InstaBidsHow much does it cost to replace a roof in Seattle?
$18,898 was the median declared permit value for data years 2023-2026 in Seattle, WA. Single-family and duplex roof replacement permits issued in Seattle declared a typical range (middle half of 712 City of Seattle permit data points, Seattle, WA, 2023-2026) of $14,300 to $24,602.
Updated 2026-10-28
InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.
For homeowners, property managers, landlords and HOA boards.
| What was measured | Median declared value | Declared value range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family and duplex roof replacement permits issued in Seattle declared | a median declared value on building permits of $18,898 | the typical range (middle half of 712 City of Seattle permit data points, Seattle, WA, 2023-2026) was $14,300 to $24,602 |
Declared permit values are what applicants reported to the city; final contract prices can differ.
How measured: residential single-job permits; declared values below the low-value floor for the same job removed (1 row). Source: City of Seattle, SDCI 'Building Permits' (76t5-zqzr), data read 22 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from City of Seattle, SDCI 'Building Permits' (76t5-zqzr), data years 2023-2026, read 22 October 2026, for Seattle, WA. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.
- Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
- Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
- Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
- You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.
For your AI assistant
MCP connector · REST API · plain HTMLHand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.
- MCP connector URL
https://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp - Agent API (OpenAPI)
https://instabids.ai/openapi.json - Start-request link
https://instabids.ai/intake?page_type=cost&job=roof+replacement&place=seattle&from=cost-roof-replacement--seattle&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=cost - Prompt for any AI, with your job
- ChatGPTOpens with the prompt
- ClaudeOpens with the prompt
- GrokOpens with the prompt
- GeminiCopies the prompt, then opens
Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.
What the job includes, the line items to ask for and how to compare bids: the national roof replacement cost guide.
What do Seattle roof permits declare?
Seattle’s roof figures use 712 single-family and duplex permits. The description match found 714 permits; 713 had a declared value, and the low-value filter removed one.
The city records describe roof replacement rather than a new house, demolition-only work or a permit combining several jobs. Declared value is the applicant’s pre-work figure, not an invoice.
Roofing survey reports for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
| Area or whole-house size | Typical middle | Middle half range | n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | a median of $16,000 | the typical range (middle half of 81 American Housing Survey data points, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 2021-2023) was $10,000 to $25,000 | 81 |
How measured: hired-out finished jobs, survey-weighted, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, data read 16 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, data years 2021-2023, read 16 October 2026, for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.
Full national guide: How much does it cost to replace a roof?
How does Seattle compare with the national survey?
For the national picture, the Census Bureau's American Housing Survey asked households about the work done on their home and whether they hired it out. Its roofing item reads "Added or replaced roofing", so full tear-offs and smaller partial replacements share one range.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, read 16 October 2026.
| What was measured | Median | Typical range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| Households in the American Housing Survey that hired out a roof replacement reported | a median of $10,000 | the typical range (middle half of 1,820 American Housing Survey data points, the United States, 2021-2023) was $5,800 to $16,000 |
| When the household did the roofing itself | a median (260 American Housing Survey data points, the United States, 2021-2023) of $5,600 | — |
How measured: hired-out finished jobs, survey-weighted, not adjusted for inflation; do-it-yourself jobs the same way. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, data read 16 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, data years 2021-2023, read 16 October 2026, for the United States. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.
Full national guide: How much does it cost to replace a roof?
The Seattle median declared value sits above the national survey median for hired-out roof jobs.
The two are different kinds of record: a survey answer is what a household remembers paying, while a permit value is what an applicant wrote down before the work began. This page keeps them apart and never blends them into one number.
Which roof permit rules apply in Seattle?
Example rule, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections roof permit: residential insulation exemption: “A permit is not required for re-roof work at one- and two-family homes and townhouses if no changes are made to the building envelope other than adding or replacing insulation, and the insulation value is equivalent to or better than the existing structure.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 7 November 2026.
Example rule, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections roof permit: residential envelope changes: “You need a construction permit if your re-roofing work alters the building envelope in any way other than adding or replacing insulation at one- and two-family homes and townhouses.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 7 November 2026.
Example rule, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections roof permit: commercial and multifamily roof-cover replacement: “You need a re-roofing permit if you are replacing the roof cover, sheathing, or insulation on commercial or multifamily projects.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 7 November 2026.
Example rule, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections roof permit: re-roof permit inspection: “An on-site inspection is not required for a re-roof permit.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 7 November 2026.
Example rule, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections roof permit: commercial and multifamily exposed insulation: “You need to add insulation to meet current energy code standards when the existing roof sheathing or insulation is exposed or the existing roof cavities are not insulated.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 7 November 2026.
How does Seattle start a reroof permit application?
Example rule, Seattle SDCI re-roof application: starting the online record: “Complete the Building & Land Use Pre-Application online using the Seattle Services Portal.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Seattle SDCI re-roof application: permit selection: “Once you're logged into the Seattle Services Portal, create a new Trade and Construction Permit. Select a Re-roofing Permit from the Building Permits section. Then follow the steps to complete the application.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Seattle SDCI re-roof application: required disclosure: “Complete the contractor disclosure information. To complete this portion of the application you will need the contractor information and owner information. You must provide this information before we will issue your permit.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
How does Seattle document commercial roof insulation?
Example rule, Seattle SDCI commercial energy code roof affidavit: thermal-envelope trigger: “Roof replacements shall comply with Table C402.1.3 or C402.1.4 where the existing roof assembly is part of the building thermal envelope and contains no insulation or the insulation is located entirely above the roof deck.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Seattle SDCI commercial energy code roof affidavit: existing insulation performance: “In no case shall the R-value of the roof insulation be reduced or the U-factor of the roof assembly be increased as part of the roof replacement.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Seattle SDCI commercial energy code roof affidavit: replacement definition: “The process of removing the existing roof covering, repairing any damaged substrate and installing a new roof covering.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Seattle SDCI commercial energy code roof affidavit: liner-system detail: “Uncompressed, unfaced insulation resting on top of liner system, between purlins. Liner system = continuous membrane installed below roof purlins, uninterrupted by framing members.”
Source: Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
Get written bids
Contractors who take part bid on one written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices.
Sources for the figures on this page
- City of Seattle, SDCI 'Building Permits' (76t5-zqzr), https://data.seattle.gov/Built-Environment/Building-Permits/76t5-zqzr, read 22 October 2026. InstaBids computed medians and middle-half ranges.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/data/2023/ahs-2023-public-use-file--puf-.html, read 16 October 2026. U.S. government work; no endorsement implied.
- U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/2023/AHS 2023 Value Labels Package.zip, read 16 October 2026.
- Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, seattle.gov/construction-and-inspections/permits/permits-we-issue-(a-z)/re-roof-permit, read 7 November 2026.
- Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/SDCI/Forms/RoofReplacementAffidavit.pdf, read 9 November 2026.