The different types of permits in Bellevue

Start with the biggest distinction: plan review or no plan review

Bellevue divides permits into two broad paths. A plan-review permit requires drawings or other documents that city staff must approve before issuance. A no-plan-review permit may be issued the same day after the application and fees are complete, although inspections can still be required.

Bellevue explains both paths in its official permit and plan review guide.

Building permits

Building permits cover construction or alteration of buildings and structures. Common residential examples include a new house, addition, structural remodel, deck, garage conversion, reroof, and demolition. The exact permit type changes with the scope.

A complex new-house permit can include building, land use, clearing and grading, utilities, fire, transportation, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical review. A simpler building permit may need only one reviewer or no plan review.

Use Bellevue's residential building permit list to match the work to the official application type.

Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits

These are often called trade permits. Electrical covers items such as circuits, service panels, EV chargers, and temporary power. Mechanical covers HVAC equipment, ductwork, gas piping, fireplaces, and similar systems. Plumbing covers water, waste, vent piping, and many fixture changes.

One project can require more than one trade permit. For example, an air conditioner may need both electrical and mechanical permits. Some straightforward trade permits are issued without plan review, while larger or specialized systems require plans.

See Bellevue's official electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permit guide for the current rules and contacts.

Fire permits

Fire permits cover fire-alarm, sprinkler, suppression, smoke-control, emergency-radio, and related life-safety systems. Bellevue also uses miscellaneous fire permits for work involving hazardous materials, gates, tents, and storage-tank decommissioning.

Some fire work is reviewed within a larger construction project, while the actual fire system can require its own permit and inspection.

Bellevue lists the systems and permit codes on its fire permits page.

Clearing, grading, and tree permits

These permits address land disturbance, excavation, fill, erosion control, retaining walls, drainage, and certain tree removal. A separate permit may be needed when site work is not already included in a building permit.

For a single-family property, clearing more than 1,000 square feet, grading more than 50 cubic yards, working in a critical area, or removing protected trees can change the permit path. Do not assume landscaping is exempt simply because no building is involved.

Start with Bellevue's minor clearing and grading permit guidance, then confirm whether a tree-only or more complex permit applies.

Right-of-way permits

The public right-of-way includes streets, sidewalks, and other public areas, and it can extend beyond the visible pavement. Driveway changes, utility trenches, frontage improvements, landscaping, walls, and other work near the street may require right-of-way approval.

A building or clearing-and-grading review does not always replace the permit needed to perform construction in the right-of-way.

Review Bellevue's residential right-of-way permit requirements before scheduling work near the street.

Utility permits

Utility permits cover work such as side sewers, storm connections, and extensions of public water, sewer, or storm systems. They can be separate permits even when the utility work supports a larger house or development project.

A side-sewer repair can have a very different review path from a developer-extension agreement, which may involve Utility and Fire review.

Bellevue's utility permit fee and type table identifies common utility permit categories and review contacts.

Land-use permits and approvals

Land-use review answers whether a proposed use or site design complies with zoning and development rules. Examples can include subdivisions, conditional uses, variances, shoreline work, critical-area review, and other approvals that are different from the construction permit itself.

A project may need a land-use decision before, or alongside, its building and site-development permits. This is one reason two projects that look similar can follow very different timelines.

Use Bellevue's main permit directory to search the current land-use and construction permit options.

How to choose the right combination

1. Write the complete scope, including structural work, plumbing, electrical, mechanical equipment, excavation, trees, utilities, driveway, and work near the street.
2. Search Bellevue's permit directory for each part of the scope instead of looking only for one general building permit.
3. Check whether the primary building permit already includes a discipline or whether a separate permit is required.
4. Confirm the proposed path with the architect, contractor, or Bellevue Permit Center before submitting.
5. After submission, track every related permit number together so a smaller permit does not hold up the overall project.

Permit-number suffixes are helpful, but not the whole answer

The letters at the end of a Bellevue permit number identify a permit type. For example, BS is commonly used for a new one- or two-family building, while other suffixes identify fire, utility, trade, grading, or right-of-way work. Use the suffix to recognize the record, but rely on the official scope and requirements rather than guessing from the code alone.

Build Eastside can monitor Bellevue permits with no departmental review, one reviewer, or many departments. The first review round establishes which departments are required for that specific permit.

Once a permit has been submitted, use the Bellevue permit status guide to read its reviews and activity.