How Do I Apply for a Commercial E-Cargo Bike Permit?

Instructions for Applying for Commercial E-Cargo Bike Permits

If you want to use e-cargo bikes for commercial deliveries in Seattle, here's how to apply for a permit. Our program is designed to help qualified businesses get permits to operate approved e-cargo bikes for delivering goods and services.

What You Need to Know About Commercial E-Cargo Bike Permits

General Information:

As the permit holder, you:

• Must have a valid Seattle business license.
• Must use bikes for delivering goods or services, and include your use case in the application.
• Must submit data twice yearly to help us improve our program and track emission reduction goals.
• Will not pay permit fees until 2027; starting January 2027, fees will be $100 per bike.

What Are the Standards for Commercial E-Cargo Bikes in Seattle?

E-cargo bikes must:

• Have 2, 3, or 4 wheels.
• Be 48” wide or smaller.
• Have working pedals and a motor that doesn't exceed 750 watts of power.

Where Can Commercial E-Cargo Bikes Travel and Park?

E-cargo bikes can:

• Travel in our protected bike lane network or street at a maximum speed of 15 MPH.
• Park in:
  • Load/unload zones
  • Paid parking areas
  • Restricted parking zones
  • Time limited parking areas
  • Any unrestricted parking area
  • On-street bike corrals
  • Spaces signed to allow e-cargo bike parking

What Documents Do I Need to Apply?

• Seattle Business License: You’ll need to upload a photo of your current City of Seattle business license.
• Bicycle Specification Sheets: To make sure your e-cargo bike meets our rules, please share the specification sheets for each model in your fleet. You can find these from your manufacturer.

Step-by-Step Application Guide

Step 1: Login or Register

1. Go to the Seattle Services Portal.
2. Log in:
   • If you already have an account, log in with your credentials.
   • If you don’t have an account, register for a new account before proceeding.

Step 2: Start Your Application

1. Click on the Home tab in the portal.
2. Under Create New, click Permits - Parking & Truck.
3. Expand the Commercial E-Cargo Bicycles section by clicking on it.
4. Click Commercial E-Cargo Bicycle Permit - Application.

Step 3: Provide Your Contact Information

On the Contacts page, provide contact details for:

• Applicant: You, the person filling out this application.
• Owner: The person or organization who owns or manages the bike fleet.
• Financially Responsible Party: The person or organization in charge of paying any permit fees.

These can all be the same contact if applicable.

1. To add a contact:
   • Click Myself to auto-populate the contact information from your Seattle Services Portal user account. 
   • Click Someone Else to find an existing contact. If the person or organization isn’t found, click the “Person or organization not listed? Add them here." link.
2. Click Continue to proceed.

Step 4: Provide Your Business Information Details

1. On the Business Information page in the Business License Information section:

   • Enter your Seattle Business License number (required).
   • Optionally, enter your Business Name. 

   The system will automatically verify your number if you have a valid license. If the system cannot verify your Business License number, you can proceed and provide a picture later on the Supporting Documents page.

2. In the Primary Use of Commercial E-Cargo Bikes section, explain how you plan to use your e-cargo bikes (required). Select the most relevant option. You can select multiple options. Options include:
   • Parcel Delivery
   • Food Delivery
   • Services
   • Other: If you select Other, please fill in the text box with how you plan to use your e-cargo bikes.
3. Click Continue to proceed.

Step 5: Provide Information on Your E-Cargo Bike Fleet

On the Permit Information page, we need some basic information about your fleet to make sure it fits our rules for e-cargo bike operations.

1. In the Bicycle Specifications section, click Add a Row. 
2.  A pop-up window prompts you to provide your bicycle specifications. Fill in the fields. All fields are required. Click on a blue circle with a question mark for help. 
   • Number of Bicycles: Enter the number of bicycles in your fleet.
   • Number of Wheels on the Bike: Select the number of wheels on the bikes.
   • With or with a separate trailer: Select if you plan to attach a trailer.
   • Total Bicycle Width in Inches: Enter how wide your bikes are in inches.
3. Click Submit.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 in this section for each unique bike type noted in Step 4 above.
5. Once you have entered all bike types you are requesting permits for, click Continue to proceed.

Step 6: Attach Required Documents

On the Supporting Documents page, a list of required documents displays. 

• You will need one Bicycle Specification Sheet per bike or bike-trailer setup listed in your fleet. 
• If your business license was not verified in Step 4 above, you will need a copy of your Seattle Business License.

1. To upload a document, click Select under the Attachments section.
2. Click Select in the File Upload popup.
3. Select your document and click Open.
4. Click Done in the File Upload popup.
5. Select a document type in the Document Type dropdown that matches the required document you uploaded, otherwise the system does not know you have provided the requested document. For example, select "Bicycle Specification Sheet" as your Document Type when uploading the matching document.
6. Enter the Description of the document.
7. Click Save and wait for the upload to complete. Note: It may take a few minutes for your document to fully upload.
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 for each additional document required. When prompted, select the document type that matches the document you are uploading.
9. Click Continue to proceed.
   1. If you see a red Attention message, that means you either have not selected the correct Document Type and/or have missed a required document.
      • If a document is missing, go back to step 1 in this section and upload the missing document.
      • If you selected the wrong Document Type on a document that you have already saved, upload the document again and pick the Document Type that matches the Condition in the Attention message. You may also add a description explaining that you are uploading the document a second time with the correct Document Type.
   2. When you see a message with a green checkmark, click Continue again to proceed.

Step 7: Review and Submit

1. On the Review page:
   • Verify that all information is correct.
   • Make edits as needed by clicking Edit in the relevant sections.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Agree to the certification statement by checking the box.
3. Click Continue to submit.

Step 8: Confirmation Displays

A Thank You page displays along with your application’s Record Number.

• Your record number format is SDOT-ECB-APP-00-00000.
• Keep this number for future reference.

An email is sent to the contacts on the application notifying them of the application submission.

Congratulations! Your application has been submitted for review. The SDOT Traffic Team will contact you if additional information is required. For questions or updates, email [e-mail] and include your Record Number in the subject line.

You can log into the Seattle Services Portal at any time to track the status of your application.

Need Help?

Visit the Seattle Services Portal help center, email [e-mail], or call [phone].

For general program questions on the Commercial E-Cargo Bike Program, visit our website at Commercial E-Cargo Bike Permits.