The effective date for the 2018 Seattle construction codes is March 15, 2021. This effective date applies to the 2018 Seattle editions of the building, residential, existing building, mechanical, fuel gas, and plumbing codes. This code cycle also includes the 2020 Seattle Boiler Code, and the 2020 Seattle Electrical Code. Applicants can submit complete permit applications using either the 2015 or the 2018 versions of the Seattle construction codes between the state’s implementation date of February 1, 2021 and Seattle’s implementation date of March 15, 2021. As of March 15, 2021, SDCI will only accept permit applications that use the 2018 codes.
Once the City Council approves the code update ordinances and they are signed by the Mayor, we will posted the finalized code on the our 2018 Seattle Code Adoption webpage under the Project Documents tab.
The final published codes will available on SDCI’s website for free, but limited, public use. Electronic copies of the Seattle codes will be available for purchase through the International Code Council.
We will print a limited number of codes available for purchase. However, our Applicant Services Center is not open to the public for code pick up because of COVID restrictions. We will have details on our website on how to order printed copies once we have determined the process.