Beta
Moving to or within Seattle
The move-event timeline — before, during, after — distinct from the broader 90-day-from-arrival picture at /services/new-to-seattle. File USPS forwarding about two weeks ahead; update your WA driver license within 10 days of arriving. Carts stay at the address; you inherit the previous resident's setup.
Two to four weeks out
What to set up before move day
The two-week lead-time on USPS forwarding is the only one with a real schedule consequence. The other before-the-move tasks slot in around that window.
T-14
File USPS forwarding
- Online at usps.com/manage/forward.htm ($1.25 identity-verification fee) or in person at any Post Office (no fee listed).
- Lead time: 2 weeks is the safe window. Forwarding may begin within 3 business days of your request, but mail in transit during that gap can land at the old address.
- Standard duration: 12 months for First-Class mail and periodicals. Extendable in 6-, 12-, or 18-month increments up to 18 months past the standard year.
- Forwarding only changes your mailing address with the Post Office. It does not update government agencies or companies — each of those is a separate update (covered in the sections below).
T-30
Find your new home's school
- If children attend Seattle Public Schools, use SPS's Address Lookup Tool at seattleschools.org/enroll/find-your-school/ to see your new home's attendance area school plus any option schools whose geo zone covers the address.
- Students may either stay at the current school (through the highest grade offered there — no annual re-enrollment) or change to the new attendance area school.
- Decide before the school year so the Change of Address form can be filed in time (see the First 10 days section below).
T-7
Confirm utility-transfer responsibility
- Tenants: many property managers handle the electric connect / disconnect. Check with your manager before initiating anything.
- Buyers / sellers: utility connect / disconnect is typically handled by your escrow company. Check with escrow before initiating anything.
- If neither applies, you'll start and stop services yourself the following week (next section).
The week of the move
Utility transfers and the move-day handoff
City Light and SPU bill on a single Combined Utility Bill, but services are tied to a specific address — so a move means two separate transactions in the same portal, one to start at the new address and one to stop at the old.
New address
Start service
- At services.seattle.gov, or call (206) 684-3000 (M–F 7:30 AM–6 PM), or walk in at Seattle Municipal Tower's 4th-floor lobby (M–F 8:30 AM–4 PM) with photo ID.
- Opening fees: $10 garbage / recycling / food-and-yard opening fee. Water and sewer: no opening fee.
- The new account starts fresh on its own ~2-month billing cycle; your first new-address bill arrives about 2 months after start.
Old address
Stop service
- Same portal and same phone number — separate transaction.
- Closing fees: $60 water meter reading fee. Sewer and garbage: no closing fee.
- If selling the property, SPU requires the buyer's name to close your account.
- If your final bill leaves a credit balance, call (206) 684-3000 to request a refund check.
Move-day detail
The carts stay at the address
- SPU assigns garbage, recycling, and compost carts to the property — not to the customer.
- When you move out, the carts stay for the next resident.
- At your new address, you inherit whatever the previous resident left behind.
- No cart pickup or delivery to schedule — the change happens via the utility account transfer.
Honest take: The $60 water meter closing fee on the old account plus the $10 garbage opening fee on the new account are real charges that hit your first new-address bill. Budget about $70 in one-time utility transition costs — they aren't optional and they aren't waived for moves within Seattle.
The legal-residency window
Updates required within 10 days of the move
The 10-day window is set by Washington state law for the driver license update. The other updates here aren't legally bound to 10 days but are easiest to handle while moving paperwork is still in hand.
WA driver license
State-law 10-day deadline
- Update online via License Express at dol.wa.gov (sign in or create an account), or download the WA Driver License / ID Card Change of Address form and mail to Driver Vehicle Records, Department of Licensing, PO Box 9030, Olympia WA 98507.
- The update itself is free.
- A new physical card with the updated address is optional and costs $20. The address is already on record either way.
- For new-to-WA residents converting an out-of-state license, see /services/new-to-seattle for the full conversion flow ($111/$131 standard or $153/$187 Enhanced; 30-day window).
Vehicle registration
Separate DOL transaction
- Updating your driver license does not update your vehicle registration. They are separate transactions at DOL.
- Update online via License Express or in person at a DOL office.
Voter registration
VoteWA update
- Update online at VoteWA.gov (need WA driver license, WA ID, or last 4 digits of SSN).
- Deadline: 8 days before Election Day for online or mail updates. In-person updates are allowed through Election Day at the King County Elections Office in Renton or any Vote Center.
