# Electrician in Seattle, WA — commercial and residential

> HB Power Electric is a licensed Washington electrical contractor (# HBPOWPE758PO) working throughout Seattle, about 25 minutes from our Bothell base. Seattle electrical permits are issued by SDCI rather than Washington L&I; we pull the permit and schedule the inspection on every job. Ten SDCI permits since December 2025, nine complete.

*Source: https://hbpowerelectric.com/service-area/seattle/ · HB Power Electric, WA Electrical Contractor Lic. # HBPOWPE758PO · last updated 5 September 2026*

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Electric utility | Seattle City Light |
| Electrical permits issued by | Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) |
| Drive from Bothell | About 25 minutes |
| County | King County |

Seattle is the busiest part of our route, and the part with its own rules. Electrical permits here come from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections rather than Washington L&I, a contractor needs a Seattle business licence to pull one, and Seattle City Light — not PSE — decides which rebates a building can claim. HB Power Electric has pulled ten SDCI electrical permits since December 2025; nine are complete and inspected. That work has been residential so far: subpanels, a generator inlet, a 60 A EV charger, panel replacements, a whole-house rewire, ADU circuits and bathroom circuits. On the commercial side we bid tenant improvements, refrigeration and rooftop controls, and lighting retrofits that qualify for City Light's commercial incentives.

## Permitting in Seattle

Seattle is not an L&I inspection jurisdiction. SDCI issues the electrical permit and does the inspection, and the contractor must hold a Seattle business licence to buy one. Fees are set by SDCI, not by the L&I schedule, so the L&I fee anchors on our pricing page do not apply inside the city. Permit information: https://www.seattle.gov/sdci/permits/permits-we-issue-(a-z)/electrical-permit

## Work in or near Seattle

- Northeast Seattle — EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 2 over a new 100 A subpanel, an Emporia Pro EV charger and a 50 A generator inlet with interlock, permitted through SDCI (permit 7121395-EL).
- Columbia City — a Mitsubishi mini-split outdoor unit with a new disconnect and weatherproof junction box on lap siding.
- Madison Park — makeup-air unit and inline electric heater controls in a crawlspace: contactor, 24 V transformer and the interlock that ties the heater to the fan.

## Utility incentives that may apply

| Utility | Programme | Amount | Who qualifies | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCL | Business EV charging — Tier 2 | 100% of cost up to $50,000 per site (Level 2); up to $200,000 for DC fast charging | Small businesses, WMBE-certified firms, tribal organizations and customers in overburdened communities | 5 September 2026 |
| SCL | Multifamily EV charging | 240 V outlets 100% up to $15,000; hardwired Level 2 50% up to $25,000; 120 V outlets 75% up to $13,000. Affordable housing: 100% up to $50,000 | Multifamily properties in SCL territory; minimum two ports; equipment from the EPRI vetted list; apply before construction | 5 September 2026 |
| SCL | Commercial lighting and controls retrofit | $0.28/kWh saved on LED fixtures and standard controls; networked lighting control bonus $25–$50 per fixture; capped at 70% of project cost | Commercial and multifamily buildings in SCL territory | 5 September 2026 |
| SCL | Small-business heat pump instant discount | $5,000 instant discount on heat pumps under 5.4 tons; $1,750 on heat pump water heaters | Businesses with fewer than 50 employees in SCL territory | 5 September 2026 |

Utility incentives are set by Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, Snohomish County PUD and Tacoma Power and change without notice. Figures were last verified on 5 September 2026. Most programs require pre-approval before equipment is purchased; HB Power Electric helps prepare applications but cannot guarantee approval or amounts.

## Neighbourhoods covered

Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, Green Lake, Ravenna, Wedgwood, Maple Leaf, Northgate, Capitol Hill, Madison Park, Columbia City, Beacon Hill, West Seattle, Magnolia, Queen Anne, Georgetown, SoDo.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who issues electrical permits in Seattle — L&I or the city?

The city. Seattle is one of the Washington jurisdictions that does its own electrical permitting and inspection, through SDCI. Washington L&I permits and inspects most of the rest of our route, including Bothell, Kenmore, Issaquah, Kent and Edmonds. The practical difference for you is the fee schedule and the inspection queue; either way the contractor buys the permit before work starts, which is what WAC 296-46B-901 requires.

### How does a service upgrade get coordinated with Seattle City Light?

City Light has to disconnect and reconnect the service, and on many older properties it also has to confirm the mast, weatherhead and meter position before the work is scheduled. That coordination usually sets the calendar rather than the electrical work itself. We file the SDCI permit and the City Light service request together and give you the realistic date once City Light answers, not before.

### Does Seattle's Building Emissions Performance Standard affect my building?

It applies to larger non-residential and multifamily buildings, with verification starting in 2027 and emissions targets from 2031; all-electric buildings are exempt from the targets. If you own a building in scope, the electrical work that usually follows is lighting and controls, heat-pump circuits and panel capacity. Separately, the state Clean Buildings Tier 2 deadline of 1 July 2027 catches buildings of 20,001–50,000 square feet.

### Can a condo owner in Seattle install an EV charger in the building's garage?

Since 1 January 2026, RCW 64.90.530 stops Washington condominium and HOA governing documents from banning an owner's EV charging installation, though the association can still set reasonable conditions on placement, metering, insurance and who pays. In practice the constraint in a Seattle high-rise is electrical, not legal: the house panel's spare capacity and the route from it to your stall. We do that load calculation before quoting.


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HB POWER ELECTRIC LLC · 16125 Juanita Woodinville Way NE, Unit 302, Bothell, WA 98011 · (425) 239-4425 · info@hbpowerelectric.com
Washington Electrical Contractor Licence HBPOWPE758PO (General (01)), valid to 20 October 2027. UBI 605 986 025. $4,000 bond under RCW 19.28.041. Verify: https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/Detail.aspx?UBI=605986025&LIC=HBPOWPE758PO&SAW=