SDCI Services

See also: Contact Us - Send Us a Question, Contact Us - Phone Numbers, Contact Us - Director & Managers

What Is It?

SDCI provides a wide range of services virtually, including:

• Live chat for simple questions
• Code compliance assistance 
• Landlord or renter assistance with understanding rental housing rules
• Rental registration assistance for landlords
• 20-minute video coaching session with a permit specialist or land use planner
• 15-minute video coaching session with a geotechnical engineer, mechanical engineer, building or residential code expert, or drainage reviewer
• Address assignment, modification, or verification
• Inspection scheduling and questions
• Periodic inspections (conveyance/elevator, boiler, pressure vessel) assistance
• Trade licensing questions and testing
• Support for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) assistance to access SDCI's services

We're here to help you understand Seattle's land use and construction codes and to help you navigate through our permitting and inspection processes.

• Top Mistakes We See for Multifamily Building Permits

Support Hours

SDCI's phone, chat, and information desk hours are:

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, Thursday: 10:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Inspection support hours are:

• Monday - Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Online services are available any time.

Service Options

• Chat directly with staff. Click the “Hi. Need help?” circle in the lower right to get started. See our Send Us a Question page for chat tips, and instructions. The following topics are available through chat:
  • Attached and detached dwelling unit construction questions
  • Building code, energy, geotechnical, mechanical, and zoning coaching
  • Construction permit information
  • Drainage and side sewer information
  • Electrical, fire alarm, furnace, refrigeration, sprinkler, and trade permits (often called over-the-counter permits)
  • Intake and review process
  • Land use notices
  • Routing issues: status questions, consolidated summary reports, master use permits, environmentally critical areas, trees  
• Submit a help ticket at any time. Staff will respond to your inquiries by email within 2 business days.
  • Building & Land Use Questions
  • Rental Registration & Inspection Questions
• Send a question by email.
  • Addressing
  • Boiler & Pressure Vessel 
  • Conveyance/Elevator
  • Microfilm
  • Pre-Application and Pre-Submittal 
  • SDCI ADA Concerns 
  • Trade Licensing and Testing
• Contact Customer Service. (206) 684-8600
• Report a code violoation.
  • (206) 615-0808
  • Make a Complaint (submit a housing, land use, construction, noise, or code complaint)
• Call Renting in Seattle and tenant relocation assistance staff. (206) 684-5700
• Call the Rental Registration and Inspections Ordinance staff. (206) 684-4110
• Contact the inspection support staff. (206) 684-8950
• Visit the information desk. For customers who need language assistance or technical assistance accessing our online services, or prefer to talk with an SDCI representative in person, we have an SDCI information desk on the 4th floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower.
• Use our Seattle Services Portal.
  • Check permit status (Understanding Your SDCI Project Status)
  • Apply for a permit
  • Schedule an inspection
  • Pay fees
  • Submit a public comment
  • Get a trade license
• Read our help articles.
• Schedule a conference or coaching appointment.
  • Construction pre-submittal conference
  • Land use pre-submittal conference
  • Paid coaching
  • Statement of Financial Responsibility Agent Authorization
• Contact your assigned reviewer. If your application is already being reviewed, please contact your assigned reviewer directly. You can find your assigned reviewer by logging into the  Seattle Services Portal. 

Publications

Many of our publications are available for free on our Resources page.

Our codes pages provide online access to most codes enforced by SDCI. You can order print copies of the codes through the Seattle Services Portal. See our pricelist and our instructions for ordering online. You can also place an order by sending an email to sciaccounting@seattle.gov, calling us at (206) 386-9780, or sending your request, along with a check payable to the City of Seattle, to:

SDCI Cashier Station
700 Fifth Ave, Suite 2000
P.O. Box 34234
Seattle, WA 98124-1234

Subscription Services

• Our Land Use Information Bulletin provides twice-weekly notice of land use applications, decisions, and other land use actions. Subscribe to our listserv — in the upper right of this page — to get an email alert when we post the latest public notices.
• Our blog, Building Connections, keeps you up-to-date on Seattle planning, design, construction, and land use issues, and on legislation in process.

Other Agencies 

For some projects, you will need to coordinate with other City and County agencies to get additional permits and approvals. Common agencies you may need to work with are:

• City Light – to install temporary power connections or permanent electrical service (which may include a vault requirement)
• Department of Neighborhoods – for work in historical districts or historical buildings, and if you are demolishing a building that is 50 years old or older
• Licensing – to open a new business in Seattle or to conduct business in Seattle (even if your office is not within the city)
• Seattle & King County Public Health Food Protection Program – for handling food in your restaurant, food cart, or café
• Seattle & King County Public Health Plumbing and Gas Piping – to install interior plumbing or gas piping systems for your kitchen, bathroom, or utility room
• Seattle Department of Fire – for special events, sprinklers, fire alarms, and emergency access to some types of properties
• Seattle Department of Transportation – for curb cuts and driveways, trees in the right-of-way, or paving streets and alleys
• Seattle Public Utilities – to confirm you have an adequate water supply, adding drainage and waste water connections, or putting in access to new garbage containers