- Critical: a standard driver license address update does NOT auto-update voter registration. Automatic Voter Registration triggers only for Enhanced DL / ID transactions. Update VoteWA separately.
- Email path: elections@kingcounty.gov (include name, date of birth, old + new residential and mailing addresses). Phone: (206) 296-VOTE / (206) 296-8683.
Pet license
Address update (if applicable)
- If you moved with a licensed pet, update your address on the pet licensing portal (linked from seattle.gov/animal-shelter/license) or call (206) 386-4262.
- The license itself doesn't expire on a move, but address-on-record should match for renewal mailings and lost-pet recovery.
SPS Change of Address
If children attend SPS
- File the Student Change of Address form at seattleschools.org/enroll/change-of-address/. Failure to update may result in the student being dropped at end of school year.
- Students may stay at the current school (through the highest grade offered there — no annual re-enrollment) or change to the new attendance area school. Specify the choice on the form.
- Detailed rules: Superintendent's Procedure 3130 SP Move Rules Chart (PDF, linked from the change-of-address page).
- If moving outside SPS district: may stay at current school via a Choice Transfer Request, before start of the following school year.
- Help available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Amharic, Oromo, Somali, and Vietnamese.
Honest take: Updating your driver license address does NOT update your vehicle registration OR your voter registration. Three separate transactions. Most people miss at least one. Worst case: a ticket or jury summons sent to your old address, then a failure-to-respond penalty when you never see it.
Settling in
Parking permit and the longer-tail updates
RPZ permit
If the new address is in a zone
- Restricted Parking Zone permits don't transfer between zones. If your new address is in an RPZ — and especially if it's a different zone from your previous one — you apply fresh at the new address.
- Apply at services.seattle.gov: look up the new address; submit the application with residency proof (dated within 30 days, showing your name and the new RPZ address) and vehicle registration at the new address.
- On submit: 28-day temporary permit emailed. After processing: 15-day temporary permit until the digital permit activates.
- SDOT does not refund the unused portion of your old permit's 2-year cycle.
- For the full RPZ picture (cost, documents, visitor permits): see /services/parking-permits-and-zones.
- Help: (206) 684-5086, rpzinfo@seattle.gov, M–F 8:30 AM–4:30 PM.
Longer tail
Other accounts to update
- Banks, credit cards, insurance (auto, renter's, home), employer / HR records, subscriptions, online stores, professional licenses.
- If you have a Good To Go! WSDOT toll pass: update at wsdot.wa.gov/goodtogo/ or call (866) 936-8246. Easy to miss; tolls bill to the wrong address otherwise.
Honest take: Moving from one Seattle parking zone to another? Your existing RPZ permit doesn't transfer — you apply fresh at the new address. SDOT doesn't refund the unused cycle time on your old permit. If you're moving partway through a 2-year cycle, plan for the loss; if it's a tight timing window, consider the $25 60-day short-term permit at the new address while waiting on the full one.
Direct lines
The numbers and portals you'll use most
| Purpose | Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| USPS Change of Address | usps.com/manage/forward.htm | Online or in person at a Post Office |
| WA DOL License Express | dol.wa.gov | Sign in or create account |
| WA DOL Change of Address mail | PO Box 9030, Olympia WA 98507 | Driver Vehicle Records |
| WSDOT Good To Go! | (866) 936-8246 | wsdot.wa.gov/goodtogo/ |
| City Light + SPU | (206) 684-3000 | M–F 7:30 AM–6 PM |
| Out-of-area utility line | (800) 862-1181 | Toll-free |
| 24-hour utility emergency | (206) 386-1800 | Water / sewer / drainage, 24/7 |
| Utility online portal | services.seattle.gov | Combined utility account |
| Walk-in utility service | Seattle Municipal Tower 4th-floor lobby | M–F 8:30 AM–4 PM |
| King County Elections | (206) 296-VOTE / (206) 296-8683 | Voter registration help |
| KC Elections email | elections@kingcounty.gov | Send name, DOB, old + new addresses |
| KC Elections office | 919 SW Grady Way, Suite 100, Renton WA 98057 | In-person updates through Election Day |
| VoteWA | VoteWA.gov | Online voter address update |
| SDOT RPZ help | (206) 684-5086 | rpzinfo@seattle.gov · M–F 8:30 AM–4:30 PM |
| Seattle Pet Licensing | (206) 386-4262 | petlicensing@seattle.gov |
| SPS enrollment | seattleschools.org/enroll/find-your-school/ | Attendance area lookup |