Buying a House With Unpermitted Work in Snohomish or King County (2026)

Short answer: Unpermitted work doesn’t have to kill a deal, but find out about it before your inspection contingency runs out. Read the seller’s answers about remodels and permits on the disclosure form, then compare what you see in the house with the permit history from the county or city, and L&I for electrical work. If something was done without permits, you can ask the seller to permit it, ask for a credit or price change, accept it knowing the risk, or walk away within your contingency.

This is general information, not legal, engineering or insurance advice. County rules quoted here apply to unincorporated areas; cities have their own codes and records, so check with the city if the house is inside city limits.

What needs a permit, and what usually doesn’t

Snohomish County’s residential page puts it simply: unless a structure is exempt, you need a permit. The county’s Assistance Bulletin #74 lists common exemptions for unincorporated areas. Here are a few that come up when buying a house:

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Based on: Snohomish County Assistance Bulletin #74 (revised February 2025), which applies only in unincorporated Snohomish County. Exempt work still has to meet setbacks and other rules. Cities and King County have their own lists.

Electrical work is separate and is handled by the state Department of Labor & Industries in most areas. L&I says a permit is required for most electrical work, including repairs and replacements, with a short list of like-in-kind exceptions such as replacing up to five switches or outlets. Some cities run their own electrical permits.

Step 1: Read the disclosure form

The Washington seller disclosure form (Form 17) asks, in its structural section, whether there have been "any conversions, additions, or remodeling," and if so, whether all building permits and all final inspections were obtained. There are similar questions for manufactured homes. A "no" or "don’t know" there is your cue to dig in. RCW 64.06.020 currently has two versions on the Legislature’s site: one marked effective until January 1, 2027, and one effective January 1, 2027. The questions quoted here appear in both. If your sale runs across the new year, check which form is being used.

Form 17 also gives buyers three business days after delivery to rescind, unless waived. Read it as soon as you get it.

Step 2: Pull the permit history

Based on: Snohomish County PDS Public Records page; King County permit records research page; L&I permit lookup page.

Then compare. Does the permit history explain the finished basement, the extra bathroom, the garage that’s now a bedroom, the newer electrical panel? Does the square footage in the listing match the county record? If you’re looking at a house with a separate unit, our ADU guide covers what a legal one involves.

Step 3: Get the work looked at

A home inspector can flag work that looks amateur or doesn’t seem to match the permit history, but an inspection isn’t a code review. See what a standard home inspection covers. If the issue is structural or electrical, you may want a contractor, an electrician or a structural engineer to take a look before your contingencies deadline.

Not all owner work is a red flag. Under RCW 19.28.261, an owner can do electrical work on their own home without a license in many cases, but L&I says whoever does the work buys the permit and has to request an inspection before covering it up. A homeowner job with a permit and a passed inspection is a different story from one with neither.

Step 4: Talk to your lender

Unpermitted space can show up in the appraisal. Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide (B4-1.3-05) says that if the appraiser finds an addition without the required permit, the appraiser must comment on the quality and appearance of the work and its impact, if any, on market value. Other loan programs have their own rules, so ask your loan officer early.

Step 5: Decide what to ask for

• Ask the seller to permit it before closing. This can take time, and the city or county decides what it needs to see.
• Ask for a credit or price change to cover the cost of permitting or redoing it yourself.
• Accept it as-is if the work is minor and well done, knowing you may deal with it when you sell. See our guide to selling a house as-is in Washington for the seller’s side of that.
• Walk away within your contingency if the work is major or the answers don’t add up. Your earnest money depends on following the contract’s deadlines.

Before you agree to anything, call the permit office and ask what it would take to permit the work after the fact for that address. The answer often decides which option makes sense.

FAQ

Can you buy a house with unpermitted work in Washington?

Yes. Nothing stops you from buying it. The questions are what the work is, whether it was done well, whether your lender and appraiser will accept it, and what it would take to permit it later. Sort those out during your inspection period so you still have options.

How do I look up permits on a house in Snohomish County?

For homes in unincorporated Snohomish County, use the PDS Online Records search tool. The county organizes permit histories by Property Tax Account Number. Not everything is online yet; permits from 1980 and earlier are among the records not digitized, so you may need an Information Request. For a house inside a city, ask that city.

How do I check permit history for a house in King County?

For unincorporated King County, search the county’s online permit database or send a records request; the county says it issues a written response within five business days. If the address is inside a city, the city holds the building permits. Electrical permits bought since January 1, 2020 can also be looked up on the L&I site.

Does a seller have to disclose unpermitted work in Washington?

The Washington seller disclosure form asks whether there have been any conversions, additions or remodeling, and if so, whether all building permits and all final inspections were obtained. The seller answers based on actual knowledge, and "don’t know" is an allowed answer, so check the permit records yourself.

Will unpermitted work affect the appraisal?

It can. Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide says that if the appraiser finds an addition without the required permit, the appraiser has to comment on the quality and appearance of the work and its impact, if any, on market value. Tell your lender early if you know about unpermitted space.

Talk it through with a local agent

Peter Kim and Odigo Real Estate Club can help you pull permit records, compare them with what’s in the house, and negotiate the result within your inspection period, with 25+ years combined experience, 593+ closings, and 122 five-star Zillow reviews. See our home buying services.

Odigo Real Estate Club · REAL Brokerage, WA #112064 · 16108 Ash Way, Suite 201, Lynnwood, WA 98087 · (425) 409-3823 · Mon–Sat 9 AM–6 PM, closed Sunday

Sources

• Washington State Legislature, RCW 64.06.020 (seller disclosure statement form; version effective until Jan 1, 2027 and version effective Jan 1, 2027), https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=64.06.020 , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Snohomish County Planning and Development Services, PDS Public Records Information (permit histories by Property Tax Account Number; records not yet digitized; 5-business-day response; unincorporated only), https://snohomishcountywa.gov/2303/PDS-Public-Records-Information , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Snohomish County Planning and Development Services, PDS Online Records how-to guide (searching the online records tool), https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/102780/PDS-Online-Records-How-to-Guide , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Snohomish County Planning and Development Services, Assistance Bulletin #74, Common Permit Exemptions (revised February 2025; unincorporated Snohomish County), https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8072/74---Exemptions-Common-Permit-Exemptions-PDF?bidId= , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Snohomish County Planning and Development Services, Residential permits (permit needed unless exempt), https://snohomishcountywa.gov/2908/Residential , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• King County Department of Local Services, Permit records research (online database, records requests, five-business-day response, unincorporated only), https://www.kingcounty.gov/en/dept/local-services/buildings-property/public-notices-permit-records-search/permit-records-research , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Electrical permit basics (permits for most electrical work; like-in-kind exceptions; inspection before covering), https://www.lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/electrical/electrical-basics-for-home-business-owners/electrical-permit-basics , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Look up a permit or inspection (no data before January 1, 2020; one-year search range), https://lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/electrical/electrical-permits-fees-and-inspections/look-up-a-permit-or-inspection , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Purchase permits and request inspections (owner permits for work on own property), https://www.lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/electrical/electrical-permits-fees-and-inspections/purchase-permits-request-inspections , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Washington State Legislature, RCW 19.28.261 (exemptions from electrical licensing, including owners working on their own residence), https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=19.28.261 , accessed Nov 2, 2026.
• Fannie Mae, Selling Guide B4-1.3-05, Improvements Section of the Appraisal Report (appraiser comments on additions without required permits), https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b4-1.3-05/improvements-section-appraisal-report , accessed Nov 2, 2026.

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