What changes a remodel in Tacoma.
26.9 percent of Tacoma homes were built before 1940
Census Bureau survey data for 2020 to 2024 counts 97,298 housing units in Tacoma, and 26,193 of them date from 1939 or earlier. The median year built is 1967. An old house brings its own line items: knob and tube wiring that has to go, galvanized pipes, uninsulated walls and paint that may contain lead. Budget for opening walls you did not plan to touch, because in a house this age the first demolition day often changes the scope.
The Tacoma Smelter Plume left arsenic and lead in yard soil
The ASARCO smelter on the border of North Tacoma and Ruston ran from 1890 to 1986. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department says its smokestack spread arsenic, lead and other heavy metals across a 1,000 square mile area. Yards with arsenic above 100 parts per million or lead above 500 qualify for soil replacement, and the state Department of Ecology answers questions about sampling during development. Before you dig footings for an addition or an ADU, look up your address on Ecology's Dirt Alert map.
Tacoma has nine historic districts, and exterior work there gets reviewed
The city lists nine historic districts, six of them mainly residential: Buckley's Addition, College Park, North Slope, Stadium/Seminary, South J Street and the Wedge. The Landmarks Preservation Commission reviews a project when it involves exterior work on a contributing historic building and needs a building permit. Work that needs no permit, interior only work, and plumbing, sewer, electrical or landscaping jobs are exempt from that review. New windows, siding or a porch in these districts go through the commission first.
What a remodel costs in Tacoma in 2026.
$43,338
Tacoma's 2025 permit records show what local projects are declared at. The city issued 786 residential alteration permits with a declared value that year, at a median of $19,955. Permits that mention a kitchen had a median of $43,338 across 68, bathroom permits $35,000 across 160, and new ADUs $170,238 across 43. Those are the values written on the application, not prices paid, but they come from Tacoma houses, where 26.9 percent of homes predate 1940 and the median owner-occupied home was valued at $479,600.
The regional survey numbers come in lower because they include small jobs and do-it-yourself work. In the Census Bureau's 2023 American Housing Survey, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue owners reported a median hired-out project of $5,000, a median bathroom remodel of $10,000 and a median kitchen remodel of $13,710. Pay for the trades explains part of the distance from national prices: in May 2025 the median metro electrician earned $48.93 an hour against $30.38 nationally, and the median carpenter $36.74 against $29.12.
| Figure | Value | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Median value declared on a kitchen permit | $43,338 | Tacoma residential alteration permits issued in 2025 whose description mentions a kitchen, n=68; the value declared on the permit, not a price paid (City of Tacoma Open Data, Accela Permit Data) |
| Median value declared on a bathroom permit | $35,000 | Tacoma residential alteration permits issued in 2025 mentioning a bathroom, n=160; all 786 alteration permits had a median of $19,955 (City of Tacoma Open Data, Accela Permit Data) |
| Median value declared on a new ADU | $170,238 | New-building permits for ADUs and detached ADUs issued in Tacoma in 2025, n=43 (City of Tacoma Open Data, Accela Permit Data) |
| Median spent on a hired-out project | $5,000 | Hired-out improvement projects by owners across the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro, two years before 2023; do-it-yourself median $900 (Census American Housing Survey 2023, Table 16) |
| Median home value | $479,600 | Owner-occupied homes in Tacoma, Census ACS 2020-2024 (Census ACS 2020-2024, Median Value, Tacoma) |
| Median electrician wage | $48.93 an hour | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, May 2025, against $30.38 nationally; plumbers $45.78 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025) |
Who issues permits in Tacoma.
Inside city limits, permits come from the City of Tacoma Planning and Development Services, and every application goes through the city's Accela online portal. Tacoma issues its residential building, mechanical, plumbing and demolition permits itself. Homes in unincorporated Pierce County, just outside the city line, go through Pierce County instead.
- City of Tacoma Planning and Development Services
Residential building, alteration, mechanical, plumbing and demolition permits, ADUs and historic review inside Tacoma city limits
- Tacoma exempts one-story detached sheds and playhouses up to 200 square feet, fences up to 7 feet, and freestanding decks up to 200 square feet that sit no more than 30 inches above grade.
