Permit Review Delays

We have a temporary permit review backlog due to the unusually high number of applications submitted before the 2021 Building Codes became effective in November 2024. Permit review times are currently taking up to 4 weeks longer than normal. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Permit Review Improvements - What & Why

Close up of people reviewing some documents and an unfinished building frame.

What's Happening Now?

In 2023, the Washington State Legislature passed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5290 (“SB 5290”) that amended the Local Project Review Act, chapter 36.70B RCW. SB 5290 requires permitting agencies to update permit review timelines and related rules to ensure efficient review processes.

To meet state requirements, SDCI will update how we track and report on our permit review timelines for the different types of permit applications. SDCI is preparing land use code amendments to implement SB 5290.

We will start implementing the state requirements in January of 2025. SDCI expects that improved tracking and reporting will make our permitting process more efficient, allow us to issue permits more quickly, and increase predictability and transparency about our performance for our customers.

Next Steps

In January 2025, we will continue to implement a two-step approach to meeting the state’s permit review requirements.

Step One - Establish initial measures to track and report our permit review performance. These measures do not require legislation and include:

Identify 3 permit process improvement strategies that SDCI has implemented to accomplish the new permit review timelines (see Project Documents)
Establish record keeping methods to prepare for the 2024 permit performance report, due in March 2025, and the 2025 permit performance report, due in March 2026

Step Two - Prepare legislation to update business practices and available technology to meet state requirements to be adopted by the Mayor and City Council by mid-year 2025.

Develop legislation to categorize the types of permits SDCI issues and define process deadlines to apply to each category
Implement permit review improvements, including reforms identified in a recent City Council audit of permit review performance
Develop technology and business processes to carry out the proposed legislation, automate performance reporting to the state Department of Commerce, and to post performance reports on SDCI’s website
Submit proposed land use code amendments to the Mayor and City Council in early 2025, for City Council review and deliberation, anticipated in Spring/Summer 2025. The code amendments will address local permit classifications, permit review timelines, and identify permit types exempted from the new requirements.

Project Benefits

Benefits of adopting new permit review timelines:

Help address Seattle’s urgent need for housing, including affordable housing
Improve SDCI’s permit application review performance transparency with more efficient tracking and reporting our progress on our website and to the state Department of Commerce
Comply with state law

The End Result

These Land Use Code and other updates will allow for us to:

Meet state law mandates that help address the need for housing in Seattle
Increase efficiency in SDCI’s review and issuance of permits