How long does it take to get a full building permit? – Board & Vellum

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How Long Does It Take to Get a Full Building Let?

If you lot demand a total building permit for your projection (rather than an "over-the-counter" one) you need to include the additional fourth dimension it takes for permit review in your project schedule. How long does information technology take to become a full building let? It varies, only hither is what you can expect in Seattle.

April 17, 2018

If you are reading this post, it is probable that your builder has informed you that you need a full edifice allow for whatsoever projection you lot are doing. That may be building the home of your dreams, or it may exist that you lot are launching a restaurant in a make new building. The procedure in Seattle covers both commercial and residential projection types.

(Not sure if you need a full building permit for your commercial space? This may assist. Or, if y'all're not sure you even need a permit for your domicile remodel, here'due south a primer on that.)

The first step in a full building permit is to set upwardly a project number with the Seattle Section of Structure and Inspections (SDCI, for brusk). This involves your architect creating a site program and giving a cursory description of the piece of work yous are proposing for your project. We then submit it to the SDCI and they accept 1 to ii weeks processing the data, having an inspector visit the site if necessary, and generally setting upwardly the projection in the system with an assigned project number.

Once your projection number is official, your builder tin can schedule an intake engagement. An intake date is essentially a digital appointment with the city that indicates the solar day that your architect needs to submit drawings then that the city can begin reviewing your permit for compliance with applicable codes.

With the stride of structure in Seattle correct now, SDCI is very busy and often intake dates tin exist anywhere from two to four months out. Then, be sure to proceed in mind: if your projection requires a total building permit, you lot could set upwardly a project number in May and not exist able to submit drawings to the metropolis until July, or afterward.

This is a good time to note that this post specifically reflects Seattle'due south building let process. Many jurisdictions do not require intake dates and processes differ between cities. Be sure to check with your builder or building department for how things work in your urban center.

Okay, your intake date is here and your permit drawings have been submitted for review. What now? Even once the City of Seattle has your project for review, you are not out of the woods. Afterwards your intake date, the city volition take anywhere from two to 8 weeks to do the initial review of your permit drawings. Then, at the stop of this review fourth dimension, they will upshot allow corrections.

You're probably asking yourself, "Corrections? Shouldn't my architect have known exactly what the urban center needed to see?" and in an ideal earth, sure. In reality, architects are humans (and so are plan reviewers), and so at that place is no such thing as perfect drawings (or perfect code interpretations). In Seattle in detail, land use and building codes are always changing (as well as the interpretation of those codes), and so every project volition take at to the lowest degree one correction cycle. If you lot have a large or complicated project, yous may actually have 2 or three corrections cycles, and so keep that in mind.

Once the urban center issues your corrections, your architect volition take time to address all of the correction items, checking in with the urban center's reviewers to clarify corrections as necessary, and so will resubmit the drawings to the city. At this signal, the city will take another two weeks to review the drawings and decide if they have additional corrections. If not, they volition transport out permit fees. Once the allow fees are paid, they will consequence your drawings a week or so later, and then yous take your building permit and can starting time structure!

We've thrown a lot of timelines out there as this is a circuitous process. When clients inquire how long a full building permit will have we always recommend that you plan on four to 9 months, with the caveat that every projection is unlike. For any project that requires full building let review, you will need to build actress time in to your project schedule. Every project is unique, and timing is something we always hash out at the get-go of the pattern process to brand certain you are prepared.