Seattle publishes how fast its permits move. For a GC promising a client a start date, the most useful number on that page is not the goal. It is the gap between the City's days and the total days, because that gap is the part the applicant controls.
The goals and where they stand
Since 10-01-2025, Seattle has set goals for how quickly SDCI and the other permitting departments issue construction permits. Each goal is the number of calendar days in City control that the City aims to hit for 75 percent of reviews. The current figures, at the 75th percentile:
Single family addition or alteration: goal 30 days, current 64.
Commercial addition or alteration: goal 30 days, current 58.
Middle housing: goal 60 days, current 117.
Pre-approved DADU plans: goal 30 days, current 60.
Large multifamily: goal 180 days, current 374.
City days are only half the story
The goals count only the days the City is reviewing or acting. They exclude every day the application sits with the applicant, waiting on a resubmittal or a fee payment. SDCI's own page says the total time applicants experience is roughly twice the City-control days.
So a single family addition at the current 64 City days can easily run four months or more from submittal to issuance, and most of the difference is correction rounds.
Where the extra time comes from
Review runs in cycles. The City reviews and issues a correction notice, the applicant updates the plans and resubmits, and the loop repeats until everything is resolved. Each cycle adds the City's turnaround and the applicant's response time. The first is SDCI's. The second is yours.
What a GC can control
A complete first set. Structure and bracing drawn, calculations that match the framing, energy forms for the edition in effect, and a site plan from the property record or a survey.
One owner for the corrections. Someone who holds every comment across every reviewer and every consultant, and sets the response dates.
One complete response. SDCI reviews complete sets on one consolidated plan set. A partial answer buys another round.
Fast turnarounds. Applicant days count against the total even though they do not count against the City's goal.
Plan the client's start date from the total, not the goal, and treat every avoidable correction round as weeks you can win back.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Seattle measure permit review times?
In calendar days in City control, the days the City is reviewing or acting. The goals are set for 75 percent of reviews and exclude time the application is with the applicant.
How long does a Seattle single family addition permit take?
SDCI's goal is 30 City-control days, and the current 75th percentile is 64. SDCI says total time is roughly twice the City-control days because it includes the applicant's response time.
How can a contractor shorten a Seattle permit?
By cutting correction rounds: submit a complete first set, have one person own every correction across reviewers and consultants, and answer each round completely and quickly.
Sources
Insights are general information researched from published sources on the date shown. Rules change, so confirm with the permitting authority before you act.
