Building Connections Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections

Building Connections

Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections news and events

Reminder: Members Sought for Seattle’s Design Review Boards

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Passionate about design or architecture? Mayor Jenny Durkan is looking for qualified candidates to fill 6 upcoming openings on the City of Seattle’s Design Review Boards. Board members evaluate the design of new buildings based on citywide and neighborhood-specific design guidelines. The boards review large mixed-use developments, multifamily housing, and commercial projects. The volunteer positions will start on April 4, 2020, when retiring board members’ terms expire.

November Publication Updates

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We updated the General Standards for Plans and Drawings Tip. We updated a Director’s Rule with new Landslide maps, and posted a Draft Directors Rule with new SEPA thresholds for comment.

2019 Seattle Services Portal Monthly Training

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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. This is one more step in our efforts to further improve the experience of our Seattle Services Portal Users.

Know Your Rights and Be Counted

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The next United States Census will happen on April 1, 2020. There’s a lot at stake for Seattle in the 2020 U.S. Census. We’re combating a chaotic federal administration by working with community partners to ensure historically undercounted residents receive accurate Census information and know their rights.

Revised Policy on Covered Private Balconies

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Many new Seattle residential buildings include private balconies for each unit.  Although they may be outside of the building envelope, where these balconies are covered by a roof or by the floor of the balcony above, they are considered floor area, and must comply with fire-resistance and separation requirements in the Seattle Building Code. To help architects and others, SDCI has recently released two Code Interpretations on this topic.

Revised Rat Abatement Forms

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We revised the rat abatement forms required for getting demolition permits. Under the new process, applicants will file a declaration with their permit application affirming they understand the rat abatement requirement. There will be no hold on issuance of the demolition permit. At the first ground disturbance inspection, prior to the start of demolition, the applicant or contractor will provide a certification from a pest control company. The certification will confirm the date the rat abatement program started and confirm that the abatement program will continue until demolition actually starts.