Building Connections Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections

Building Connections

Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections news and events

Save the Date: Join Us for Our Seattle Home Fairs

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Join the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) for our Seattle Home Fairs on Saturday, January 30, 2021 and Saturday, February 6, 2021. This year we’re going virtual! Our free home fairs will include helpful information about landslide preparation, earthquake retrofits, tree regulations, and rental housing rules. You’ll also have an opportunity to ask our experts about our permitting process, building and electrical inspections, soil erosion prevention, and code violations. This is your chance to get expert advice about your specific project, rental housing, or housing maintenance standards.

Final Public Review Period for Draft Stormwater Code/Manual Approaching

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Our proposed 2021 Stormwater Code and Manual update is scheduled to be effective in July 2021. Our new rules will replace the current Stormwater Code and Directors’ Rules, which are administered jointly by SDCI and the Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). We will post the most recent draft documents on our Updating Stormwater Regulations – Project Documents website during the upcoming public review period from January 11 through February 19. We will also host a public meeting about the draft documents on January 28.

2021 Fee Changes

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The Seattle City Council recently adopted the 2021 budget, including legislation that implements SDCI fee changes in 2021. This year, SDCI did not implement an across-the-board increase in fees but instead was able to make adjustments decreasing several fees. On January 1, 2021, changes to electrical, refrigeration, and furnace fees will go into effect.

Seattle Floodplain Development Regulations Extension

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The City of Seattle proposes to extend the interim Floodplain Development Regulations that took effect in August 2020 extended by Ordinance 126113. If the City Council does not adopt this legislation the interim regulations would expire on February 24, 2021. This legislation will extend the original interim regulations for 12 months so that the City’s floodplain mapping and development regulations will continue to be consistent with federal law. The City needs this additional time to prepare a proposal for permanent regulations that includes conducting necessary studies, consulting with federal and state agencies, and public outreach.

Join Us for Our Seattle Home Fairs

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Join the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections for our Seattle Home Fairs on Saturday, January 30, 2021 and Saturday, February 6, 2021. This year we’re going virtual! Our free home fairs will include helpful information about landslide preparation, earthquake retrofits, tree regulations, and rental housing rules. You’ll also have an opportunity to ask our experts about our permitting process, building and electrical inspections, soil erosion prevention, and code violations. This is your chance to get expert advice about your specific project, rental housing, or neighborhood standards. Don’t miss out!

2018 Seattle Construction Code Adoption Delayed to March 2021

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SDCI is in the process of updating Seattle’s construction codes to the 2018 versions of the building, residential, existing buildings, fire, electrical, mechanical, energy, fuel gas, elevator, boiler, and plumbing codes. SDCI was planning to adopt the 2018 edition of the codes effective July 1, 2020.  Due to several factors, including the impacts of Covid-19 and the Governor’s executive order, the effective date was delayed to Feb 1, 2021.   Adoption of Seattle’s 2018 suite of construction codes has been further delayed.  The revised effective date is March 15, 2021.   

Seattle City Light Temporarily Revises Timelines for New Service Connections

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Due to several factors creating significant resource challenges and a growing backlog for new service connections at this time, Seattle City Light is estimating timelines for service completion are weeks or even months longer than in the pre-COVID world. To be transparent and set realistic expectations for customers seeking new service connections, City Light has published a temporary update to the Connection Timeline (Table 1.3) in City Light’s “Requirements for Electric Service Connection” (RESC), the primary resource for customers initiating service requests. This document outlines the submittal requirements for each type of service, including estimated timelines for each process step along the way. For new requests, City Light modified Table 1.3 – “Estimated Turnaround Times Per Phase of Application Process, Looped Radial” to align with what customers are currently experiencing. Network connections are covered elsewhere and are not being modified at this time.

Save the Dates: Upcoming Seattle Home Fairs

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The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections will be hosting our popular Seattle Home Fairs online on Saturday, January 30, 2021 and Saturday, February 6, 2021. Both dates will have morning sessions (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) and afternoon sessions (1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Our virtual home fairs will be full of useful information about our permitting process, inspections, renting in Seattle, and much, much more.

Stormwater Code Update – Public Review Period Open / Upcoming Public Meetings

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-Public review periods and upcoming public meetings. Our proposed 2021 Stormwater Code and Manual update is scheduled to be effective in July 2021. Our new rules will replace the current Stormwater code and Directors’ Rules, which are administered jointly by SDCI and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). For more information, visit our Updating Stormwater Regulations – […]