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Get a Permit
If you are doing work on your home or property or removing trees on your property, there is a good chance you will need a permit. The most common permit types are for tree removal and for residential new builds, interior remodels, additions, and demolitions. However, the City issues many other different permit types.
Some projects may qualify for a permit exemption and do not need a permit to begin work. Here are some common exemptions that you may be allowed for construction projects or tree projects around your house.
Exemptions do not apply to properties with environmentally sensitive or critical areas. In that case, you would likely need a permit. These areas can be steep slopes, wetlands, streams, beaches, or lakes. Check our Critical Areas Map to see if your property might have a known sensitive area. If you do have one of these areas on your property, please book an appointment with a planner so we can provide you with more information.
If your project requires a permit, your next step is to submit your application and application submittal checklist to the City.
When you have gathered all required items listed on the application submittal checklist, you are ready to turn in your application. The City will then charge an intake fee for reviewing your permit application. Please note that depending on your permit type you may need to pay additional fees before your permit is issued. Once your permit application has been verified as complete it will then move to permit review.
Once your plans have been approved, we will issue your permit. At this point, you may need to pay extra fees for additional time spent reviewing your permit and/or provide any missing information or paperwork. Once your permit has been issued, you will receive a list of inspections and your approved plans. These approved plans will tell you what work you are authorized to do, and you may begin work.
Once you have completed the permitted work, the City will inspect and approve it. You will need to schedule your inspection(s) at least one business day before you would like the work to be inspected.
2024 Permit Review Timelines
In early 2025, the City adopted permit review timelines into the Development Code that align with new standards amended by the State Legislature. Permit review targets are as follows:
- 65 calendar days: Administrative decisions (building permits, tree removals)
- 100 calendar days: Administrative decisions requiring public notice (subdivisions 9 lots or fewer, conditional use permits, projects requiring environmental review)
- 170 calendar days: Decisions requiring a public hearing (subdivisions 10 lots or more)
It’s important to note the review times start after an application is determined complete and includes only those days the City is reviewing the application. The clock pauses when additional information or corrections to plans are requested. The clock resumes once the requested information is provided to the City.
Below is a summary of the review times for applications approved in 2024. 73% of applications approved during 2024 are within the target timeline.
PERMIT TYPE |
AVERAGE DAYS |
MEDIAN DAYS |
TARGET DAYS |
APPROVED WITHIN TARGET |
Single-Family Complex |
109 |
82 |
65 |
43% |
Single-Family Simple |
32 |
22 |
65 |
83% |
Clearing & Grading |
45 |
31 |
65 |
67% |
Commercial |
72 |
60 |
65 |
57% |
Commercial Mech & Plumbing |
45 |
31 |
65 |
82% |
Demolition |
174 |
92 |
65 |
31% |
Mech & Plumbing Online |
2 |
2 |
65 |
100% |
Misc Structure |
70 |
64 |
65 |
50% |
Mixed Use |
232 |
232 |
65 |
0% |
Multifamily |
120 |
47 |
65 |
57% |
Residential Foundation (online) |
8 |
8 |
65 |
100% |
Residential Remodel (online) |
37 |
34 |
65 |
92% |
Residential Reroof (online) |
6 |
3 |
65 |
100% |
ROW Franchise Utility |
17 |
15 |
65 |
99% |
ROW Site |
21 |
21 |
65 |
100% |
ROW Use |
68 |
4 |
65 |
86% |
Side Sewer Repair |
2 |
1 |
65 |
100% |
Signs |
126 |
61 |
65 |
53% |
Site Development |
216 |
240 |
65 |
13% |
Townhouse |
271 |
280 |
65 |
0% |
Tree Removal |
30 |
25 |
65 |
89% |
Wastewater |
268 |
160 |
65 |
41% |
Wireless Telecommunication Facility |
37 |
26 |
65 |
100% |
Administrative Design Review |
110 |
52 |
65 |
71% |
Engineering Deviation |
44 |
29 |
65 |
86% |
Preliminary Short Subdivision |
200 |
155 |
100 |
43% |
Final Short Subdivision |
36 |
27 |
65 |
100% |
Preliminary Formal Subdivision |
341 |
341 |
170 |
0% |
Final Formal Subdivision |
0 |
0 |
65 |
n/a |
Lot Line Adjustment |
20 |
20 |
65 |
100% |
Lot Merger |
199 |
64 |
65 |
50% |
Code Interpretation |
86 |
69 |
65 |
50% |
Noise Variance |
20 |
25 |
65 |
100% |
Shoreline Exemption |
7 |
8 |
65 |
100% |
Temporary Use Permit |
26 |
6 |
65 |
100% |
Zoning Verification Letter |
26 |
28 |
65 |
100% |
In 2023, the State Legislature amended the timelines for permit review for many cities and counties (adopted in SB 5290). The amendments require annual reporting of permit review timelines for certain types of housing developments. For Shoreline, these are typically housing developments in the form of townhomes and apartments. The summary below is a small subset of the total 2024 permit review timelines above:
Summary Report Table
Permit Type |
Total number of decisions |
Number of permits reviewed under a consolidated process |
Number of permits reviewed separately |
Average calendar days to process (with pauses) |
Average calendar days of review (without pauses) |
Number of decisions exceeding the deadline |
Preliminary Subdivision |
2 |
0 |
2 |
625 |
339 |
2 |
Final Subdivision |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Binding Site Plan |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Multifamily Housing Permit |
27 |
8 |
19 |
659 |
279 |
19 |
Construction Permit |
39 |
35 |
4 |
542 |
258 |
0 |
Total |
68 |
43 |
25 |
637 |
280 |
21 |
Permits issued in 2024 exceeded the new state timeframes. While not ideal, this initial reporting period for 2024 was not required to meet the new timelines. Regardless, as part of our Modern Permitting initiative the City is committed to streamlining and improving the permit review process, including review timelines. We are focusing on an improved permit structure, improved staff permitting process, improved customer permitting experience, and clear customer communication. Thank you for your continued feedback as we continue to work toward improving our processes.