical Code as contractor work, with the same cover, feeder and final inspections.
If you would rather hand it off
Some owners do the whole job themselves. Others do the easy parts and bring us in for the panel, the service or the parts of the house they would rather not open up. Either way, we pull the SDCI permit for our part, meet the inspector and stay with it until it is signed off. The estimate is free and in writing, with no trip charge. You can read what we usually find in Seattle houses by neighborhood and build year on our Seattle page. Request an estimate or call (253) 508-7529.
About the author
Alexandru Goncear is the owner and CEO of ElectON Enterprise and a Washington-licensed electrician working on residential systems across King, Pierce and Snohomish County. He writes every estimate himself and stays the point of contact through permitting, the work and the final inspection.
ElectON Enterprise. Kent office, closest to Seattle: 1609 Central Ave S Suite E, Kent, WA 98032. Headquarters: 36007 9th Ct SW, Federal Way, WA 98023. Phone: (253) 508-7529. Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with emergency service 24 hours. Washington electrical contractor license ELECTEL765MN.