AG 1001: SDOT Permits for Development Projects

Overview

This guide explains the permits you might need from us, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), for a private development project. It will help you understand which permits are required for work that affects the public right-of-way.

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Street Use Permits and How They Relate to Your Project

When you propose a development in Seattle, you often need permits from several city departments, including us and the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI).

If your project requires you to improve nearby streets, alleys, or sidewalks, you’ll need to follow the City’s standards, which include:

the Seattle Municipal Code,
the Seattle Standard Plans and Specifications in the Right-of-Way (ROW) Improvement Manual (also known as Streets Illustrated),
the Right-of-Way Opening and Restoration Rules (ROWORR).

The ROW is public space that includes streets, sidewalks, and planting strips. It can extend past the current limits of the street and sidewalk you see and include areas that may be undeveloped or look like private property.

It’s always a good idea to research the ROW boundary when you are proposing a development. Please refer to the ROW Map for information about the ROW boundary.

Click here for a link to the ROW Map.

While SDCI regulates construction on your private property, we issue permits for any work in the ROW. It's important that you coordinate with all City departments early to keep your project on schedule.

How do I know which permits I need?

In many cases, your development may trigger a Preliminary Assessment Report (PAR) process led by SDCI. This gives you early information about the permits your project will need. Planning for these permits helps you keep your project on schedule. You can apply for all permits through the Seattle Services Portal.

No PAR? You can use this guide and other website guides to understand when Street Use permits may be triggered. We’re also available for Street Use coaching or a pre-application meeting.

Permit Groups and Their Timelines

To make it easier, we've organized our Street Use permits into three groups based on how complex your project is.

Group 1: For small-scale projects with minimal effect on the ROW. You should apply for these permits before your SDCI building or demolition permit is issued.
Group 2: For more complex projects that may change the street or sidewalk. You should apply for these permits at the same time as your SDCI building or demolition permit.
Group 3: For large-scale projects involving major street or utility work. You need to get these permits to a certain stage of approval before you can apply for your SDCI building permit

Group 1 Permits for Simple Projects

You should apply for these permits if you have a small-scale project that won't significantly affect the sidewalk, planting strip, curb, street, or unimproved areas of the ROW.

Permits you might need:

ROW Construction Permit: You'll need this permit for temporary construction activities, such as:
- Setting up a work zone for demolition or site access.
- Making construction-related deliveries.
- Staging materials, construction dumpsters or construction equipment in the public right-of-way.
- Installing scaffolding or other temporary structures.
- Repairing an existing concrete driveway.
- Removing old curb cuts for driveways (also called “closing” a curb cut).
- Installing approved overhead weather protection like awnings.
- Removing vegetation (but not trees) with minor ground disturbance of less than 750 square feet. If your work involves more than 750 square feet of ground disturbance, it will require additional technical review and a detailed site plan.
ROW Maintenance Permit: You need this permit to do short-term maintenance work, like:
- Doing minor painting or siding repair on an existing building.
- Placing a construction dumpster in a parking lane.
- Making sidewalk or driveway repairs (less than 100 square feet).
Storage Container Permit: You need this permit to place a temporary moving or storage container.
Tree Permits: You need a tree permit from our Urban Forestry team for work like:
- Planting in the planting strip.
- Planting, pruning, or removing trees.

Group 2 Permits for Moderately Complex Projects

You should apply for one of these permits if your project is more complex and might require changes to parts of the ROW next to your property. This includes:

streets or sidewalks
curbs
driveways
planting strips
alleys
unimproved areas in the ROW

These permits may affect what you are building on private property, so it is important to get a Group 2 permit at the same time as your SDCI permit (building, shoring, or demolition permits).

If you don’t need SDCI permits, you must get your Street Use permit before using or working in the ROW.

It's critical to know your property lines. When you build something new, we strongly encourage you to locate private items on private property, not in the ROW.

Private items built in the ROW, like stairs, fences, rockeries, or retaining walls, are called encroachments. You must have a Street Use permit to build an encroachment. You also need a long-term permit for it to remain in place.

