Building Connections Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections

Building Connections

Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections news and events

New Policy Regarding Grade Planes for Townhouses

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SDCI has a new policy calculating the number of stories for townhouses. A building’s “story count” is based on the calculated Grade Plane. Since adopting the first Seattle Residential Code (SRC) in 2004, SDCI’s policy has been that a series of attached townhouses can have only one grade plane. This has meant that when a series of townhouses steps up a hill it can become a four-story structure (in code terms), even though each individual unit only has three stories. 

Can You Cut That Tree?

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SDCI Code Compliance enforces violations of the Tree Protection Code and the Regulations for Environmentally Critical Areas related to tree-cutting. Trees serve an important environmental function as well as adding beauty to our city. Our trees may be unnecessarily and unlawfully cut, sometimes at the instruction of a real estate agent or a tree company, because people are unaware of the rules about tree-cutting. There are several factors you should consider before deciding to remove a tree.

Thanks for Attending the SDCI Home Fairs

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A huge thank you to everyone who attended SDCI’s North and South Seattle Home Fairs! We were able to answer questions for over 300 people. Whether you’re a homeowner, landlord, renter, or potential homeowner, we hope that you learned something new and connected with our department and community. We’re grateful to have been joined by a variety of organizations, including Seattle Public Utilities, RainWise, Rebuilding Together Seattle, Habitat for Humanity, City Light, and Department of Neighborhoods to help us answer all your questions.

Public Hearing for Proposed Electric Vehicle Readiness Rules

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On April 16, the City Council’s Sustainability & Transportation Committee will hold a public hearing to take comments on proposed legislation to add new requirements for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in new off-street parking spaces. The hearing will be held at 2:00 p.m. in the Seattle City Council Chambers at City Hall, on the 2nd floor at 600 4th Avenue. 

Seeking Volunteers for Construction Codes Advisory Board

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As Seattle evolves, its building codes require constant review for effectiveness. The City of Seattle’s Construction Codes Advisory Board reviews new editions of construction codes, code changes, and Director’s Rules and provides advisory recommendations to our building official and Seattle City Council about whether to adopt them. Board members also review building official decisions and provide advisory opinions as requested. 

Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) is seeking volunteers to fill board openings for an electrical contractor, general contractor, commercial building owner or operator, and a developer and/or contractor on residential projects.

Don’t Miss SDCI’s South Seattle Home Fair

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Start 2019 off right by getting a jump-start on your home improvement project! Whether you’re a homeowner, landlord, renter or potential homeowner, our Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections Home Fair will have something for you! Ask us about our permitting process, inspections, and codes requirements. Do you rent, or are you a landlord? Come learn about rental housing rules. We’ll also have information tables about affordable housing, landslide awareness, emergency preparedness, energy rebates, home ownership assistance, weatherization of homes, and so much more!

Green Building Incentives

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We are seeing drastic signs of climate change in Seattle and throughout Washington State. Smokey summers and droughts are becoming more common, snowpack and stream flows have been altered and are decreasing future water supply and hydropower production, all while energy and water demands are increasing with population growth. We must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to tackle climate change and to achieve the City’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Our buildings make up about one-third of Seattle’s emissions.

New Land Use Division Director

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Darlene Edwards has been selected as the new Land Use Division Director at SDCI and will lead this group of 92 employees. She replaces Roberta Baker, who retired in August 2018.  Darlene has been with SDCI for more than 28 years and has over 11 years of leadership roles in Land Use.  She brings a wealth of historical knowledge in zoning and the land use discretionary review process and has a strong customer service ethic.