Did you know that most landslides occur between the months of November and March? As snow melts and rainfall continues to increase throughout the winter, the threat of landslides will continue to rise.
Time to Apply for a Grading Season Extension
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.
City Launches Effort to Develop Pre-Approved Plans for Accessory Dwelling Units
The Seattle Department of Constructions and Inspections (SDCI) and Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) together are launching a survey to help guide our effort to select designs for pre-approved plans for accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
Small, secondary homes located on the same lot as an existing residence, ADUs create more places to rent in neighborhoods where housing is often unaffordable and give homeowners flexibility to generate income, build wealth, and meet their changing household needs.
New Requirements for King County Sewer Capacity Forms
SDCI now requires you to include a completed King County Sewer Use Capacity Form when you submit your construction permit application. We require this form for all new construction projects, including Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs). You must complete, sign, and submit the correct form based on your project’s type of construction.
Monthly Seattle Services Portal Training 2019
We are pleased to announce our new Monthly Training Sessions for the Seattle Services Portal. Our goal is to help Portal users understand more about the permits process via our online portal. We will meet the third Tuesday of each month from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Please join us in person or via Skype to have all your questions answered live.
New Appointment Times Report
We have a new report, SDCI Next Available Appointment Times, to help customers more easily find available application appointments by permit type. The report gets updated every evening with the most recent availability. The report includes the next five available appointment slots for intake, coaching, and pre-submittal appointments.
Multiple Meter Flow Test Improvement
Beginning Oct. 1, 2019, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) will be making changes to the multiple meter flow test process to ensure that meters are connected to the correct private water lines in order to improve billing accuracy.
Streamlined Water Service Application
The Street Use division of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has been working with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) to make the water service application process easier! Beginning December 2, 2019, SDOT is eliminating the requirement to get a street restoration (51M) permit before submitting the water service application to SPU. Instead, SPU will apply for the restoration permit and name the property owners as the Financially Responsible Party as agreed upon in the Water Service Application and Agreement.
September Publication Updates
We updated three tips, removed a Tip from circulation, and published a draft Director’s Rule.
Demolition Permit Processing Now Streamlined
Have you been frustrated because your demolition application was tied to your construction application and you had to wait for the construction permit before the demolition permit? Maybe you thought you needed to postpone your demolition project because you couldn’t get the permit, possibly incurring additional costs related to Vacant Building Monitoring.
We’ve got good news for you! We now have a standalone demolition permit, a streamlined path to a much simpler start to your demolition project! Applying for a standalone demolition permit is now required. As of 8/8/2019, SDCI will no longer accept combined construction/demo applications.
