Construction Leads in Seattle
Seattle publishes two permit records, and the difference between them decides whether a feed is worth anything. The trade-permit record names the contractor on the large majority of rows; the building-permit record fills the same field on a small fraction.
The same four steps, whether the buyer is a builder, a designer, an owner or a company you want to acquire.
Where Seattle sits
Seattle among the ten metros Builtie covers. See all of them on one map.
How much is being permitted
Permits by year in Seattle. 2026 is a partial year counted to September 3, 2026, so its bar is shorter for that reason rather than a slowdown.
Seattle has produced 50,630 permits since January 2024: 19,044 in 2024, 18,952 in 2025 and 12,634 so far in 2026. Counted on September 3, 2026.
What is being permitted
| Most common permit categories in Seattle | Since Jan 2024 | Share of these six |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 42,210 | 83% |
| Non-Residential | 8,420 | 17% |
What the Seattle record actually carries
Builtie reads Seattle's trade permits, where the contractor company name is filled on the large majority of records. The city's building-permit dataset carries the same field at a far lower rate, so a feed built on it would look similar in size and produce almost no one to contact.
What a trade contractor should know about this market
- Trade permits are the point. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits are the record here, so a trade contractor sees work in its own discipline rather than inferring it from a building permit.
- A named contractor is a competitor and a customer. On trade permits the named firm is often another trade, which makes the record useful for partnership and subcontract work as much as for direct bids.
- Residential and non-residential split cleanly. The permit class separates them, so a commercial-only shop can exclude houses outright.
- Valuations are published as text. The cost field is not reliably numeric in this record, which is why this page reports permit counts for Seattle rather than dollar totals.
What Builtie carries in Seattle
Seattle carries full depth: the permit history rather than a single snapshot, projects scored against your trade and territory, an inferred build stage so you can tell an open package from one awarded months ago, and the people who award the work traced past applicants and numbered companies to a named person with email, phone and LinkedIn where each can be verified.
When your package is bought
The buying window does not move with the city. Concrete and excavation are committed before the site is visibly dug, framing is booked while the foundation cures, roofing and cabinetry are decided during framing, and painting is awarded while drywall goes up. Our guide to when each trade is decided maps all of them against the five build stages.
Builtie plans start at $550 per month per seat for 50 matched projects a month, and $880 for 200. Every plan includes done-for-you LinkedIn and email outreach, and there is a 7-day free trial with 10 projects.
Frequently asked questions
How many construction permits does Seattle issue?
Seattle has issued 50,630 permits since January 2024: 19,044 in 2024, 18,952 in 2025 and 12,634 so far in 2026, counted on September 3, 2026. The 2026 figure is a partial year.
Where does the Seattle permit data come from?
The city's own official open-data service. Builtie reads the record the city publishes rather than a resold copy of it, then adds the history, the scoring, the build stage and the decision makers on top.
Why does Builtie use Seattle's trade permits instead of building permits?
Because the contractor company name is filled on the large majority of trade-permit records and on only a small fraction of building-permit records. Same city, same period, and one of the two feeds produces someone to contact while the other mostly does not.
How does Seattle compare with the other cities Builtie covers?
Same depth, different volume. Every covered city carries permit history, scored projects, build stage and identified decision makers; Seattle produced 50,630 permits since January 2024, which you can compare against the other nine on the coverage map.
What does Builtie cost?
Starter is $550 per month per seat for 50 matched projects a month and Growth is $880 for 200. Both include done-for-you LinkedIn and email outreach, and there is a 7-day free trial with 10 projects.