How to Track Building Permits in Seattle: A Complete Guide

Building permits are public record in Seattle. Every construction project files one, and you can look up any of them. The question is which tool to use — the city runs three separate systems, and each one has gaps. This guide walks through all four options, from the city's own portals to BuildVue.

What Is a Building Permit?

SDCI (Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections) issues building permits to authorize construction, demolition, or renovation. Any project beyond minor repairs needs one, and every permit is public record.

Each permit includes:

• Address and parcel information
• Description of the proposed work
• Status (application, in review, issued, final, expired)
• Dates including application, issuance, and completion
• Estimated construction value
• Contractor and applicant information

Method 1: Seattle Services Portal (Accela)

The Seattle Services Portal is the city's official permit lookup system powered by Accela. You can search by address, permit number, or parcel number.

Pros: Official source, includes inspection records and document attachments.

Cons: Clunky interface, no map view, hard to browse by area or compare projects. One permit at a time, with no way to see everything at once.

Method 2: SDCI Records Research

SDCI maintains a document archive with scanned plans, approval letters, and historical permit records going back decades. Useful for researching a specific property's full history.

Best for: Looking up a specific property's permit and plan history.

Method 3: Seattle Open Data Portal

The Seattle Open Data Portal publishes two key datasets:

• Building Permits, which covers every building permit application since 1990
• Land Use Permits, which covers master use permits including design review, conditional use, and shoreline permits

You can filter, sort, and download the data in bulk. There's also an API (Socrata) for programmatic access.

Pros: Free, bulk access, downloadable, API available.

Cons: Raw data with no map, no project linking, and no images. Using the API takes some technical skill.

Method 4: BuildVue

BuildVue aggregates data from all the sources above into a single interactive map. It links related permits at the same address, classifies projects by type (multi-family, mixed-use, office, retail), and adds design drawing images, architect and developer information, and parcel data.

Key features:

• Interactive map with project markers and filtering
• Advanced filters by status, type, zoning, value, stories, units, and more
• Neighborhood browsing to see all projects in Ballard, Capitol Hill, or any Seattle neighborhood
• Saved searches with email alerts that notify you when new permits match your criteria
• Design drawings with architectural renderings and site plans
• Data export to download filtered results to CSV or Excel

Best for: Anyone monitoring construction activity across Seattle on an ongoing basis — developers, contractors, architects, and investors.

Understanding Permit Statuses

When tracking permits, you'll encounter these key statuses:

Tips for Effective Permit Tracking

1. Search by address, not just permit number, because multiple permits often exist for the same property (demolition, new construction, mechanical, etc.)
2. Check both building and land use permits, since large projects have a land use/master use permit for zoning approval and separate building permits for construction
3. Read the description field — it has the best summary of what's being built
4. Set up alerts — email notifications beat checking the portal every morning
5. Cross-reference with design review, since projects in design review are 1-3 years from construction, giving you early visibility

Start Tracking

Open BuildVue's map, filter by your neighborhood, and save your search. You'll get email alerts when new permits match your criteria.