Frequently Asked Questions About Street Use Invoices
SDOT bills for all review and inspection hourly charges. SDOT also bills permit fees for some customers. If your Street Use permit fees or service charges are billed, you will receive a monthly invoice from Street Use.
This help article answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Street Use invoices.
List of FAQs
- How do I pay my Street Use invoice?
- Where is my Street Use invoice document?
- What is this inspection charge for?
- How do I find more detail about an inspection?
- What is this review charge for?
- Why do I get an error message when I try to pay?
- Is the Fee Statement report the same as a Street Use Invoice document?
- Can I use the Fee Statement report to reprint my Street Use Invoice report?
- Why do I get a blank page when I run the Fee Statement report for my Invoice record?
- How can I tell if an invoice is paid?
- How Can I Dispute or Inquire About a Fee or Charge?
How do I pay my Street Use invoice?
Please refer to our help article for step-by-step instructions: How to Find and Pay Your Current Street Use Invoice.
Where is my Street Use invoice document?
If your permit fees are billed, an invoice is generated at the beginning of each month for fees from the prior month. The invoice is stored on a dedicated invoice record, not on your permit record. However, fees are still paid through your permit record.
To find your invoice, please refer to our help article for step-by-step instructions: How to Find and Pay Your Current Street Use Invoice.
What is this inspection charge for?
Each inspection with a service charge appears on your invoice in the following format:
Inspection Charge — Breakdown of Information
-
Date
The default date for inspection service charges billed in a specific month (for example, a March date for any service charge included on your March invoice). This is the date the fee was created by the system. It is not the date the inspection was performed. -
Fee
The type of fee. For inspection fees, this will always be Inspection Charge, followed by the system’s internal invoice number associated with the fee shown on the Fees tab of the application or permit. -
Description
- Inspector: <name> — The name of the inspector who performed the inspection.
- Inspection Type: <inspection type> — The type of inspection performed.
-
Notes
- Service Date: <date> <inspection ID> — The date the inspection was performed, followed by a unique identifier for the inspection. This ID helps you find more detail about the inspection in the Seattle Services Portal.
-
Use Code
Not applicable for inspections. -
Hours/Qty
The duration of the inspection, in hours. -
Rate
The hourly rate charged for the inspection. -
Fee Amount
The total charge for the inspection (Hours × Rate). -
Amount Paid
The amount already paid toward this fee. -
Amount Due
The remaining balance due for this fee.
How do I find more detail about an inspection?
You can view the inspection status and comments for completed inspections in the Seattle Services Portal.
How to View Inspection Details
- Find your permit in the Seattle Services Portal.
- Click the Inspections tab.
- Scroll down to the Completed section.
- Locate the inspection you have a question about.
Note: The inspector name and inspection ID shown on your invoice are also shown here. - Click View Details.
Inspection Details You’ll See
-
Status
The inspection result status, followed by the date the inspection was completed. This date matches the Service Date shown on your invoice. -
Time of Day
A time is displayed showing when the inspector updated the inspection record. This is not necessarily the time the inspection was performed. -
Desired Date
Not used by Street Use and always displays TBD. -
Last Updated
The person who last updated the inspection record. This is usually the inspector but may be someone else. -
View Status History
Click this link to see the inspection history, including when it was scheduled and completed. -
Result Comments
Click View Result Comments to see comments from the inspector related to this inspection.
These comments:- Are emailed to all record contacts when the inspection status is set.
- Appear in the Inspection Results report available on the Attachments tab of your permit.
What is this review charge for?
Each review with a service charge appears on your invoice in the following format:
Review Charge — Breakdown of Information
-
Date
The default date for review service charges billed in a specific month (for example, a March date for any service charge included on your March invoice). This is the date the fee was created by the system. It is not the date the review was performed. -
Fee
The type of fee. For review fees, this will always be Review Charge, followed by the system’s internal invoice number associated with the fee shown on the Fees tab of the application or permit. -
Description
- Reviewer: <name> — The name of the reviewer who performed the review.
-
Notes
-
Service Date: <date> <note> <task> — The date the review was performed, followed by an optional note from the reviewer and an optional task name.
