Seattle's delivery app fee cap: 15% for every delivery inside city limits
Updated October 20, 2026
Last updated: 20 October 2026. Read from Seattle Municipal Code chapter 7.30 and the city's Consumer Protection Division guidance.
Seattle caps what a delivery app can charge a restaurant for delivery to any address inside city limits at 15% of the order's menu price, on every plan. A restaurant can pay more only for services beyond delivery, such as advertising, and the app must always offer a package with delivery at 15% or less. The cap took effect on 30 November 2022 and is permanent.
In short
- Delivery inside Seattle: never more than 15% of the purchase price (menu price, without tax and tips), whatever the plan or delivery radius.
- Extras: you may agree to pay more for services beyond delivery, but the app must offer a 15% delivery package and give it to you within 30 days of a written request, without penalty.
- Delivery outside the city (for example to Bellevue or Shoreline) may cost more.
- Leaving: the app must remove you within 72 hours of a written request to end the agreement.
- Penalty: a $250 civil infraction for each day of non-compliance, and restaurants can sue.
What does Seattle's law say?
| Rule | Seattle Municipal Code ch. 7.30 |
|---|---|
| Fee cap | No more than 15% of the purchase price of each order for delivery services to any location within Seattle city limits (SMC 7.30.032.A) |
| Delivery services | Listing the restaurant and making it discoverable, plus delivery inside the city. Not advertising, SEO, business consulting or card processing |
| Paying more | Allowed only for services in addition to delivery, and only if the app offers a 15% package and provides it within 30 days of your written request (7.30.032.B) |
| Agreement | Required before an app offers your food or charges you any fee (7.30.030) |
| Prices | The app may not restrict your menu prices, on the app or anywhere else |
| Ending the agreement | The app must take you off its list within 72 hours of your written request |
| Drivers | An app may not cut drivers' pay to comply |
| Records | The app keeps compliance records for 2 years |
| Penalty | Class 1 civil infraction: up to $250 plus statutory assessments, each day a separate violation; you can also sue for damages and attorney fees |
Can a bigger plan cost more in Seattle?
Not for delivery inside the city. Seattle's Consumer Protection Division told the apps in December 2022 that if a basic plan covers a delivery area of one square mile for 15%, the plus and premier levels covering two and five square miles cannot exceed 15%. A basic plan may charge 10% and the others 12% and 15%. The law doesn't require any minimum delivery radius; it only caps the fee for deliveries inside city limits.
What it means on a $30 order
| Delivery to | Most an app can charge for delivery services | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| An address in Seattle | $4.50 (15%) | $25.50 |
| An address outside Seattle, e.g. Bellevue | No city cap: the plan rate applies, e.g. $9.00 at 30% | $21.00 |
| Any address, from your own ordering page (Stripe 2.9% + 30¢) | $1.17 card fee, no commission | $28.83, before your plan fee and delivery costs |
Worked example: a Capitol Hill noodle bar on a 30% plan sends 300 orders a month, 240 of them to Seattle addresses and 60 to Bellevue. Inside the city the delivery part of the fee can't go above $4.50 an order ($1,080 a month); any charge above that must be for extra services you agreed to. The 60 Bellevue orders can be billed at the full 30% ($540).
How to report a problem
Seattle's Consumer Protection Division (Department of Finance and Administrative Services) enforces the law: consumerprotection@seattle.gov or 206-386-1267. Penalty money funds outreach to restaurants about the law.
Inside Seattle the apps cap at 15%; your own page takes 0%. See the.
Frequently asked questions
What is the delivery app fee cap in Seattle?
15% of the order's menu price for delivery to any address inside Seattle city limits. It applies to every plan, and the app must always offer a 15% delivery package.
Can DoorDash charge a Seattle restaurant 25% or 30%?
Only if the amount above 15% pays for services beyond delivery, such as advertising, that the restaurant agreed to. The delivery part stays capped at 15% inside the city.
Does Seattle's cap cover deliveries outside the city?
No. The city's guidance says apps may charge more for delivery to places outside Seattle city limits, such as Bellevue or Shoreline.
When did Seattle's permanent cap start?
The Delivery Commission Caps Ordinance, chapter 7.30 of the Seattle Municipal Code, took effect on 30 November 2022.
What is the penalty for breaking Seattle's cap?
A Class 1 civil infraction with a maximum penalty of $250 plus statutory assessments, with each day of non-compliance a separate violation. A restaurant can also sue.
Sources (3)
- Seattle Municipal Code chapter 7.30, Food Delivery Platforms (7.30.010–7.30.042; Ord. 126639, 2022; Ord. 126367, 2021): https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT7COPR_CH7.30FODEPL (read 20 Oct 2026).
- Seattle Consumer Protection Division, "Delivery Commission Caps and Expanded Delivery Radiuses" (December 2022): https://seattle.gov/documents/Departments/FAS/RegulatoryServices/food-delivery-platforms/fas-cpd-food-delivery-platforms-cap.pdf (read 20 Oct 2026): "took effect on Nov. 30, 2022"; "a food delivery platform cannot charge more than 15% for 'delivery services'"; higher fees "only to locations outside Seattle city limits, such as Bellevue or Shoreline"; the 1/2/5 square-mile example; consumerprotection@seattle.gov, 206-386-1267.
- Stripe US standard card rate 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe US pricing/support pages; see Wave 1 note on geo-redirect).