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Posts tagged with customer service Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Building Connections

Make Sure Your Condominium Address is Valid

SDCI is the Addressing Authority for the City of Seattle. It is essential that assigned addresses are accurate so the property can reliably receive the following services: mail delivery, utilities, and emergency services. When King County records condominiums as part of the process to assign assessor parcel numbers, they sometimes assign addresses that do not match the addresses we have on record at SDCI. This is particularly prevalent in neighborhood residential (NR) zones with attached and detached accessory dwelling units.

Introducing Our New Residential Inspection Quick Sheets!

SDCI is committed to providing you with the best possible service and support throughout your residential building projects. We understand that the inspection process can sometimes feel overwhelming, and that’s why we are thrilled to introduce our new Residential Inspection Quick Sheets! Our Residential Inspection Quick Sheets are guides designed to help give transparency to the inspection process by understanding what our inspectors are looking for during inspections.

Change in SDOT Permitting Requirements for Projecting Signs

Effective October 13, 2023, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is no longer requiring long-term, renewing permits for signs that project from private property over public right-of-way.  This includes blade signs, wall signs, under-canopy signs, awning graphics, etc. Please see SDOT Director’s Rule 05-2023: Signs Projecting over Public Right-of-Way for details on this change in requirements. Review the SDOT Public Space Management webpage, Signs, Awnings, and Graphics over the Right-of-Way, to better understand which permits are no longer required.

Upgrade to Permit & Property Records Search

You may have noticed that the Permit & Property Records Search tool looks a bit different. That is because we upgraded the servers where SDCI’s documents are all stored. Part of that effort included rebuilding the Permit & Property Records Search page. We took this opportunity to modernize this site with features we hope you will find useful.

Grading Season Extension Reminder

The rainy season is rapidly approaching, which means it’s time to think about whether you will be doing any grading between November 1 and March 31. If your project includes Geotechnical Special Inspections AND if your project is in an environmentally critical area or involves a large quantity of earth-moving, check your special inspection permit record for an item called “Monitor Grading Season Restriction.”

SDOT Survey: Share Your Thoughts on Permitting Customer Support!

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) closed their permit counters to the public. Since then, we began providing online options for applicants to engage with our teams, but we know there are opportunities for improvement! With new public health guidance, we are making plans to offer in-person services again and we’d like to hear from you.

Virtual Applicant Services Center Available in Spanish and Chinese Languages

SDCI has added in-language assistance to our Virtual Applicant Services Center for customers who prefer to conduct business in Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese. Our live chat, support ticketing system, and coaching sessions are now available in these three languages. You can access these services by clicking the green chat icon on the bottom of our contact webpage and selecting your preferred language. If you know somebody who might be interested in using our in-language Virtual Applicant Services Center, please forward this information.

Announcing the Virtual Applicant Services Center (ASC)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SDCI closed the in-person Applicant Services Center (ASC).   SDCI has been working to offer new and better ways to connect customers with SDCI expert staff for conversations they’ve missed during the pandemic.  We are excited to announce that we have launched a Virtual Applicant Services Center (Virtual ASC).  You can now receive responses to your questions without coming to downtown Seattle. In the future, we will be offering targeted in-person service on the 4th floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower to serve customers who need assistance with accessing our online services or who need to pay fees in cash. 

Structural Anchorage for Mechanical Units

SDCI has changed the process for accepting structural anchorage for mechanical units. This process change can speed up our application review and reduce the number of correction cycles. We now accept deferred submittals for the structural anchorage of mechanical units when the mechanical review is included in construction (6xxxxxx-CN) or… [ Keep reading ]

SDCI Service Updates in Response to COVID-19

Updated July 2, 2021 In response to Governor Inslee lifting Phase 3 COVID restrictions, private construction COVID site protocols are now lifted.  The Applicant Service Center and Public Resource Center continues to be closed, but we are planning to reopen a reimagined Applicant Service Center later this year. Read our… [ Keep reading ]