All projects categorized as new construction by DPD are required to submit a Preliminary Application Package at the DPD Applicant Services Center. The project will be reviewed by DPD Land Use, DPD Drainage, SDOT, SPU and SCL. Following the review the applicant will receive a Preliminary Application Report (PAR). The PAR will contain an SDOT report prepared by a Plan Review Analyst and will include information on right-of-way improvements that are required for your project, the type of SDOT permit required and advice on getting Early Design Guidance from SDOT. The recommendations are based on the information provided by the applicant in the Preliminary Application Package. As with all permitting requirements, it is the sole responsibility of the applicant to obtain the necessary permits for their project prior to project construction. Problems or delays that occur during construction due to the lack of a permit or due to the lack of coordination with SDOT are the responsibility of the applicant.

Street Use offers design guidance prior to submitting street improvement plans to help the applicant understand their street improvement requirements and design choices. Street Use will involve other city staff to help you determine how to best meet your requirements given existing constraints such as road and sidewalk widths.

The locations of underground utilities can be obtained by calling the One Number Locator Service (ONLS) hotline (1-800 424-5555) of the Utility Underground Location Center and requesting the location of underground utilities except side sewers. Staff from the center will mark the locations of all known public and private utilities in the right-of-way. The applicant can learn the location of a side sewer through SDOT’s Street Use Section. Knowing these locations in advance may save time and money during design and construction. Information on existing utilities and new utilities required for the project must be included on the street improvement plans submitted to Street Use.

When a project requires a Street Improvement Major Permit, the applicant submits a completed Street Improvement Permit Application, a deposit for the cost of the plan review and street improvement construction plans to Seattle Department of Transportation – Street Use Division. The plans must meet the City of Seattle standards for formatting and drafting as well as content, and must meet the City of Seattle's design standards and specifications for public works projects. The deposit for a single family residence or a duplex is $1,250. The deposit for all other new construction projects is $2,500. The actual cost of the permit will depend on the amount of review required to approve the plans for construction.

The Plan Review Analyst assigned to the project reviews the plans, circulates them for review to other departments of the City of Seattle and other pertinent agencies, and informs the applicant of any corrections or revisions required.

The applicant re-submits corrected plans and/ other requested information. The Plan Review Analyst checks the revised plans to verify if all corrections have been made and whether the plan is ready for final approval.

Once the Plan Analyst notifies the applicant that the plans are ready to be approved, the applicant submits the final plan set for signatures. The final plans must meet City of Seattle standards. These plans are signed by the SDOT Street Use Plan Review Supervisor and filed in the SPU Records Vault as a permanent record of improvements in the street right-of-way.

As part of the approval notification, the Plan Review Analyst will send an estimate for the inspection deposit and surety bond required for the project. This deposit will cover construction inspection fees and any review costs not covered by initial deposit. The Street Improvement Permit is issued once the applicant posts the surety bond and pays the required permit fee and inspection deposit.

The pre-construction meeting must be held before commencing construction in the street right-of-way. The applicant notifies SDOT at least two weeks before construction will begin so that a pre-construction meeting may be scheduled with the Street Use Inspectors and other staff. Both the applicant and the contractor must be present at the meeting.