Discovering unpermitted work in your Seattle house, whether it’s your own project or something a previous owner did, doesn’t have to derail a sale. The path to legalizing it is called an “as-built” permit application, and here’s exactly what that process requires, as a practical checklist rather than a general overview.

What Counts as “Unpermitted Work” for This Purpose

Not every project needs an as-built permit, but these commonly do:

Room additions
Electrical or plumbing upgrades
Structural changes
Major renovations

Step 1: Assess What You’re Actually Dealing With

Walk the space with a contractor before you file anything. Knowing whether you’re dealing with cosmetic work or something structural changes how the rest of this checklist plays out.

Step 2: Gather Whatever Documentation Exists

Old receipts, contractor invoices, even photos from during the work help establish what was done and when, even if no permit was ever pulled at the time.

Step 3: Get a Licensed Contractor’s Read Before You File

A contractor who’s done as-built permits before can tell you upfront whether the work is likely to pass as-is or need corrections, which changes how you plan the whole project financially.

Step 4: What Your As-Built Application Needs to Include

An as-built permit application is essentially asking the city to inspect and approve work after the fact instead of before. You’ll typically need:

Detailed plans or blueprints showing what was actually built, not what was originally proposed
A written description of the work performed
A plan for any corrections needed to bring it up to current code

Step 5: Schedule the Inspections

Because the work is already done, inspectors may need to open up finished surfaces, drywall, flooring, ceilings, to verify what’s underneath rather than inspecting it in stages like new construction.

Step 6: Pay the Fees

As-built applications typically cost more than a standard permit pulled before work begins, since the city is processing an exception rather than a routine request. I break down real fee ranges in a separate post if you want specific numbers before you start.

Step 7: Get Final Approval

Once inspections pass and any corrections are complete, the city issues final approval and the work is officially legal, which resolves the issue for future buyers, appraisers, and insurers.

Solutions That Can Help

If this checklist feels like more time and expense than you want to take on before selling, you don’t have to. I buy houses in Seattle and King County with unpermitted work exactly as they are, no as-built application, no corrections, no waiting on inspections.

How Long Does an As-Built Permit Take?

Expect this to move slower than a standard permit. Between plan review, scheduling inspections that require opening up finished surfaces, and any correction cycles if the first inspection doesn’t pass, a straightforward as-built application can take a few weeks, while anything requiring significant corrections can stretch to a couple of months. Building that timeline into your selling plans upfront avoids a lot of frustration if you’re working against a deadline.

What Happens If the As-Built Application Gets Rejected

Not every as-built application sails through inspection on the first try, and it’s worth knowing what happens if it doesn’t. If an inspector finds the existing work doesn’t meet current code, and code requirements do change over the years, so work done to code in 1995 might not meet 2026 standards, the typical result is a correction notice specifying exactly what needs to change. Depending on what’s cited, that can mean anything from a straightforward fix, adding a missing smoke detector or GFCI outlet, to a genuinely expensive one, like discovering a load-bearing wall was removed without proper engineering and now needs a structural retrofit to pass. There’s generally a set window, often 90 to 180 days, to make corrections and request reinspection before the permit application can lapse entirely.

If the cost of corrections turns out to be more than expected, which happens more often than people plan for, the application isn’t a one-way commitment. Some homeowners choose to withdraw it and sell the property with the unpermitted condition disclosed rather than sink more money into a permit that’s become more expensive than anticipated. That’s a completely legitimate path, particularly when selling to a buyer who doesn’t need financing and is comfortable taking on the property as-is at a price that reflects the actual condition.

If you’d rather sell as-is than go through this process, call (206) 900-8173 or send us a message.