Congratulations! You have successfully undergone the Seattle building permit process, and your plans have been approved. But…wait a second. You just realized you need to make a change to your plan, which means your permit needs a few changes too. Is this possible? Yes, it is possible to make changes to permits.
It all depends on how substantial the changes are. Ensure SDCI approves any changes you make to previously approved work by the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections, it is crucial that you first get approval for the changes before going forward. A building inspector will let you know whether the changes require revision of your approved plans.
Building permit revisions allow you to submit changes in your plan to a permit that has already been issued. Revisions fall into two categories: major and minor.
Major revisions will require you to apply for a whole new permit. Some examples of major revisions are below including:
- Change in the type of construction (a single-family home is now going to be a duplex)
- Substantial changes in the structural design (you have decided to build the structure out of brick rather than concrete)
- Moving the structure, which results in a different layout from the plan
- A completely new design
Major Steps For Changes to Permit:
Minor revisions are any revisions that don’t entail substantial changes to the structure, type, location or design of a plan. If you need help determining whether your revision is major or minor, you may ask the building inspector.
You can submit revisions until the expiration or finalizing of the permit. In other words, if you completely build the project your permit was approved for, only to want to make revisions after the fact, this would require a completely new permit, rather than a revision.
Building permit revisions themselves don’t cost anything; however, they authorize you to pay for one hour of review time when you submit your revision. The initial review of the revision should be complete within two weeks. The amount of time it takes to get your final permit depends largely on the complexity of the project as well as how many corrections you need to make.
Still, have some questions or are not sure what to do next? Let Permit Place help you out. We specialize in navigating the sometimes tricky permit process in Seattle and can assist you with everything you need to obtain or change a permit. Request a free quote using our online form to see how we can help.
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