How to Respond to a Snohomish County Review Completion Letter

Snohomish County Planning and Development Services (PDS) reviews permits for unincorporated areas. Applications go through the PDS Permit Portal, and nothing is accepted until intake fees are paid.

How a county review runs

1. Staff screen the upload against the submittal checklist. Files must be legible and unlocked.

2. Planning, structural, critical areas and other reviewers check the set. Critical area review may include a site visit.

3. Once every reviewer is done, PDS sends one Review Completion Letter with marked-up plans.

4. You answer by uploading revised or additional documents to the portal.

Reviews that run on their own track

• Septic. The Health Department sends its comments to the owner directly, and you answer them directly.

• Drainage. Drainage review is a separate Land Disturbing Activity permit.

• Flood hazard sites. Surveyed ground elevations at the corners and existing and finish grades on the elevations.

• Electrical. Permitted and inspected by Labor and Industries, not PDS.

A Review Completion Letter answered without the septic or drainage pieces usually comes back. Track all three together.

Timing

The County gives no fixed review time and notes reviews run longer in spring and summer. Variances, major structural revisions and critical area, SEPA or drainage review add time. An issued permit is valid for 18 months and can be renewed once, before it expires, for another 18 months.

Common questions

What is a Snohomish County Review Completion Letter?

It is the letter PDS sends with plan markups after all reviewers have finished. You respond by uploading revised or additional documents through the PDS Permit Portal.

Does the Health District review go through PDS?

No. Health Department septic comments go to the owner, and you answer them directly.

How long is a Snohomish County building permit valid?

18 months from issuance, with one 18-month renewal if requested before it expires.

How SASHKOV handles it

• Reads every correction comment and builds one item list across all review disciplines.

• Coordinates structural, civil, energy and survey items with the licensed consultants under one SASHKOV contract.

• Revises the set so every item is resolved on the drawings, with a response that names the sheet and detail for each comment.

• Resubmits one complete package through the jurisdiction's portal and tracks each review to issuance, in business days.

Where a building requires a licensed architect or engineer of record, SASHKOV brings them into the contract.

Letter open on a county project? See Corrections and Permit Recovery and the Snohomish County permit page.

Have a Review Completion Letter now? Send the letter and permit number, and SASHKOV will scope the response and the timeline in business days.