Permits in this group include:

ROW Construction Permit (for complex work): You need this permit to do things like:
- Build a new concrete driveway where a curb already exists
- Build a new asphalt driveway on a street without a curb
- Construct a new sidewalk (less than 2,000 sq. ft.) behind an existing curb
- Replace existing sidewalk in kind (less than 2,000 sq. ft.)
- Manage traffic and work zones for sites
- Remove vegetation within an Environmentally Critical Area (ECA), which requires more technical review
- Repair potholes and pavement or do maintenance on an existing improved public street or alley that has asphalt or concrete pavement and is less than 2,000 sq. ft.
  - Note: an improved alley has established vehicle access, grading, a drainage profile according to Standard Plan 403, and does not exceed 10% alley slope. You may not change the grade with this permit.
Heavy Crane Permit: You need this permit to use a mobile crane and set up a crane in a work zone. We encourage you talk to our permit review team early in your planning process to discuss any crane needs.
Permits for Private Structures in the ROW: You’ll need this permit for privately-owned structures like stairs, fences, rockeries, retaining walls, building bay windows or overhangs, benches, or public art.
Minor Utility Permit: You’ll need this permit to add or upgrade services like water, power, gas, or telecom in the ROW. You must work with the specific utility provider (like Seattle Public Utilities or Seattle City Light) to get these permits. Please check in early with the utility provider to keep your project on schedule! Common work includes:
- Installing and staging for new service for telecom, water, power, and other utilities.
- Staging and digging small holes (potholing) to find existing utility lines
- Installing and staging for side sewers or curb weeps
- Causing ground disturbance to install aerial fiber equipment

Group 3 Permits for Major Street Improvements

These permits are for the most complex projects that involve building new streets or sidewalks, making major grading and drainage improvements, or installing major utility lines.

Street Improvement Permit (SIP): You’ll need this permit for large-scale street improvements. You must have your SIP plan approved to 60% completion before you can apply for your SDCI building permit. You’ll typically need a SIP to:
- Build a new curb where one doesn't exist. This doesn’t include closing an existing driveway curb cut.
- Open access to a previously unopened street or alley with more than 2,000 sq. ft of new hard surface in the ROW.
- Build projects with over 2,000 sq. ft. of new hard surfaces in the ROW. These can be either voluntary improvements or improvements required by the City's Land Use code.
- Change the grade (slope) of an existing street or alley.
- Install a new public water, storm, or sewer mainline.
- Work on projects with Green Factor elements in the ROW (e.g., natural drainage system projects, bioretention cells)
- Construct and install light rail project elements. This includes guideways, stations and associated street improvements.
- Build major transportation infrastructure projects for other public agencies such as KC Metro and Sound Transit
Street Improvement Permit (SIP) Lite: You’ll need this permit if your project involves smaller-scale street improvements. You must have your SIP Lite plan approved to 90% completion before you can apply for your SDCI building permit. With a SIP Lite, you can:
- Build new pedestrian (ADA curb) ramps.
- Widen an existing alley.
- Add a new curb and sidewalk where the curb location is established on either side of the block.
- Open access to a previously unopened street or alley with less than 2,000 sq. ft of new hard surface in the ROW.
Utility Major Permit (UMP): If you want to install large, non-public utility lines, like those for power, gas, or telecommunications, you’ll need this permit. If your project includes major utility work, you should coordinate the plans with your SIP project manager to avoid conflicts underground. With a UMP, you can:
- install a main line that is greater than 2” in diameter
- install utilities that are longer than 100 linear feet on an arterial street
- remove an underground storage tank
- remove contaminated soils or perform environmental remediation work
- perform directional boring
- install a pedestrian (ADA curb) ramp that is triggered by utility work.
Shoring Permit: You must have this permit type for an excavation next to the ROW when it is:
- deeper than three feet, and
- sloped so that the excavation crosses the property line

If your project has an associated SDCI building construction permit, shoring permit review is done part of the SDCI building permit review. If your project doesn’t have an SDCI building permit, you’ll need a separate shoring permit.

How to Get Help and Apply for Permits

It is your responsibility to understand the code and permit requirements for your project.

Applying early and coordinating with all departments will help you avoid delays and costly design changes.

Where to Find More Information

You can:

find a general overview for each permit on our Street Use permit web pages.
get detailed information in the Applicant Guide for each permit.
find step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a permit in the Seattle Services Portal Help Center
apply for your permits on the Seattle Services Portal

How to Get Help:

Virtual Coaching: We offer virtual coaching sessions Monday through Friday to answer your permit questions.
Pre-submittal Conferences: You can request a pre-submittal conference through SDCI and ask for our staff to attend. This is a great way to get coordinated feedback early in your design process.