The exempt list, city by city
Quoted from each city's own page, read 20 to 22 October 2026. "Exempt" means no building permit; zoning setbacks, HOA rules and historic-district approvals can still apply.
| Work | Seattle | Austin | Minneapolis | Bellevue | Elk Grove, CA | Arlington County, VA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fence | Under 8 ft | Not over 7 ft | Up to 7 ft | Up to 8 ft | Up to 7 ft | — |
| Shed (one storey) | Under 120 sq ft on a slab | Up to 200 sq ft, 15 ft high | Under 200 sq ft | 200 sq ft or less | Up to 120 sq ft | — |
| Deck or platform | Under 18 in above grade | Up to 200 sq ft and 30 in | Under 30 in, freestanding, not the main entrance | Under 30 in | — | — |
| Paint, flooring, cabinets | Exempt (cabinets, painting) | — | Exempt (cabinets, countertops, flooring, paint) | — | — | Cabinets, appliances, fixtures replaced in place |
| Plumbing fixture swap | — | Not a shower or tub | Like-for-like, piping unchanged | Same fixture, same place | — | Like-for-like swaps |
| Price rule | Repairs of $6,000 or less in 6 months | Drywall repair up to 128 sq ft | — | — | Retaining wall up to 4 ft, no surcharge | — |
| Never exempt | Load-bearing work, the envelope, egress, fire resistance | New or replacement shower or tub | Changes to supply lines or piping | Water heater replacement; new or moved circuits | — | Moving pipes or drywall; gas appliances |
A dash means the page we read does not address it, not that it is exempt.
Denver works differently: it has no exempt list on its quick-permit page, and runs small trade jobs through same-day "quick permits" instead. Its list for houses includes water heaters, toilets, showers, tubs and sinks, ceiling fans, lighting and receptacles, EV chargers, new roofs and siding. Roof repairs need a permit when they are "more than 10% of the roof square footage or two roof squares" (Denver CPD).
What still needs a permit, and how often it is pulled
The jobs homeowners most often ask about are the ones cities permit by the thousand:
| Job | Rule | Permits in three years |
|---|---|---|
| Water heater replacement | Bellevue requires a permit for "replacing or moving" one; on Denver's quick-permit list | 2,078 in Elk Grove; 1,402 in Bellevue |
| New circuit, outlet or panel change | Bellevue: "adding or moving electrical circuits"; Denver: lighting, receptacles, fans | 8,025 electrical in Bellevue |
| Plumbing beyond a like-for-like swap | Minneapolis: any change to the supply line or piping | 20,012 plumbing in Minneapolis |
| Deck over 30 inches | Bellevue, Austin, Minneapolis | 692 decks in Minneapolis; 402 in Arlington County |
| Kitchen or bath remodel that moves pipes or walls | Arlington County | 777 remodels in Arlington County |
Small jobs close fast when someone books the inspection. The usual water heater permit went from issue to final in 23 days in Elk Grove and 32 in Bellevue; an EV charger permit in Bellevue in 14.
Doing the work yourself under your own permit
Exempt is one question; who may do permitted work is another. Most cities let an owner pull a permit for their own home, with conditions:
| Where | What the owner may do | Conditions quoted |
|---|---|---|
| Washington (L&I electrical) | Buy an electrical permit and do the work yourself | "Only property owners or electrical contractors can purchase an electrical permit"; request an inspection "prior to covering any electrical work"; a fine "of up to $2,000 for failing to obtain a permit" |
| California | Pull the permit as owner-builder | You are responsible for the work; hiring anyone other than licensed contractors on work of $500 or more can make you their employer (B&P 7044, San Francisco DBI form) |
| Cincinnati | Do the work without registering as a contractor | Owners of a one-, two- or three-family home who do the work themselves and live there for at least a year afterwards are exempt from registration |
An owner's permit puts your name, not a contractor's, on the public record, and makes you the one who books the final inspection. Our owner-builder guide covers the risks state by state.
Check it in five minutes
- Search your city's site for "work exempt from permit" and find your project; if there is no list, call the permit counter with the job described in one sentence.
- If it needs a permit and you are hiring, ask who pulls it and whether the fee is in the quote. Our do I need a permit guide covers 13 common projects.
