Before you submit in Clyde Hill
How to get permit help from Clyde Hill before you apply
Clyde Hill's official pages encourage property owners to contact Building and Planning before construction. The city publishes direct staff contacts and recommends appointments, but it does not advertise a Bellevue- or Kirkland-style online appointment program or a formal predevelopment conference on its current permit pages.
The short answer
Call or email Building and Planning and make an appointment before visiting, especially if you need the Building and Permit Services Director. Do not assume a walk-in visit will put the right reviewer in front of you; City Hall explicitly recommends appointments.
On this page7 sections
Official starting point: Clyde Hill Building and Planning. Verify hours, fees, availability, staff, and forms before acting because city services can change.
Schedule first rather than relying on a walk-in
Clyde Hill lists City Hall hours but states that appointments are recommended. The Building and Planning department is small, so call or email to confirm who should answer the question and when that person is available.
- Julia Rosales, Building and Permit Services Director: 425-453-7800, jrosales@clydehill.org.
- Chris Dill, Permit Technician / Code Enforcement Officer: 425-453-7800, chris@clydehill.org.
- General City Hall: 425-453-7800, cityhall@clydehill.org.
Ask for the right kind of guidance
- Confirm whether the property is inside Clyde Hill and identify the applicable zoning rules.
- Ask which permits cover the building, mechanical work, grading, storm drainage, driveway, demolition, and public right of way.
- Ask which work is issued by another agency, including electrical, plumbing, or water and sewer connections.
- For a new house or large addition, ask whether the city wants an original-grade determination or other site information before the building application.
- Ask what the city can review informally before submission and whether any fee applies; the current public pages do not promise a formal pre-application review.
Bring a useful one-page project brief
- Property address and parcel number.
- One-paragraph scope and approximate square footage.
- A simple site sketch showing property lines, existing buildings, proposed footprint, driveway, slopes, and major trees.
- Known survey, original-grade, stormwater, easement, or right-of-way information.
- A numbered list of questions, with zoning questions separated from building-code and drainage questions.
Use the city's online resources before the appointment
Clyde Hill accepts most permit applications through its Citizen's Connect Permit Portal. Its permit page also links residential zoning guidance, permit types, FAQs, the no-permit guide, and the city's mapping. Reviewing those first lets the appointment focus on the site-specific uncertainties.
- Do not begin work based on an informal conversation.
- Ask staff which current application, checklist, and fee schedule apply.
- Save the staff name, date, links provided, and any follow-up requested.
Practical worksheet
Put this guide to work
Worksheet updated . This is a planning example. Regulatory sources and data have their own dates.
Ask a question the City can answer from your sketch
‘Can I build a house here?’ leaves almost every variable open. A stronger request is: ‘On this surveyed parcel, does the shown two-level concept use the correct height method, and which critical-area and tree studies must be accepted before building review?’
- Send a bounded package
- Include the address, parcel, site plan, known zoning, proposed scope and a short list of unresolved issues. Distinguish measured information from assumptions.
- Number the questions
- For each issue, describe your proposed interpretation, the affected drawing and the decision you need to make next. Ask for the relevant code section or checklist.
- Record the answer
- Write who answered, when, what assumptions the answer used and which department must confirm it. Send a short recap if the conversation was verbal.
- Act on the result
- Convert each unresolved issue into a study, drawing revision or follow-up question with an owner. Revisit the feedback if the design or applicable rules change.
Early feedback is a planning input, not a permit approval or a guarantee of vested rules. Confirm whether the service is informal help, a paid coordinated meeting or a formal interpretation before relying on its legal effect.
Action plan
How to get a useful answer
- 1
Read Clyde Hill's permit overview and residential zoning guidance.
- 2
Email the address, scope, sketch, and numbered questions to the appropriate staff contact.
- 3
Ask for an appointment and confirm whether it will be by phone, online, or at City Hall.
- 4
Confirm every required city and outside-agency permit before commissioning final drawings.
- 5
Submit through the official portal only after the application package matches the current checklist.
Official resources