Sammamish / permit types
The different types of permits in Sammamish
Sammamish's official forms library spans Building, Planning, Fire, Environmental, shoreline, trees, and Public Works. Most applications are submitted through MyBuildingPermit.
Guide updated September 11, 2026. Targets below retain their source-specific dates and definitions. Check the live city page for current workload.
On this page6 sections
Official starting point: Sammamish applications and forms. Match the full scope to the current city requirements before submitting.
One project can need more than one permit
A building permit does not automatically replace every trade, site, tree, fire, utility, right-of-way, or land-use approval. List the whole scope first, then confirm which reviews are combined and which require separate records.
The main types of permits
Construction, structural work, demolition, and land disturbance.
Common examples: New houses, additions, remodels, decks, demolition, site development, and grading.Sammamish applications and forms ↗Trade systems that may need their own permits.
Common examples: Electrical service, solar, HVAC, gas, fixtures, piping, and equipment.Sammamish applications and forms ↗Fire-code systems and operational permits.
Common examples: Sprinklers, alarms, kitchen suppression, tanks, tents, and underground service.Sammamish applications and forms ↗Land-use decisions and environmental reviews.
Common examples: Subdivisions, variances, conditional uses, SEPA, shorelines, and critical areas.Sammamish applications and forms ↗Stand-alone removals and development-related retention plans.
Common examples: Significant trees, landmark trees, replacement, street trees, and hazard work.Sammamish applications and forms ↗Work affecting streets, drainage, utilities, and public areas.
Common examples: Driveways, frontage, trenches, traffic control, and stormwater facilities.Sammamish applications and forms ↗How to choose the right combination
- Write the complete scope, including structural, system, site, tree, utility, access, and public-area work.
- Open the official source for every permit family that matches the scope.
- Check whether the primary permit includes that discipline or requires a related application.
- Confirm the permit set with city staff or the design team before paying for final drawings.
- Track related permit numbers together so a smaller approval does not hold up the project.
A local project example
An addition involving excavation near retained trees
Coordinate building, clearing or grading, tree protection and drainage before submitting independent drawings. Ask about work-season restrictions before setting the excavation schedule.
Do not borrow the stand-alone tree target for a development tree plan. Ask which application owns the tree review and whether a wet-season request is needed.
This is a scope-planning example, not a permit determination. Open the official application packets below and describe the entire project to Sammamish staff. Ask whether reviews can run together and which must finish first.
Build your permit responsibility sheet
Give each approval its own row. The useful output is a named person and a receipt, not a vague note that permits are being handled.
| Track this | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Application and authority | Exact permit type, city or outside agency, official portal and related permit numbers. |
| Owner and deliverable | Who prepares the drawings, who submits, who pays and who responds to corrections. |
| Dependency | What is needed before submission, before issuance and before the relevant work starts. |
| Evidence | Submission receipt, completeness confirmation, correction notice, issued plans and required inspections. |
| Next checkpoint | The unresolved item, responsible person, agreed response date and date to follow up. |
For example, “civil engineer to submit the revised drainage plan by Friday” is actionable. “Waiting on permits” is not. Agree who updates this sheet when the portal sends a notice to only one applicant.
What to ask before applying
Use this short request with a marked site plan and a scope summary:
We are planning [work] at [address and parcel]. The scope includes [structure, systems, trees, grading, utilities and street work]. Which applications are required? Which reviews are included in the main permit? Which separate approvals must finish before issuance? Please point us to the current submittal checklists and identify any outside agencies.
If a contractor says no permit is needed, ask which exemption applies to the specific work. A building-permit exemption does not by itself resolve zoning, tree, shoreline, utility or other requirements. Keep the written answer with the project documents.
Primary sources