How to Respond to Plan Review Corrections in Tacoma, WA

Tacoma's Planning and Development Services reviews building permits online and publishes its current review timelines by category. Residential covers up to six units; anything larger, mixed use or non-residential is reviewed as commercial.

The 180-day rule

When the City notifies an applicant that action is needed, such as plan corrections, the applicant has 180 days to respond or take action. If nothing happens, the permit is cancelled. The clock runs from the notice, so a permit with several rounds of corrections can be closer to cancellation than its filing date suggests.

How to answer corrections

1. Pull every correction from every reviewer into one list.

2. Sort by discipline: zoning, building, structural, site development, stormwater.

3. Revise the sheets so each item is resolved on the drawings.

4. Write one response that names the sheet and detail for each item.

5. Resubmit everything at once through the permit portal.

Middle housing projects

Tacoma's middle housing streamlined permitting pilot, running January 2026 to January 2027, targets approval within two review cycles for eligible projects, with management review if a project is not approved after the second. That target only works if each response is complete. Eligible projects include buildings of up to 20 units on sites of 12,000 sq ft or less and townhouse projects using unit lot subdivision.

Common questions

What happens if I do not answer Tacoma plan corrections?

If the applicant does not respond or take action within 180 days of being notified, the permit is cancelled.

Does Tacoma have a faster path for middle housing?

Yes. The streamlined permitting pilot targets approval within two review cycles for eligible projects.

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 City'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.

Corrections piling up? See Corrections and Permit Recovery and the City of Tacoma permit page.

Have a corrections notice open now? Send the notice and permit number, and SASHKOV will scope the response and the timeline in business days.