SDCI is excited to announce the upcoming release of the new Smoke Control Acceptance test form. This form will be a required item for final on all projects with Smoke Control systems that don’t have a requirement for a Special Inspector for Smoke Control assigned to them.
Thank you to everybody who attended our Seattle Home Fair sessions in January and February. We were happy that so many of you were able to join us. If you missed the Seattle Home Fairs, or want to watch a different session, the recordings, presentations, and resources are now available on our Seattle Home Fairs webpage.
SDCI is excited to announce the upcoming release of the new Smoke Control Acceptance test form. This form will be a required item for final on all projects with Smoke Control systems that don’t have a requirement for a Special Inspector for Smoke Control assigned to them. The new form will replace all existing “white papers” and will provide consistency and reliability to our customers. The form will be available on the SDCI Forms page on March 15. This form will be required for all systems tested on or after April 1, 2023.
SDCI standard process is to cancel permit applications that are more than 24 months old to ensure projects are meeting current standards. When an applicant submits an application, they are locked into (“vested to”) the codes current at that time. If an application is not issued within 24 months, it has the potential of becoming out of date with updated life safety codes, energy requirements, land use regulations, etc. It is important that applications are issued in a timely manner so that the projects are built to modern codes. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mayor issued an emergency order that resulted in SDCI suspending its process of cancelling applications older than 24 months. That emergency order ended in October 2022. SDCI will now resume cancelling old applications. SDCI will send notifications to affected applicants in the coming months outlining the timeframe in which permits must be obtained or be subject to application cancellation.
In February, SDCI updated three Tips on Mandatory Housing Affordability, factory-assembled structures, and build-over approval process.
The Washington State Department of Health is developing rules that will govern the installation, maintenance, testing, and reporting requirements for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems within Washington. These rules will apply retroactively to existing installations. The proposed final rule (WAC 246-275) is now available for public comment through March 8 at the ONWS rulemaking website.
Once again, SDCI is hosting our popular Seattle Home Fair. Four virtual lectures will be held in February leading up to an in-person event at the Filipino Community Center on February 25, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition to SDCI staff, representatives from several other City departments and Puget Sound Energy will be participating. These free events will be jam-packed with useful information about rental housing rules, our permitting and inspection process, emergency preparedness, and much more. With something for everyone, you won’t want to miss these events!
The City of Seattle is moving forward with the process to require the earthquake retrofit of its 1100 unreinforced masonry buildings (URMs) which are prone to collapse in an earthquake. In 2021, City Council passed Resolution 32033 declaring the intent to develop a mandatory earthquake retrofit ordinance with a resource program to support URM building owners and tenants. On January 12, the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) and the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), in partnership with the Alliance for Safety, Affordability, and Preservation (ASAP!), hosted a meeting to discuss the timeline and next steps needed to be successful in ordinance adoption.
SDCI standard process is to cancel permit applications that are more than 24 months old to ensure projects are meeting current standards. When an applicant submits an application, they are locked into (“vested to”) the codes current at that time. If an application is not issued within 24 months, it has the potential of becoming out of date with updated life safety codes, energy requirements, land use regulations, etc. It is important that applications are issued in a timely manner so that the projects are built to modern codes. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mayor issued an emergency order that resulted in SDCI suspending its process of cancelling applications older than 24 months. That emergency order ended in October 2022. SDCI will now resume cancelling old applications. SDCI will send notifications to affected applicants in the coming months outlining the timeframe in which permits must be obtained or be subject to application cancellation.
