Building Connections Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections

Building Connections

Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections news and events

June Workshop for Landlords

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Renting in Seattle is providing a free workshop for landlords on Saturday, June 22 at the Georgetown Campus of South Seattle College from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Register on Eventbrite early to ensure your space. These workshops fill up quickly.

B4B-Build for Broadband Initiative for Multi-Dwelling-Unit Buildings

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If broadband planning isn’t already a key part of your multi-dwelling-unit (MDU) building design and investment planning, Seattle’s Office of Cable Communications says it’s a good time to make it a top priority. Your MDU broadband infrastructure decisions impact the fastest growing segment of residents. In Seattle, the number of residents living in MDUs now exceeds those living in single-family homes. And permitting records show nearly 81 percent of Seattle’s new housing builds are MDUs. MDU residents want access to abundant, high-speed internet and they rate it as the top amenity when considering a place to live – outranking an in-unit washer and dryer.

Updated Contractor Disclosure Form

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State law requires local building departments, such as SDCI, to verify contractor licenses on every construction permit. Every construction applicant must identify the project contractor license or indicate why the application is exempt from requiring a contractor. To make this easier, we have updated our Contractor Disclosure Form.

Increased Oversight of Vacant Buildings

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New processes for inspection of vacant buildings took effect on June 1, 2019. The changes add a wider range of properties to the City’s Vacant Building Monitoring program, including all properties with active development proposals containing a vacant building. The frequency of inspections increased from once a quarter to once a month. We estimate that this will add approximately 1,200 new properties to the program this year and can reduce the risk of vacant buildings becoming a blight on the community. In the past, SDCI monitored around 100 properties each year with consistent vacant building violations.

New Online Training Available – Enroll Now!

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Everyone deserves to live and work in safe buildings. SDCI staff have been involved in the creation of a first-in-the-nation program designed to provide in-depth training tailored to prepare individuals for jobs in Washington State building departments.  This three-year program awards a certificate upon satisfactory completion of each three quarters (one class per quarter) for a total of three certificates.