All contractor permits issued by the City are subject to inspection. City of Seattle inspectors are responsible for enforcing various ordinances and Director’s Rules, City Standard Plans and Specifications, Street and Sidewalk Pavement Opening Policy, and the Traffic Control Manual procedures. Inspections help the City ensure that all construction, public safety and convenience, and permit requirements are met as approved. View more specific information about inspections, names and contact information for inspectors, as well as guidance for testing procedures.

One of the first activities which occurs during construction is grubbing (removing material from the project site such as soil, pavement or vegetation) and grading (changing the surface of the ground. Typically, two things are needed before demolition, moving soil or grading:

1. Installation and approval of erosion and sediment control measures including protection measures for trees and other vegetation to be retained; and
2. Providing a survey to establish the designed elevations of the sub grade or surface of the improvement.

Excavating and placing soils may require soils to be transported to an acceptable disposal site and/or importing soils from an approved source.

Any work in the street right-of-way must be executed to minimize impacts to existing trees unless otherwise permitted in advance (refer to Section 5.5.3 Protection of Trees and Other Vegetation During Construction).

Any excavation 3 or more feet deep that is in or adjacent to the street right-of-way, or any excavation that is within a one horizontal to one vertical (1H:1V) descending slope line adjacent to the street right-of-way must have a support system that provides support to adjacent structures, underground installations, surface improvements, and the sides of the excavation. Ground support is required for any underground construction. Excavation as defined in Ch 19.122 Revised Code of Washington (RCW), whether by open cut or trenchless technology method, shall not damage underground installations, surface improvements, or adjacent structures.

Excavations that are classified as trenches are required to have a safety system (refer to the requirements defined in the Washington State Administrative Code (WAC) 296-155 Part N. Additional requirements for safety systems apply to underground construction refer to the requirements defined in WAC 296-155 Part Q.

The WAC has a number of regulations addressing shoring and excavations that depend on site specific conditions. Refer to the City of Seattle Standard Specification 7-17.3(1) for more specific information on general trench shoring requirements, and Seattle Standard Specification 7-10.3 (7) for trench shoring regarding water mains.

Properly installed shoring for excavations is critical for maintaining the structural integrity of the adjacent roadway structures and underground utility infrastructure. Shoring review, approval and inspection of Utility and Street Improvement Permits are performed by SDOT through the permitting process. The Department of Planning and Development (DPD) reviews the stability of the adjacent private property and SDOT reviews the plans for the stability and authorizes the permitting adjacent to the public right-of-way. By working closely together during the shoring permit review process, this joint effort will make the permit review and approval process more convenient for the applicant. For more information, refer to the Street Use Shoring Review website.

Once informed by the Applicant that the improvement work is complete, an SDOT Inspector will do a final inspection. When there are no unresolved issues at the final inspection, the project will be accepted as complete. If applicable, the SDOT inspector will then notify the DPD Inspector that the Applicant has complied with the Street Improvement requirements as defined in the permit conditions. The DPD Inspector may then issue a Certificate of Occupancy, or a temporary Certificate of Occupancy, whichever is applicable.

A one-year bond period commences from the project acceptance date. All surety bonds for street right-of-way improvements are kept for a year to ensure that all improvements retain functionality for that period. After one year, the Inspector returns to the project site to inspect for any apparent workmanship shortcomings that qualify as safety defects. If the area is safe, then the bond is released and the project considered closed.