Bellevue new single-family permit median. Public data does not promise the same result for a future project.
Bellevue vs. Kirkland permit data
How long does a custom-home permit take?
There is no dependable one-number answer. This comparison uses recent public permit records to show the observed application-to-issuance range, first-review timing, and revision history in Bellevue and Kirkland.
1,046 recent residential permitsApplications from Oct 2024 through Oct 2026Updated Oct 7, 2026
Kirkland new single-family permit median. Scope, site conditions, and correction cycles still matter.
new-house permits identified in the current project-type screen.
Successful project discovery and refresh batches recalculate the public analysis. Existing project details follow a rolling monthly refresh.
Closest project-type comparison
New-house permits by city
A public permit does not reliably say whether a house is a one-off custom design. New single-family houses and new houses with an ADU are the closest consistent project-type screen.
| City | Project type | Permits | Issued sample | Median to issue | Average first review | Average revision rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellevue | New single-family house | 363 | 272 | 164 days | 35.1 days | 2.9 |
| Bellevue | New house with ADU | 63 | 28 | 139 days | 25.8 days | 2.6 |
| Kirkland | New single-family house | 208 | 127 | 210 days | 54.8 days | 1.7 |
| Kirkland | New house with ADU | 107 | 59 | 212 days | 53.4 days | 1.9 |
What the comparison means
Use a range, not a promised date.
Application is not design start. Surveying, feasibility, architecture, engineering, and pre-application work happen before the city receives a complete building-permit application.
City time is only part of the schedule. When reviewers request corrections, the next action moves to the architect and consultant team until revised documents are resubmitted.
Site complexity changes the path. Trees, steep slopes, drainage, utilities, critical areas, demolition, and companion permits can add reviews that a straightforward lot does not need.
Issuance is a handoff. Final fees, contractor information, documents, and conditions may remain after the technical reviews are substantially complete.
Second screen
Permits with a builder classified as custom
This is a narrower, manually reviewed builder classification. Missing builder names and small samples can materially change the result, so it is context, not a builder ranking.
| City | Permits | Issued sample | Median to issue | Average first review | Average revision rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellevue | 49 | 28 | 164 days | 34.5 days | 2.8 |
| Kirkland | 88 | 49 | 152 days | 50.9 days | 1.2 |
Read the city detail
See the full sample and methodology.
Bellevue permit benchmarks show the full project-type, review, revision, builder, and data-quality context.
Kirkland permit benchmarks provide the same city-specific detail without forcing unlike records into one average.
Both datasets come from public MyBuildingPermit records. Missing dates are excluded from timing calculations. Associations in the data do not prove that one characteristic caused a delay.
For the step-by-step process, read the Bellevue new-house guide or Kirkland new-house guide.
Planning beyond permit issuance? The full custom home timeline connects design, permitting, construction and move-in. Keep those project estimates separate from the permit data above.
Practical worksheet
Put this guide to work
Worksheet updated . This is a planning example. Regulatory sources and data have their own dates.
Use the numbers without turning them into a promise
A completed-permit median of five months does not mean a currently reviewed permit has five months remaining. It describes the midpoint of a particular completed group. A first-review target measures a different interval and may exclude correction time.
- Comparable scope
- Choose the same city and permit family. Check new house versus addition, review complexity, sample size and the observation period.
- Matching milestones
- Identify the start and end dates, business or calendar days, excluded periods and whether the data includes applicant response time.
- Current next step
- Estimate remaining work from the latest meaningful event and open reviews. Keep consultant response commitments separate from city targets.
- Uncertainty
- Use a range and note missing information. Active permits are unfinished observations, not failed or completed cases, and small samples can be unstable.
Treat a comparison as a planning aid and a reason to ask better questions. Do not rank a city, architect or builder by elapsed time alone without accounting for project scope, corrections, owner decisions and incomplete records.