Niche substance · permits
The permit and inspection sequence, by work type
Renovation schedules are decided by a queue you cannot see. This page shows the whole path: which permits, which inspections, in which order, and what each inspector is actually looking at.
None by the jurisdiction
n/a
Nobody from the city visits. Quality control is entirely ours: a defined drywall finish level, a documented sheen schedule and a punch walk with you at the end.
Our internal raking-light check
After the first coat
We put a work light flat against each wall before the second coat. Anything that shows gets patched, sanded and re-primed before we carry on.
Rough plumbing
Walls open, before insulation
Drain, waste and vent under test, water lines pressurised, correct slope on the drain, vent sizing and the trap arm length for each fixture.
Rough electrical
Walls open, before insulation
Box fill, cable support, small-appliance circuits, dedicated circuits, AFCI and GFCI coverage and the grounding electrode conductor if the panel was touched.
Rough mechanical
Walls open, before insulation
Duct sizing and routing for the hood and bath fan, termination to the outside, and the make-up air path if the hood exceeds the threshold.
Shower pan
Before tile, bathrooms only
A flood-tested pan held for 24 hours. We photograph the test and the reading goes in the project record.
Final plumbing, electrical and mechanical
Fixtures installed
Everything operating, labelled, and the fan actually moving air measured at the grille.
Footing
Before the pour is covered
Depth, bearing soil, dimensions and rebar for any new pad footing under a post. Once concrete covers it, nobody can verify it, so this inspection is never skipped.
Framing
Beam and posts in, before anything closes
Beam size and species against the stamped drawings, hardware model numbers, fastener schedule, post continuity and the full load path down to the footing.
Shear nailing
Sheathing on, before siding or drywall
Where a wall is re-sheathed to replace lost shear capacity, the nail pattern, edge distance and hold-down hardware are checked panel by panel.
Rough plumbing, electrical and mechanical
After framing passes
Every service that used to live inside the removed wall, in its new route.
Insulation
Before drywall
Only where the work touched an exterior wall or an unconditioned ceiling.
Drywall nail
Board up, before taping
Screw pattern and spacing on shear walls and fire-rated assemblies.
Final building
Trim and finishes complete
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, guards, egress, and a walk of the completed work against the approved set.
Egress opening
After the wall is cut, before framing closes it
Net clear opening area, minimum width and height, sill height above the finished floor, and the well dimensions plus its ladder or steps.
Under-slab plumbing
Trench open, before the slab is repoured
Only where a bathroom below the sewer invert needs an ejector pit. Pipe slope, bedding and the pit itself are checked before concrete.
Framing
Walls and soffits up
Fire blocking, headers over openings, and clearances around the furnace or water heater.
Rough plumbing, electrical and mechanical
Before insulation
Circuits, smoke and carbon monoxide alarm locations, bath exhaust and the heat source serving the new space.
Insulation
Before drywall
Foam against the foundation wall, with the assembly matching the approved energy path. This is where a batts-on-concrete detail gets rejected.
Final building
Complete
Alarms, egress operation without a key or tool, handrails and guards on the stair, and ceiling height verified in the field.
Erosion control and setback
Before excavation
Silt fence, construction entrance, and stakes proving the new footprint sits where the approved site plan says it does.
Footing
Forms and rebar in, before the pour
Depth below grade, bearing, dimensions, rebar size and lap, and anchor bolt layout.
Foundation wall and damp-proofing
Before backfill
Wall reinforcement, anchor bolts, damp-proofing and the footing drain with its rock and filter fabric.
Under-slab or under-floor
Before the slab or subfloor closes
Plumbing groundwork, vapour barrier and any insulation under the slab.
Shear and framing
Sheathed and dried in
Nailing pattern, hold-downs, straps, beam and header sizes, and the connection where new framing meets old.
Rough plumbing, electrical and mechanical
Before insulation
All three, usually on the same day, plus a gas pressure test where gas is extended.
Air sealing and insulation
Before drywall
Envelope insulation values, air sealing details and the energy-code credits the permit claimed.
Drywall nail
Board up, before tape
Screw spacing on shear walls and at any fire-rated separation.
