Seattle, WA: backyard pod and shed permit line
Seattle counts the roof, not the floor. Eaves and overhangs add to that number, so a studio with a 120 sq ft floor can carry a roof well past 120 sq ft. The exemption also lists the allowed uses: storage, growing plants, and similar unoccupied uses. Desk work is not on that list.
“The total area (or “footprint”) of the shed’s roof is 120 square feet or less.”
From Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI), read Nov 5, 2026.
The conditions, one by one
| Size line | 120 sq ft or less |
|---|---|
| Measured as | roof area (the shed's roof footprint, so eaves count) |
| Height | single story |
| Power | Page does not list wiring in the exemption test. It notes you may need to apply to Seattle City Light for electrical service changes or new services. |
| Use | Exemption only for a shed 'only used for storage, growing plants, or similar generally unoccupied uses.' |
Also on the page
- Sits on a simple concrete slab, pier blocks or soil
- Not attached to a house or other building
- Not in or near an environmentally critical area (steep slope, wetland, flood-prone area)
- Over 750 sq ft, or beams spanning more than 14 ft, needs a construction addition / alteration permit
- Neighborhood Residential zones: usually not within 10 to 15 ft of the front property line or within 5 ft of side property lines
Pod sizes against this line
13 of 36 pod sizes are inside the 120 sq ft line by floor area. 23 are over.
- Autonomous MetroPod: 80 sq ft
- Autonomous WorkPod: 102 sq ft
- Autonomous StudioPod: 105 sq ft
- Studio Home Signature 8 x 10 ft: 80 sq ft
- Studio Home Signature 8 x 12 ft: 96 sq ft
- Studio Home Signature 8 x 14 ft: 112 sq ft
- Studio Home Signature 10 x 10 ft: 100 sq ft
- Studio Home Signature 10 x 12 ft: 120 sq ft
- Studio Home Portland 8 x 12 ft: 96 sq ft
- Studio Home Portland 8 x 14 ft: 112 sq ft
- Studio Home Portland 10 x 12 ft: 120 sq ft
- Kanga Room Systems Modern Kwik Room 10 x 12 ft: 120 sq ft
- Kanga Room Systems Cottage Kwik Room 10 x 12 ft: 120 sq ft
Second check
permitmint.com Seattle shed page also gives 120 sq ft without utilities (agrees on the number).
This page repeats the published rule and does the arithmetic on published sizes. Zoning, HOA rules and setbacks can still block a building the permit rule allows. Ask the office above before you order.