Examples of task names include Screening, Primary Review, or Review Evaluation.
-
Service Date: <date> <note> <task> — The date the review was performed, followed by an optional note from the reviewer and an optional task name.
-
Use Code
Not applicable for reviews. -
Hours/Qty
The duration of the review, in hours. -
Rate
The hourly rate charged for the review. -
Fee Amount
The total charge for the review (Hours × Rate). -
Amount Paid
The amount already paid toward this fee. -
Amount Due
The remaining balance due for this fee.
Why do I get an error message when I try to pay?
An error message appears when there is no fee on the record you are adding to your cart:
“The record is not completed or has been paid; it cannot be added to cart.”
- To pay your Street Use invoice, go to your permit record and add the permit to your cart—not the invoice record.
- Please refer to this help article for detailed instructions.
One or both of the following error messages may appear when online payments are not allowed. Payments for records receiving these messages must be made outside of the Seattle Services Portal.
- When clicking the Pay Fees button:
A red message appears stating ONLINE PAYMENT NOT ALLOWED. - After entering payment details and clicking Submit Payment:
A red Attention banner appears with the message:
“Action Cancelled. One or more of the records you are attempting to pay is not available online for checkout. Remove the record(s) from your cart and try again: SUUTIL00000.”
If you believe you are receiving any of these messages in error, or if you need additional information, please contact SDOT Accounts Receivable at 206-684-5058 or sdot_ar@seattle.gov.
Is the Fee Statement report the same as a Street Use Invoice document?
No.
- Fee Statement report: Shows all fees currently due for a specific Application or Permit, including both billed fees and fees that must be paid before a permit is issued.
- Street Use Invoice document: Shows only billed fees for the current billing period.
Because of this, the two will not match when:
- There are unbilled fees.
- Billed fees from prior billing periods are still due.
- Future-period billed fees have already been assessed.
In short, the Fee Statement is a complete view of what’s owed, while the Street Use Invoice is limited to what’s been billed for that specific period.
Can I use the Fee Statement report to reprint my Street Use Invoice report?
No.
The Fee Statement report cannot be used to reprint a Street Use Invoice. Individual fees are tied to the Application or Permit record, not to the Invoice record itself.
If you try to run the Fee Statement report using a Street Use Invoice number (SUINV), the system will generate a blank report.
To reprint an invoice, you must use the Street Use Invoice report, not the Fee Statement report.
Why do I get a blank page when I run the Fee Statement report for my Invoice record?
You get a blank page because fees are not associated with the Invoice record—they are tied to the Application or Permit record.
When you run the Fee Statement report using a Street Use Invoice (SUINV) number, the system finds no fees linked to that record, so it returns a blank report.
What to do instead:
- Identify the Application or Permit record number associated with the Invoice.
- Run the Fee Statement report using that Application or Permit number.
To locate the correct Application or Permit number, see How to Find and Pay Your Current Street Use Invoice.
For instructions on generating the report, see How to Find and Pay Fees Due for Your Street Use Application or Permit - How to Generate a Fee Statement Report.
How can I tell if an invoice is paid?
You can tell an invoice is paid by checking its Status tab in the Seattle Services Portal. Here’s how and what to look for:
How to check
- Go to the Seattle Services Portal.
- On the homepage, click Search All Records.
- Enter the Street Use Invoice number (SUINV) in the Record Number field.
- Click Search.
- Open the invoice record and select the Status tab.
What confirms the invoice is paid
- Invoiced tab has a green checkmark - the invoice was successfully generated.
- Marked as Paid on xx/xx/20xx - payment was received and recorded on that date.
- Closed tab has a green checkmark - the invoice is fully settled.
If you see all three indicators, the invoice has been issued, paid, and closed, and there are no outstanding charges associated with it.
How Can I Dispute or Inquire About a Fee or Charge?
If you want to dispute or ask questions about a fee or charge, refer to How Do I Submit a Street Use Fee Dispute Request.
That guide walks you through the steps to submit a formal request so your fee concern can be reviewed by Street Use staff.