The 98258 sales tax rate is 9.3%, covering Lake Stevens in Snohomish County, Washington. That total is Washington’s 6.5% state rate plus 2.8% in local taxes for transit, public safety, and other services. Because Washington sources sales to the delivery address, you pay 9.3% on anything shipped to a 98258 location, no matter where the seller sits. Rates can shift a few blocks away if your address crosses into a different city or an unincorporated pocket, so the specific address matters more than the ZIP.
How the 9.3% Breaks Down
Washington’s 6.5% state sales tax applies statewide on retail sales of tangible personal property, digital goods, and certain services.1Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.020 – Tax Imposed – Retail Sales – Retail Car Rental The remaining 2.8% in Lake Stevens is layered from several local pieces, each tied to a specific purpose:
- City and county shared tax: 1.0%, split between Lake Stevens (0.85%) and Snohomish County (0.15%)
- Transit: 1.2% for public transportation
- Transportation benefit district: 0.2% for local road projects
- County programs: 0.4% total, covering emergency communications, criminal justice, mental health, and housing (0.1% each)
The Lake Stevens location code is 3109 if you ever need to look up or verify the rate on the Department of Revenue’s site.2Lake Stevens, WA – Official Website. Tax Tables ZIP codes don’t always line up cleanly with tax jurisdiction boundaries, so if your property sits near the edge of the city, use the DOR’s address-level lookup rather than trusting the ZIP.3Washington Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax Rates
What You Pay 9.3% On
Physical Goods
Most tangible items carry the full 9.3% at the register. Electronics, clothing, furniture, appliances, and building materials are all taxable unless a specific exemption applies.1Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.020 – Tax Imposed – Retail Sales – Retail Car Rental
Services and Labor
Washington taxes more services than many states do. Repair work on personal property, like fixing a car, a laptop, or an appliance, is a taxable retail sale. So is installation labor, even when you supply the materials. Landscaping, cleaning, and custom fabrication all carry the 9.3% rate. The dividing line is between work on personal property, which is taxable to the customer, and construction permanently attached to real property. Construction contractors pay sales tax on their materials instead of charging customers directly.
Digital Products
E-books, music, movies, audiobooks, and streaming subscriptions are taxable at the same 9.3% rate as physical goods.4Washington State Legislature. WAC 458-20-15503 – Digital Products A permanent download and a monthly subscription are treated the same way.
What’s Exempt
Groceries
Food and food ingredients for home consumption are exempt.5Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.0293 – Exemptions – Sales of Food and Food Ingredients Produce, meat, dairy, bread, and canned staples go through tax-free. Prepared food, soft drinks, and dietary supplements do not, and get the full 9.3%.6Washington State Legislature. WAC 458-20-244 – Food and Food Ingredients A rotisserie chicken from the deli is prepared food and taxable; a raw chicken from the meat case is an ingredient and exempt. Watch your receipts, because that line catches people off guard.
Prescription Drugs and Medical Devices
Drugs dispensed under a prescription are exempt.7Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.08.0281 – Exemptions – Prescription Drugs Durable medical equipment and prosthetic devices prescribed by a medical provider also qualify. Over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements are taxable like any other retail purchase.
Trade-In Credit
When you trade in an item of the same general type toward a new purchase, you only pay tax on the difference. Trade in an $8,000 car toward a $30,000 vehicle, and tax is calculated on $22,000.8Washington Department of Revenue. Trade-ins The trade-in value is whatever the buyer and seller agree to, and there’s no requirement that you originally paid sales tax on the traded item, so gifts and out-of-state purchases still count.
Online Orders and Out-of-State Purchases
Washington uses destination-based sourcing: the rate is set by where you receive the goods, not where the seller is.9Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.32.730 – Sourcing of Retail Sales Order something online for delivery to a 98258 address and the seller charges 9.3%, even if their warehouse sits in a lower-rate county. Large platforms like Amazon and eBay handle collection automatically. Washington requires marketplace facilitators with more than $100,000 in gross Washington receipts to register, collect, and remit on behalf of their third-party sellers, so buyers on major platforms shouldn’t have to police whether individual sellers are charging correctly.10Washington Department of Revenue. Marketplace Facilitators
When a seller doesn’t collect Washington sales tax, which happens with a purchase on a trip to Oregon or from a small out-of-state vendor, you owe use tax instead. Use tax runs at the same combined rate that would have applied locally, so 9.3% for Lake Stevens.11Washington State Legislature. RCW 82.12.020 – Use Tax Imposed If you paid some sales tax to another state, you get credit against what you owe Washington. Individuals can report use tax through the Department of Revenue’s website.12Washington Department of Revenue. Use Tax
Vehicle Purchases
Cars are taxed higher than the general 9.3%. Washington adds a 0.5% motor vehicle sales tax on top of the standard rate, bringing the effective rate on vehicle purchases to 9.8% as of January 1, 2026.13Washington Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax Rates Q1 2026 On a $35,000 vehicle, the extra half point adds $175.
If your address sits within the Regional Transit Authority boundary that covers parts of Snohomish County, you’ll also owe a 1.1% RTA motor vehicle excise tax at registration and renewal.14Washington Department of Revenue. Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Tax That one is based on the vehicle’s depreciated value, not the purchase price, and is collected by the Department of Licensing rather than the dealer. The trade-in rule applies to vehicles too, so tax is figured on the net price after the trade-in.