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Seattle Floodplain Development Regulations

August 3, 2020

New interim Floodplain Development Regulations and floodplain maps will take effect on August 23, 2020.  The City of Seattle is required by FEMA to update our floodplain maps based on their new maps dated August 19, 2020. As part of this update, Seattle is also required to update SMC 25.06, which is Seattle’s Floodplain Development Regulations. These interim regulations will be effective for approximately six months while SDCI works on permanent regulations.

Filed Under: Building Connections, CodesTagged With:

SPU’s Development Services Office Walk-In Center is Permanently Closing

August 3, 2020

Beginning August 17, 2020, the Walk-In Center on the 27th floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower will be permanently closed to the public. After that date, the DSO will meet with customers by appointment only.

Filed Under: Building Connections

New Floating On-Water Residences Director’s Rule

August 3, 2020

SDCI published a new Director’s Rule (DR 9-2020) entitled Verification of floating on-water residences on July 30, 2020. The purpose of the Director’s Rule is to clarify the application material required for verification of floating on-water residences and to establish an end date of September 30, 2020 for verifying any new floating on-water residences.

Filed Under: Building Connections

July Publication Updates

August 3, 2020

We updated 8 Tips and published 3 draft Director’s Rules and 2 final Director’s Rules.

Filed Under: Building ConnectionsTagged With: ,

New Shaping Seattle Map for Finding Land Use and Construction Permits

July 27, 2020

SDCI is pleased to announce the release of its new Shaping Seattle: Property & Building Activity map. This new map allows users to find active construction and land use permits and proposals subject to Design Review in their neighborhood. The map will make it easier for the public to research active permits, find related documents and permit records, view upcoming Design Review meeting dates, and comment on land use permits under review. SDCI optimized the map to work best on mobile devices so you can quickly find permit information about projects you see when walking in your community.

Filed Under: Building Connections, Design ReviewTagged With:

Rolling Out Virtual Design Review Board Meetings

July 24, 2020

Under the Washington State Governor’s Proclamation No. 20-28.5, Design Review Board in-person meetings are currently prohibited while physical distancing measures remain in place. Therefore, SDCI will continue to restrict in-person meetings for the Design Review program until King County is approved to move to Phase 4 of the “Safe Start” reopening plan. Until then, we are pleased to announce that we will begin the gradual rollout of virtual Design Review Board meetings beginning in August. We are launching this effort for Early Design Guidance meetings only. After one month we will assess our ability to expand virtual meetings to accommodate projects in the Recommendation phase as well (ie. all projects).

Filed Under: Building ConnectionsTagged With:

2018 Seattle Construction Code Adoption Delayed Until 2021

July 15, 2020

SDCI is in the process of updating Seattle’s construction codes to the 2018 versions of the building, residential, existing buildings, fire, electrical, mechanical, energy, fuel gas, elevator, boiler, and plumbing codes. Due to many factors, including the impacts of the COVID-19, the 2018 Washington State Construction Codes effective date has been delayed. SDCI will be aligning the effective date of our 2018 code versions with the State’s current effective date of February 1, 2021. 

Filed Under: Building Connections, CodesTagged With:

Seattle Floodplain Development Regulations

June 30, 2020

In February 2020, FEMA published a Flood Hazard Determination adopting a new Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for all jurisdictions in King County, including Seattle. FEMA’s adoption of the new FIRM and FIS requires that each jurisdiction update their regulations with this new information in order to comply with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). 

Filed Under: Building Connections

Contractor Disclosure Changes

June 30, 2020

SDCI is making improvements to the Seattle Services Portal to ensure valid contractor information is provided for required projects. Once we have implemented these changes, we will no longer require a contractor disclosure form. Instead, there will be an option at multiple stages in a record to provide (or change) contractor information by proving an active contractor license number or to indicate that the project is exempt from needing a contractor. We require valid contractor information before we issue any building permit in accordance with state law. We will send applicants reminder notifications at multiple stages of the application to let project contacts know if this requirement has not yet been complete

Filed Under: Building Connections

Coming Soon: Apply for a Certificate of Approval Online

June 30, 2020

If your building is a designated City of Seattle landmark or located in a historic district, changes to the building or its use may require a Certificate of Approval before work can begin. Beginning in August, you will be able to use the Seattle Services Portal to submit your application for a Certificate.

Filed Under: Building Connections