skip to main content

DDES
900 Oakesdale Ave. S.W.
Renton, WA 98057-5212

Map

Phone: 206-296-6600
TTY Relay: 711

Service Center hours:
Monday to Friday,
Hours

DDES yearly statistics: Permit processing performance measures

Since 1996, King County's Department of Development and Environmental Services (DDES) has observed guidelines setting target time periods for processing key permit applications. These targets are:

Permit type Target time period
New residential building permits 90 days
Residential remodels 40 days
Residential appurtenances, such as decks and garages 15 days
Residential appurtenances requiring substantial site review 40 days
SEPA exempt clearing and grading 45 days
Clearing and grading requiring SEPA review 90 days
All other permit applications except 120 days
preliminary plats 150 days

King County is required by state law (RCW 36.70B.080, external links) to provide a performance report on its permit timelines.

DDES' performance on its permit targets for calendar year 2010 is provided below and past years also are available at DDES' yearly statistics archive.

Please note: DDES issues permits for property in unincorporated King County only. For information on property within a city boundary (external link), such as Seattle, Issaquah, Kent, etc., in King County, you must contact the city directly.

DDES Year 2010 permit processing performance summary

Building Services

KEY PERMITS*
2010
Target days Total permits Average days # within target % within target # outside target
Residential model homes (Basics) 90 414  408  99%  6
Residential custom homes 90 164 79 122 74% 42
Residential minor additions 15 64 10 49 77% 15
New commercial buildings 120 11 118 7 64% 4
Multi-family housing 120 5 110 3 60% 2
Commercial tenant improvements 120 27 64 22 81% 5

*Key permits are individual permit types that are considered representative of major construction groups.

ALL PERMITS BY CLOCK TARGET*
2010
Total permits Average days # within target % within target # outside target
All building permits with 15 day target 64 10 49 77% 15
All building permits with 40 day target 481 40 254 53% 227
All building permits with 90 day target 741 31 670 90% 71
All building permits with 120 day target 2,054 12 2,015 98% 39
Totals 3,340

*Excludes less than 1% of permits that did not have targets assigned.

Land Use Services

KEY PERMITS*
2010
Target days Total permits Average days # within target % within target # outside target
Conditional use 120 10 127 5 50% 5
Preliminary plats 150 3 99 3 100% 0
Preliminary short plats 120 23 78 23 100% 0
Lot line adjustments 120 65 22 65 100% 0
Right-of-way 120 14 42 13 93% 1
Clearing/Grading 45 1 1 1 100% 0
Clearing/Grading 90 73 58 59 81% 14

*Key permits are individual permit types that are considered representative of major construction groups.

ALL PERMITS BY CLOCK TARGET*
2010
Total permits Average days # within target % within target # outside target
All land use permits with 45 day target 1 1 1 100% 0
All land use permits with 90 day target 214 37 185 86% 29
All land use permits with 120 day target 242 96 197 81% 45
All land use permits with 150 day target 4 106 4 100% 0
Totals 461

*Excludes less than 1% of permits that did not have targets assigned.

For statistics from past years, see DDES' yearly statistics archive.

For questions or more information, please contact Paula Adams, Public Information and Records Officer, at 206-296-6682 or e-mail DDESWebInquiries@kingcounty.gov.