Our taxing district

The Sound Transit district boundary

The agency's district map includes the most populated urban areas of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. The district boundary generally follows the urban growth boundaries created by each county in accordance with the state Growth Management Act.

Sound Transit district boundary map (pdf)

Paying for regional transit

The law that created Sound Transit also authorized the agency to levy and collect voter-approved local option taxes to pay for building and operating a regional mass transit system. These taxes could include an employer tax, a special motor vehicle excise tax (the tax on license plate tabs) and a sales and use tax. Taxes are only levied within the Sound Transit district.

RTA tax

The RTA tax is a 0.3 percent motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) and a 0.9 percent sales tax approved by voters of central Puget Sound. Taxpayers who live within the RTA district boundaries pay the RTA tax.

Find out if your residence is within the taxing district

To find out if your residence is within the boundary you may contact us by calling (877) 755-4550 or use the online address locater tool.

More about the car tab tax

Sound Transit's motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) is collected by the Washington State Department of Licensing as part of vehicle license renewals.

For Sound Transit tax purposes, the Department of Licensing uses the first published base Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of a vehicle, except for commercial trucks and trailers. The tax on these types of vehicles is calculated based on the latest purchase price and year. It is also determined by applying a depreciation formula for the vehicle's current age.

You can learn more about the MVET tax by visiting the Department of Licensing website.