Building Connections Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections

Building Connections

Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections news and events

Seattle Tree Service Providers Must Register and Provide Public Notice Prior to Tree Work

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The City Council passed Council Bill 120207 requiring 1) tree service providers to register with the City of Seattle before conducting commercial tree work and consultations on private property and 2) property owners to post a public notice on-site before any tree work beyond routine maintenance. The tree service provider registry will be accessible to the public so that owners, residents, and neighbors can be assured a registered company knowledgeable with tree regulations and best practices is completing work in their neighborhood. 

Grading Season Extension Reminder

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The rainy season is rapidly approaching, which means it’s time to think about whether you will be doing any grading between November 1 and March 31. If your project includes Geotechnical Special Inspections AND if your project is in an environmentally critical area or involves a large quantity of earth-moving, check your special inspection permit record for an item called “Monitor Grading Season Restriction.”

If you see “Monitor Grading Season Restriction” on your record, this means that grading between November 1 and March 31 is prohibited unless you apply for and receive a Grading Season Extension. 

New Rules Require Seattle Tree Service Providers to Register With the City

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The City Council recently passed Council Bill 120207 requiring 1) tree service providers to register with the City of Seattle before conducting commercial tree work and consultations on private property and 2) property owners to post a public notice on-site before any tree work beyond routine maintenance. The tree service provider registry will be accessible to the public so that owners, residents, and neighbors can be assured a registered company knowledgeable with tree regulations and best practices is completing work in their neighborhood. 

Plan Review Process Reminder

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On January 10, 2022, SDCI transitioned to providing plan reviews via plan mark-up instead of traditional letters. The primary change for this plan review process is that applicants document responses to comments directly in the plan set provided to them by SDCI at the end of each review cycle instead of sending response letters corresponding to each correction letter.

Announcing the Virtual Applicant Services Center (ASC)

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SDCI closed the in-person Applicant Services Center (ASC).   SDCI has been working to offer new and better ways to connect customers with SDCI expert staff for conversations they’ve missed during the pandemic.  We are excited to announce that we have launched a Virtual Applicant Services Center (Virtual ASC).  You can now receive responses to your questions without coming to downtown Seattle. In the future, we will be offering targeted in-person service on the 4th floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower to serve customers who need assistance with accessing our online services or who need to pay fees in cash. 

New Zoning Name – Neighborhood Residential Zones

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On December 15, 2021, Mayor Durkan signed Ordinance 126509, which changes the name of “Single Family” zones to “Neighborhood Residential” zones.

Seattle’s Land Use Code and the official zoning maps divide the city geographically into zoning districts (e.g., single-family residential, multifamily residential, commercial, industrial, etc.). Ordinance 126509 applies the new zone name by dividing the neighborhood residential areas into four zones, based on pre-existing minimum required lot sizes: Single-family 9600 (SF 9600), Single-family 7200 (SF 7200), Single-family 5000 (SF 5000), and Residential Small Lot (RSL).

New Renewal Process for Boiler, Conveyance, and Refrigeration Permits

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On May 12, SDCI launched a new feature in the Seattle Services Portal that allows applicants to renew their boiler, conveyance, and refrigeration permits 30 days before their 18-month issuance period expires. Prior to this new feature, our customers had to call or email SDCI staff to initiate a manual renewal process that could take multiple phone calls or emails to complete. Now, applicants can simply sign in to their portal account and renew their permit in a few clicks.

Priority Green Expedited Saved Applicants Time During the Pandemic

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Priority Green Expedited offers faster building permit review and processing for new construction projects. We do this by prioritizing your application for initial and corrected plan review. Additionally, we give you a contact person to help you solve problems during the review process, provide permit status updates, and answer questions. We recently evaluated data for the last two years to find out if Priority Green Expedited met the program goals during these unprecedented and difficult times. Our evaluation found that we issued Priority Green projects over 4 months faster than non-Priority Green projects.