Final building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing
Complete
Life safety, egress, guards, ventilation rates, and the approved-set walk-through.
Footing
Holes dug, before the pour
Depth, diameter, bearing and the post base hardware that will be set into the concrete.
Ledger and framing
Structure up, before decking
Ledger fastener type and spacing, flashing, the condition of the rim joist behind it, beam and joist sizes, and lateral load connectors back into the house.
Rough electrical
Before covering
Wet-rated boxes, GFCI protection and cable routing.
Final building
Complete
Guard height, baluster spacing, graspable handrail, riser consistency and the roof tie-in flashing.
The review cycle
What actually happens between submission and issue
From the outside, permit review looks like nothing happening. Something is happening. It is happening in a queue, and it has six recognisable stages.
- 01
Submission
A complete set goes in: plans, elevations, sections, structural calculations with a stamp, energy-code forms and a scaled site plan. Incomplete sets are rejected at intake, before they even reach a reviewer.
- 02
Queue
Your set waits for the slowest reviewer on the routing list: building, structural, mechanical, sometimes planning, sometimes fire. This is the part nobody can shorten.
- 03
Correction letter
Between four and twenty items is normal. Some are trivial, some are substantive. A correction letter is not a failure, it is the reviewer doing their job.
- 04
Resubmittal
We answer every item in one response. Answering in pieces sends you back into the queue more than once.
- 05
Re-review
A second round is common. A third means something structural is genuinely unresolved, and we will tell you that rather than keep resubmitting.
- 06
Issue
The permit is issued in our name. Long-lead items are ordered the same week, and the inspection card goes up on site.
By jurisdiction
Six cities, six review desks
Every Eastside city runs its own intake, its own routing and its own inspection queue. These are the things each desk reliably asks about.
Bellevue
Bellevue runs its own permit desk with online submission. Structural review for a wall removal typically runs 6 to 10 weeks with one correction round. Additions commonly land at 12 to 18 weeks.
Kirkland
Kirkland applies careful review to height, lot coverage and tree retention. Budget an extra correction round on anything that touches the roof line or removes a significant tree.
Redmond
Truss roofs mean any ceiling change needs a modification letter from the original truss manufacturer, or a new engineered truss design. Plan four to six extra weeks for that alone.
Mercer Island
Critical-area review, tree regulations and geotechnical reporting come up frequently on sloped lots. We assume a geotechnical report on anything that touches the foundation here.
Sammamish
Plateau drainage and stormwater rules apply to impervious surface additions. Decks and patios can trigger a drainage review that the house itself would not.
Issaquah
Highlands properties frequently sit inside a homeowners association design review as well as the city permit. Both run in parallel and both can issue corrections.
What actually helps
Five things that shorten review, and three that do not
These help
- A complete set at first submission, with stamped calculations rather than a note saying calculations to follow
- Energy-code compliance forms filled in properly, one of the most common correction items
- A site plan drawn to scale with real setbacks, not a sketch
- Answering the entire correction letter in one resubmittal
- Responding within days, since the resubmittal re-enters the queue when you send it, not when you received the letter
These do not
- Calling the reviewer to ask for a status
- Knowing someone at the counter
- Starting work anyway
The third one is the expensive mistake. It pauses everything, adds a penalty in most jurisdictions, and creates a record that a buyer's inspector will find.
No. A stop-work order pauses everything, adds a penalty in most jurisdictions, and creates a record that surfaces at sale. It is the most common way a renovation loses three months.
The superintendent. The permit is in our name and the inspection card is our responsibility. You never have to chase a correction notice.
It happens, usually on a detail rather than a concept. The inspector writes the correction, we fix it, and we call for a re-inspection. We tell you the same day, with the schedule effect.
Never. Unpermitted work is a liability at sale, an insurance problem after a loss, and frequently unsafe. We have legalised other people's unpermitted work often enough to know what it costs.
A same-footprint bathroom with plumbing and electrical sub-permits, issued online the same week. The slowest was a second-storey addition at nineteen weeks with two correction rounds.
Next step
Start with a walk-through, not a price
Ninety minutes in your house. We look at the crawlspace, the attic and the panel before we look at the kitchen, and you leave with a budget band you can plan around.