Design Review - Design Guidelines

Recent changes to state law (House Bill 1293) regarding Design Review went into effect on June 30, 2025. SDCI is developing interim legislation that will temporarily suspend required Design Review, making it voluntary for proposed development. These regulations will be in place while SDCI works to develop permanent changes to the Design Review program and guidelines as required by House Bill 1293. To learn more, please visit our 2025 Design Review Program Changes webpage.

What Is It?

Sidewalk outside Joule ApartmentsOur design guidelines are the backbone of the Design Review Program. They direct designers and project reviewers to look closely at the neighborhood and its character to design new buildings that enhance their surroundings. The guidelines are used by the Design Review Boards and our staff to assess the merits of a project.

Design Guidelines

We have two sets design guidelines that cover the entire city:

In addition, we have several sets of neighborhood-specific design guidelines that supplement the Citywide and Downtown design guidelines. The neighborhood-specific guidelines are listed below and divided into the their respective design review districts:

Design Review boards map May 2018Northwest Design Review Board District

Northeast Design Review Board District

West Design Review Board District

Southeast Design Review Board District

Southwest Design Review Board District

Downtown Design Review Board District

East Design Review Board District

Central Area Design Review Board District

Previous Design Guidelines

The following design guidelines were effective until January 18, 2014.

Design Guidelines Correlations

Northwest Design Review Board District

Northeast Design Review Board District

West Design Review Board District

Southeast Design Review Board District

Southwest Design Review Board District

Downtown Design Review Board District

East Design Review Board District

Construction and Inspections

Kye Lee, Interim Director
Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 2000, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 34019, Seattle, WA, 98124-4019
Phone: (206) 684-8600
Phone Alt: Violation Complaint Line: (206) 615-0808
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SDCI issues land use, construction, and trade permits, conducts construction and housing-related inspections, ensures compliance with our codes, and regulates rental rules. SDCI is committed to an antiracist workplace and to addressing racism through our work in the community.