- A reroof on a house or duplex needs no building permit in Tacoma when the old roofing is torn off first and the new material weighs 2.5 pounds per square foot or less. The roof framing must stay the same, and the building cannot be unreinforced masonry.
- Painting, tile, carpet, cabinets and countertops need no permit in Tacoma. Replacing drain or water pipe, rather than just fixing a leak, counts as new work and does.
- Moving more than 50 cubic yards of soil in cut or fill needs a separate site development permit.
- An ADU in Tacoma can have up to 1,000 square feet of living area, not counting a garage, and no parking is required. A detached ADU sits in the rear yard, at least 5 feet from side lines and 15 feet from the rear line, with no setback from an alley.
- The city offers four pre-approved detached ADU plans, from a 300 square foot studio to a two-unit building. Its Home in Tacoma option allows up to two ADUs with a recorded restriction keeping one unit owner-occupied for five years.
- In the North Slope, Wedge and other historic districts, exterior work that needs a building permit goes to the Landmarks Preservation Commission before work starts.
What Tacoma homeowners plan most.
Deck building
A freestanding deck under 200 square feet and 30 inches high needs no permit, but one attached to the house does.
Kitchen remodel
Kitchen permits filed in Tacoma in 2025 had a median declared value of $43,338, and in a pre-1940 house they often come with new wiring and plumbing.
Roofing
A tear-off reroof with light material needs no building permit in Tacoma, which makes it one of the simpler big projects here. Our roofing guide comes from Seattle, where rain and moss wear roofs the same way; Tacoma handles any permit.
Window replacement
Window work showed up on 202 Tacoma alteration permits in 2025. In a historic district, new windows need Landmarks Preservation Commission review first.
Bathroom remodel
Tacoma issued 160 alteration permits mentioning a bathroom in 2025, with a median declared value of $35,000.
ADU or garage conversion
Tacoma issued 43 new-building permits for ADUs in 2025 and offers four pre-approved plans. We link a Seattle ADU guide; in Tacoma, Planning and Development Services issues the permit.
Before you start.
How much does a kitchen remodel cost in Tacoma?
Tacoma residential permits issued in 2025 that mention a kitchen had a median declared value of $43,338 across 68 permits, and many of those include other rooms. Across the Seattle-Tacoma metro, the Census Bureau's 2023 housing survey put the median kitchen remodel at $13,710, a figure that includes smaller updates and do-it-yourself work.
Do I need a permit to remodel my house in Tacoma?
Usually yes. Kitchen and bathroom remodels that move plumbing, wiring or walls need permits from Tacoma Planning and Development Services through its Accela portal. Painting, tile, carpet, cabinets and countertops are exempt, as are sheds up to 200 square feet, fences up to 7 feet and low freestanding decks up to 200 square feet.
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Tacoma?
Often not. Tacoma exempts a reroof on a house or duplex when the old roofing is removed first and the new material weighs 2.5 pounds per square foot or less. The framing cannot change, and the building cannot be unreinforced masonry. In a historic district, a visible change can still need review.
Can I build an ADU in Tacoma?
Yes. An ADU can have up to 1,000 square feet of living area, and no parking is required. A detached unit goes in the rear yard, 5 feet from side lines and 15 feet from the rear line, or right on an alley. The city also offers four pre-approved detached ADU plans. In 2025 it issued 43 new ADU permits.
Is the soil in my Tacoma yard contaminated?
It can be. The ASARCO smelter at the North Tacoma and Ruston border ran from 1890 to 1986 and spread arsenic and lead across a 1,000 square mile area. Yards above 100 parts per million of arsenic or 500 of lead qualify for soil replacement. Check the Department of Ecology's Dirt Alert map before digging footings.
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Sources
- Census ACS 2020-2024, Year Structure Built, Tacoma
- Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Dirt Alert
- City of Tacoma, Historic Districts and Landmarks
- City of Tacoma Open Data, Accela Permit Data
- Census American Housing Survey 2023, Table 16
- Census ACS 2020-2024, Median Value, Tacoma
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Washington Department of Ecology, Dirt Alert map
- City of Tacoma, Residential Permits
- City of Tacoma, G-101 What Requires a Permit
- City of Tacoma, Accessory Dwelling Units
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue carpenters
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue plumbers
- BLS OEWS May 2025, national carpenters