Records Vault

The Engineering Records Vault (Vault) is an archive of City records documenting infrastructure installed within the public right-of-way. The Vault contains plans, maps, as-builts, and other infrastructure focused records. Records Vault staff are currently scanning records in an effort to make all of our holdings digitally available, however many items have not yet been digitized and accessing them requires visiting the Vault in person.

Contributing departments include the Seattle Engineering Department (1873-1997), Seattle Water Department (1888-1997), Seattle Department of Streets and Sewers (1877-1936), Seattle Department of Transportation (1997 – present) and Seattle Public Utilities (1997 – Present).

The Vault’s digitized engineering records are now accessible to the public through an online platform called Seattle Digital Infrastructure Records (SeaDIR, pronounced “cedar”, like the tree). To access these records please apply for a free license using this form. Vault staff will grant access to SeaDIR within 2 business days of receiving a request.

Please review the videos below (when available) for a quick tutorial in searching and navigating in SeaDIR.

• Requesting a free license to SeaDIR
• Searching for Side Sewer Cards
• Finding Franchise Utility Maps
• Searching for Engineering Records
• Downloading Engineering Records

Digital Holdings Available

The Digital Holdings in SeaDIR represent what is available at this time in a digital format.  

Physical Holdings at SPU Engineering Records Vault

(Physically located on the 47^th floor of Seattle Municipal Tower (SMT) or in off-site storage.)

All the physical records corresponding to the digital records noted above, plus documents from many categories noted above that have yet to be digitized. The following categories have not yet been digitized and are only available in their physical formats.

GIS Data

The City of Seattle's GIS data is an important resource for engineers, land planners, architects, utility designers, and others who consult or provide technical services to city departments. The GIS group fields hundreds of requests from city staff and the public who are looking for geographic maps and data in a variety of digital formats to support their work. We offer the following services:

Homeowner Research Map

Use this application to better understand utility infrastructure serving your property. Use this self-service tool to create a PDF map to download and print. Create a map of your property.

Water and Sewer Research Map

Use the DSO's Water and Sewer Map to research existing Seattle water, drainage, and sewer infrastructure for new property purchases or development.