Content
# King County Permit Status
Look up building permit history and status for any King County, WA property. Searches across jurisdictions — county-level permits (septic, critical areas, grading) and city-level permits (building, mechanical, electrical) can all apply to the same address.
```bash
python3 lookup.py "27927 E Main St" # by address
python3 lookup.py "7222000353" # by parcel number
python3 lookup.py "B25000947" # by permit number
python3 lookup.py --pipe "27927 E Main St" # agent pipeline mode
python3 lookup.py --schema # print tool definition
```
## What you get
```json
{
"action": "found",
"permit_count": 2,
"searched": ["Renton (EnerGov)"],
"permits": [
{
"permit_number": "E26000458",
"type": "Residential Electrical Permit",
"status": "Issued",
"description": "Electrical Work (Garage & Garage Exterior): ...",
"address": "1817 Morris Ave S Renton WA 98055",
"jurisdiction": "Renton",
"applied_date": "2026-01-28",
"issued_date": "2026-01-28",
"finaled_date": null,
"expires_date": "2027-07-27",
"portal": "https://permitting.rentonwa.gov"
}
]
}
```
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `action` | `found` (permits returned), `none` (no matches), `refine` (connection issue) |
| `permit_count` | Number of unique permits found |
| `permits` | Array sorted newest `applied_date` first |
| `searched` | Which jurisdictions were searched |
| `separate_portal` | If the city has an unsupported portal: city name + URL |
Per permit: `permit_number`, `type`, `status`, `description`, `address`, `jurisdiction`, `applied_date`, `issued_date`, `finaled_date`, `expires_date`, `portal`.
## Multi-jurisdiction coverage
| Source | Cities / scope |
|---|---|
| [MyBuildingPermit.com](https://permitsearch.mybuildingpermit.com/) | Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Burien, Edmonds, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kenmore, **King County** (unincorporated), Kirkland, Mercer Island, Mill Creek, Newcastle, Sammamish, Snoqualmie |
| Renton EnerGov (live API) | All Renton permit types including electrical |
| WA State L&I | Electrical permits for cities not handling their own (2019+) |
**Cities with separate portals** (flagged with URL, not searched): Seattle, Kent, Redmond, Shoreline, Tukwila, SeaTac, Woodinville, Covington, Maple Valley, Enumclaw.
## Exit codes
| Code | Action | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | `found` | `permits[]` is populated |
| 1 | `none` / `refine` | No permits or connection issue |
| 2 | `reject` | Bad input |
## For agents
`tool.json` at the repo root contains the full tool definition in Anthropic/OpenAI tool-call format. An agent can load it directly or fetch the live version:
```bash
python3 lookup.py --schema
```
```json
{
"name": "king_county_permit_status",
"description": "Look up building permit history and status for any King County, WA property...",
"input_schema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"query": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Street address, 10-digit parcel number, or permit number..."
}
},
"required": ["query"]
},
"output_schema": { ... },
"invocation": {
"command": "python3 lookup.py --pipe \"{query}\"",
"exit_codes": {
"0": "action=found — permits[] is populated",
"1": "action=none or refine — no permits or connection issue",
"2": "action=reject — bad input"
}
}
}
```
**Pipeline pattern:**
```bash
# Get all permits at an address, extract open ones
python3 lookup.py --pipe "1817 Morris Ave S, Renton WA" \
| python3 -c "
import sys, json
d = json.load(sys.stdin)
open_statuses = {'Issued', 'In Review', 'On Hold', 'Pending'}
open_permits = [p for p in d.get('permits', []) if p['status'] in open_statuses]
print(json.dumps(open_permits, indent=2))
"
```
**Related tools in this series:**
- [`king-county-address-to-parcel-number`](https://github.com/chaoz23/king-county-address-to-parcel-number) — resolve an address to its parcel number
- [`wa-contractor-license`](https://github.com/chaoz23/wa-contractor-license) — verify WA contractor license status and violations
- [`king-county-property-tax-appeal`](https://github.com/chaoz23/king-county-property-tax-appeal) — build a filing-ready tax appeal packet
## Requirements
- Python 3.10+ (stdlib only, no dependencies)
- Network access to `permitsearch.mybuildingpermit.com`, `permitting.rentonwa.gov`, `secure.lni.wa.gov`
## License
MIT
