Seattle / permit types
The different types of permits in Seattle
Seattle SDCI issues construction, grading, mechanical, electrical, equipment, tree, and Master Use permits. Street-use, utility, fire, and other approvals may come from a different City department.
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: Seattle permits. 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
Building, alteration, demolition, and grading permits reviewed by SDCI.
Common examples: New buildings, additions, remodels, tenant improvements, demolition, and grading.Seattle permits ↗Building-system and regulated equipment permits.
Common examples: HVAC, boilers, refrigeration, elevators, gas piping, and side sewers.Seattle permits ↗Wiring and electrical equipment, with plan-review and no-plan-review paths.
Common examples: Services, circuits, EV chargers, solar, signs, generators, and temporary power.Seattle electrical permits ↗Discretionary or zoning decisions that can precede construction issuance.
Common examples: Conditional use, ECA, plats, rezones, shoreline, SEPA, and variances.Seattle Master Use Permit overview ↗Tree removal and environmentally critical-area review.
Common examples: Protected trees, steep slopes, landslide areas, wetlands, shorelines, and drainage.Seattle permits ↗Approvals outside SDCI may be required for public or life-safety systems.
Common examples: SDOT street use, Seattle Fire systems, City Light service, and Seattle Public Utilities.Seattle permits ↗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
A new home that changes street access and electrical service
List SDCI construction and site reviews alongside possible SDOT, Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities and Fire approvals. Ask which departments must sign off before issuance or construction.
A construction initial-review target does not include every land-use, street-use or utility step. Identify the controlling approval before booking a start date.
This is a scope-planning example, not a permit determination. Open the official application packets below and describe the entire project to Seattle 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