This closure affects the Applicant Services Center, the Public Resource Center, and the 19th floor reception area.
SDCI would like to thank our customers for their continued flexibility and patience as we find new ways of providing service while reducing the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus.
On April 6, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan issued an Executive Order to align the City of Seattle’s policies on facility closures and permit suspensions with Governor Inslee’s statewide ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order, which is now extended until at least May 4, 2020. The Governor’s order was first announced on March 23 and bans all gatherings, closes all non-essential businesses unless employees can work from home, and requires all Washingtonians to stay home unless they are engaging in an essential activity.
“Limiting person-to-person contact is saving lives, and extending the ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ order is critical to continuing to flatten the curve. The City, County, and State took early action to encourage social distancing in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities and the preliminary data shows that our efforts are working,” said Mayor Durkan. “While many city services have moved online, we know that our City facilities serve as important neighborhood hubs and provide essential services to our residents. We need individuals to stay home unless traveling to an essential job or essential business like a grocery stores. Far too many individuals continue gathering in our parks and are not maintaining physical distancing. For the health our community, we all must do our part. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and we will get through this if we continue to look out for one another’s health and wellbeing.”
Per the Mayor’s order, the following SDCI services are no longer available on an in-person basis:
- Assistance with landlord or tenant issues, including RRIO registration
- Permitting services, including side sewer, subject-to-field-inspection, and trade permits
- Coaching for geotechnical, drainage, land use, zoning, tree removal/preservation/protection, permits, or project planning
- Address changes or verification
- Pre-submittal conferences
- Zoning paid coaching appointments
- Pay fees by cash or check
- Determine your project development site
- Research permit history
- Submittal of final plats for recording
Please use these alternate options to conduct your business with SDCI:
- Seattle Services Portal– most permits, including subject-to-field-inspection permits, can be submitted through our online permitting portal. Please refer to this article How to Apply for STFI Construction Permit for assistance.
- Use our online Q&A/Coaching services:
- Building Permit Question (including Geotechnical coaching)
- Land Use Question
- Rental Registration & Inspection Question
- Conduct pre-submittal conferences and paid zoning coaching online.
- File questions or complaints on landlord and tenant assistance or other complaints online (seattle.gov/sdci) or call (206) 615-0808.
- Visit our Side Sewer Permit webpage or email sidesewerinfo@seattle.gov for side sewer and drainage information.
- Mail us payment by check. See How Do I Pay by Check for instructions and our mailing address.
- Send a building plans request (including the permit number and address for the project of interest) to SCI_Microfilm@seattle.gov to request a copy of approved building plans associated with an issued permit. (For safety reasons, Homeland Security prohibits us from providing access to approved plans online without an individual request.)
- Send signed plats to the address below. Signed plats must be rolled. King County will not accept plats for recording if they are folded.
Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections
Public Resource Center
P.O. Box 34019
Seattle, WA 98124-4019
In addition to these closures, we are making additional service changes as needed. Please read our SDCI Service Updates in Response to COVID-19 blog article for the most current information. We will keep updating that article with new changes.
We understand these service changes may be inconvenient and frustrating to our customers. We hope by taking these steps we can help slow the spread of the virus in our community.