- If it needs one and you are doing it yourself, check whether your city issues owner permits for that trade before you start.
- After any permitted job, search your address on the city portal and confirm the final inspection; did my contractor pull a permit has the links.
See who files plumbing permits in Minneapolis →
What this does not tell you
We read seven cities' rules out of more than 50 in our data, and every city amends the model code. A county, an HOA or a historic district can require approval for work the building department exempts. Our permit counts show which jobs are permitted; they cannot show how much exempt or unpermitted work was done.
How we know this
Exemption rules are quoted from the Seattle, Austin and Minneapolis pages (read 20 October 2026), the Bellevue, Elk Grove and Arlington County pages (read 21 October 2026) and Denver's quick-permit page (read 22 October 2026). Owner-permit rules come from Washington L&I publication F500-078-000, San Francisco DBI's owner-builder form and the City of Cincinnati's registration page. Permit counts and days to final are from each city's permit file over its three-year window ending September 2026.
Numbers come from City of Seattle (SDCI) building, trade and electrical permits on single-family and duplex homes (the city's open-data exports); City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); City of Bellevue permits on single-family homes and condo units; City of Elk Grove TRAKiT building permits on single-family, duplex, mobile-home and ADU homes; Arlington County, VA building and trade permits; City of Austin issued construction permits; City and County of Denver residential construction and demolition permits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- What doesn't require a building permit?
Cosmetic work and small outbuildings, in every city whose list we read: painting, flooring, cabinets and countertops, fences up to 7 or 8 feet, one-storey sheds up to 120 or 200 square feet, and low decks or platforms. Seattle also exempts minor repairs of $6,000 or less in any six months. Anything structural, on the building envelope, or that moves a pipe or adds a circuit needs one.
- Can a homeowner pull their own permit?
In most places, yes, for a home you own. Washington's L&I lets property owners buy their own electrical permit for work they do themselves, with an inspection before the work is covered. In California the permit makes you the owner-builder, responsible for the work, and if you hire anyone other than licensed contractors on work of $500 or more you may be treated as their employer (B&P 7044, per San Francisco DBI).
- Can I avoid building permits by keeping the job small?
Only if the job is on your city's exempt list. Size alone does not decide it: Seattle's $6,000 repair exemption does not cover 'any work on load-bearing supports, changes to the building envelope' however small, and Denver issues permits for a toilet, a ceiling fan or a water heater. Minneapolis filed 20,012 plumbing permits in three years.
- Can I replace a toilet or faucet without a permit?
In Minneapolis, Bellevue and Arlington County, a like-for-like swap in the same place is exempt, as long as you do not alter the supply line or piping (Minneapolis). Denver is the exception among our cities: toilets, showers, tubs and sinks are on its quick-permit list. Austin requires a permit for any new or replacement shower or tub.
- What happens if I do work that needed a permit without one?
The city can stop the work and charge more to permit it afterwards: Seattle may order construction suspended, and Miami bills work started without a permit at two times the fee on a homestead. Legalizing it later is treated as new work. See our permit vs no permit guide.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- General contractor vs handyman: where your state draws the line
- Does a contractor need a license? By trade, in 10 states
- Raleigh contractor license lookup: which board, where to search, and what the permits show
- Licensed vs unlicensed: what the permit file shows in your state
For one city
- Do You Need a Permit? (Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Work Exempt from Building Permits (City of Austin Development Services) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Construction work exempt from permit (City of Minneapolis) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Work requiring permits — City of Bellevue, WA (updated 2025-01-21; accessed 2026-10-21)
- Do I need a building permit? (Policy B-20-35) — City of Elk Grove, CA (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Residential permits — Arlington County, VA (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Quick Permits — City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Electrical Work on Residential Property (publication F500-078-000) — Washington L&I (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Property Owner Disclosure Form (San Francisco DBI, owner-builder declaration under B&P Code 7044) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- SDCI Fee Subtitle 2025 (Seattle Municipal Code Title 22, Subtitle IX) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- City of Miami Building Permit Fee Schedule (Sec. 10-18) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Contractor Registration — City of Cincinnati Buildings & Inspections (accessed 2026-10-20)