How Do I Apply for a Street Improvement Permit or SDOT Final Plat Permit?

Instructions for Applying for a Street Improvement or SDOT Final Plat Permit

Follow these steps to apply for a Street Improvement Permit or an SDOT Final Plat permit using the Seattle Services Portal. This process helps ensure that your application for street improvement impacts to the public meets Street Use's requirements for usage of the right-of-way with minimal impacts to the traveling public and existing infrastructure. For our example, we have selected a Street Improvement Permit. The application process for Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Final Plat permit is the same. The information requested varies slightly, but the steps are the same.

Not sure what kind of SDOT permit you need? Refer to the SDOT web site for more information.

What You'll Need to Start Your Application

Before you start, gather these documents. What you will need varies by the type of permit you are applying for. Most are available on the Street Use Permitting Checklists, Forms, and Templates page. The initial documents frequently required are:

• Letter of Authorization: A signed document that gives permission from the property owner to another party (like the Applicant) to manage the permit or pay the fees (like the Financially Responsible Party).
• 30 Percent (Pct) SIP Plans
• Any additional documents specific to your project. A reviewer will notify you if additional materials are needed.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Login or Register

1. Go to the Seattle Services Portal.
2. Log in:
   • If you already have an account, log in with your credentials.
   • If you don’t have an account, register for a new account before proceeding.

Step 2: Start Your Application

1. Click the Home tab.
2. Under Create New, click Permits – Street Use.
3. Records are grouped by type of permit. Click the triangle symbol next to each group to expand (or collapse) the list. A description is provided. For a street improvement permit, expand the Major Street Improvement group.
4. Click Street Improvement Permit (or SDOT Final Plat).

Step 3: Provide Your Project Location

1. On the Location Information page, enter your project address. For best results, only enter the Street No. and Street Name when searching.
   • Street No. (required): Enter the house or building number.
   • Street Name (required): Enter the name of the road. For a numbered street, such as 700 5th Ave, only enter "5".
2. Click Search. If prompted, select the correct address or parcel number and click Select.
3. Click Continue to proceed.

Step 4: Provide Contact Information

On the Contacts page, provide details for the required contacts:

• Applicant: You, the person filling out this application.
• Owner: The person or organization owning the property, business or asset.
• Financially Responsible Party: The person or organization in charge of paying any permit fees.
• Onsite Contact: The person available if we need to speak with somebody onsite.
• Optionally, add additional contacts like an Authorized Agent in the Additional Contacts section.

1. To add a contact:

   • Click Myself to auto-populate the contact information from your Seattle Services Portal user account. 
   • Click Someone Else to find an existing contact. If the person or organization isn’t found, click the “Person or organization not listed? Add them here." link.

   Note: If the Applicant or Financially Responsible Party is different from the Owner, a Letter of Authorization will be required later.

2. Click Continue to proceed.

Step 5: Provide Your Project Details

1. On the Project Information page:
   • Optionally, enter a short Project Name for your project. This name appears on your invoice if you are billed.
   • For the Project and Location Description, enter a detailed description. The screen displays some guidance about the kind of information to provide.
2. Click Continue to proceed.

Step 6: Provide Related Information

1. On the Related Information page, optionally tell us about what else is related to your application.
   • Optionally, enter a Project Name.
   • Optionally, enter any relevant Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection (SDCI) or Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Street Use permit numbers.
   • Optionally, enter a Customer Reference. There are two fields you may use for your reference. Both fields appear on your invoice, if you are billed.
   • Optionally, enter Street and Utility Improvement Plan Number or Street and Utility Improvement Exception Reason.
   • Optionally, update the 24-Hour Contact and Restoration Party information.
   • Optionally, enter any enforcement action in Warning/Citation/NOV.
   • Optionally, in Land Use Code Vesting Date, enter the date the project vested to the land use code as determined by SDCI.
   • Optionally, in SDCI Building Intake Appt Date, enter the date you submitted building permit documents to SDCI.
   • Optionally, in Method of Installation, enter method of utility installation.
   • Optionally, in Easement Detail, enter whether the project has a dedication or not and provide the final recording number.
2. Skip the Permit Priority section.
3. Click Continue to proceed.

Step 7: Attach Required Documents

On the Documents page, a link to document requirements for each permit type is provided. Required documents vary based on your record type as well as the ROW usages on your application. Some documents are required at application, and some are required later during the review process.

1. To upload a document, click Select under the Upload Documents section.
2. Select your document:
   1. Click Select in the File Upload popup.
   2. Select your document and click Open.
   3. Click Done in the File Upload popup.
3. Select your document type:
   1. In the Document Type dropdown, select the document type that matches the document you uploaded. For example, select "30 Pct SIP Plan" as your document type when uploading the matching document.
   2. Optionally, enter the Description of the document.
4. Click Save and wait for the upload to complete. Note: It may take a few minutes for your document to fully upload.
5. Repeat steps for each additional document required. When prompted, select the document type that matches the document you are uploading.
6. Click Continue to proceed.
   • If you see a red Attention message, that means you either have not selected the correct Document Type, and/or have missed a required document.
   • If a document is missing, go back to step 1 in this section and upload the missing document.
   • If you selected the wrong Document Type on a document that you have already saved, upload the document again and pick the Document Type that matches the Condition in the Attention message. You may also add a description explaining that you are uploading the document a second time with the correct Document Type.

Step 8: Review and Submit

1. On the Review page:
   • Verify that all information is correct.
   • Make edits as needed by clicking Edit in the relevant sections.
2. Scroll to the bottom. Agree to the certification statement by checking the box.
3. Click Continue to submit.

Step 9: Confirmation Displays

A message displays confirming that your application is submitted for review. 

• Your record number format depends on the permit type:
  • Street Improvement Permit: SUSIP0000000
  • SDOT Final Plat permit: SDOTPLAT0000000
• Keep a record of your Record Number. 

An e-mail is sent to the four required contacts on the application notifying them of the application submission.

Congratulations! Your application has been submitted for review. The Street Use team will contact you if additional information is required. For questions or updates, email [e-mail] and include your Record Number in the subject line.

You can log into the Seattle Services Portal at any time to track the status of your application.

Need Help?

Visit the Seattle Services Portal help center, email [e-mail], or call [phone].