CITY OF SEATTLE

ORDINANCE __________________

COUNCIL BILL __________________

AN ORDINANCE related to fees and charges for permits and activities of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections and related fees by other departments, and technical corrections; amending Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 22.900B, General Provisions; Chapter 22.900C, Fees for Land Use Review; Chapter 22.900D, Fees for New and Altered Buildings and Equipment; Chapter 22.900E, Fees for Certificates and Registrations; Chapter 22.900F, Compliance and Other Inspections; and Chapter 22.900G, Fees Collected for Other Departments.

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Section 22.900B.010 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:

22.900B.010 Base fee and hourly rate

A.  The SDCI base fee shall be charged as specified in this Subtitle IX and shall be (( $210 )) $216 .

B.  Any services provided by the Department for which an hourly charge is assessed shall be charged at a rate specified in this Subtitle IX.

The hourly rate for land use review is (( $315 )) $324 . The rate for all other hourly fees is (( $210 )) $216 an hour except where a different hourly rate is specified in this Subtitle IX. Where “SDCI hourly rate” is specified in this Subtitle IX, the rate is (( $210 )) $216 an hour.

C.  (( Where )) If an hourly rate is specified, overtime shall be charged at that same rate. (( Where )) If no hourly rate is specified, overtime shall be charged at (( $210 )) $216 an hour. All overtime shall require approval by the Director. The minimum fee for each overtime request shall be one hour, with minimum increments of 1/4 hour, in addition to other permit fees established by this Subtitle IX.

Section 2. Section 22.900B.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:

22.900B.020 Miscellaneous and special fees

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D.  Address (( Change )) change . The fee to correct the address on an application or, if applicable, on an issued permit is (( $57 )) $58.50 . If an address change is requested that is unrelated to an application for a permit or for an issued permit, a fee of one (( times )) multiplied by the base fee shall be assessed.

E.  Copies of electronic and microfilm records. Charges for plans reproduced from electronic records or from the microfilm library are shown in Table B-1 for 22.900B.020.

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Section 3. Section 22.900C.010 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125248, is amended as follows:

22.900C.010 Land use fees

A.  Land Use (( Review Fees )) review fees . The land use review fee for Master Use Permits, Council and Hearing Examiner approvals, environmentally critical area reviews, shoreline reviews , and other miscellaneous reviews, research , and services shall be charged according to Table C-1 for 22.900C.010 unless otherwise specified. For any review, research , or service that is not listed in Table C-1 for 22.900C.010, the minimum fees will be determined by the Director based on the estimated complexity of work, but in no case shall be less than 0.5 hours (( times )) multiplied by the current Land Use hourly rate and in no case more than 10 hours (( times )) multiplied by the current Land Use hourly rate. Additional hours worked that exceed the number covered by the minimum fee shall be charged at the current Land Use hourly rate and are required to be paid at the time of invoicing and/or prior to approval of permits. Land use review that is subject to the Land Use hourly rate may include, but is not limited to: review time for (( more than one )) each technical reviewer (( , )) ; pre-application services (( , )) ; project review (( , )) ; permit issuance (( , )) ; and continued review during the building permit and construction approval phases of the project as well as inspections or site visits during construction or post construction to ensure compliance with requirements of approval . Land Use hourly rate also includes time spent preparing for and defending a Director’s decision or recommendation if appealed to the Hearing Examiner.

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Section 4. Section 22.900D.010 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:

22.900D.010 Development permit fees

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^{F.  Blanket (( Permits )) permits}

^{1.  The application fee for a blanket permit to cover initial nonstructural tenant alterations within the first three years of the first tenant alteration permit shall be charged at the rate of (( $5.65 )) $5.80 per 100 square feet of space to be improved within the life of the permit. A deposit based on the estimated value of the work to be completed during the life of the permit shall be collected at the time of application. As individual tenant spaces are reviewed, the amount of the fee equivalent to the floor space examined shall be deducted from the deposit per Table D-2 for 22.900D.010.}

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^{H.  Certificate of Occupancy. The issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for existing buildings, either if no Certificate of Occupancy has previously been issued or if a change of occupancy is requested, requires a building permit. If there is no construction valuation (there is no work which would require a building permit), the minimum building permit fee shall be assessed. In addition to the minimum building permit fee, if records research, plan examination , or inspection is required, charges shall be assessed at the SDCI hourly rate. If work is being done as authorized by a permit, the permanent Certificate of Occupancy fee is not assessed in addition to the building permit fee. The fee for a temporary Certificate of Occupancy shall be charged at the rate of 1/2 the base fee. The fee for the duplication of a Certificate of Occupancy is (( $35.10 )) $36.10 unless records research, plan examination , or inspection is required, in which case charges shall be assessed at the SDCI hourly rate.}

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^{Section 5. Section 22.900D.090 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900D.090 Permit fees for mechanical equipment and systems, other than boilers and pressure vessels and refrigeration systems}

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^{Section 6. Section 22.900D.100 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900D.100 Refrigeration equipment and systems}

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^{B.  Temporary installations of ten days’ duration or less, made for the purposes of exhibition, display, or demonstration, shall be charged a fee of (( $62 )) $63.70 for each installation.}

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^{Section 7. Section 22.900D.110 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900D.110 New installations and alterations of boilers and pressure vessels}

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^{Section 8. Section 22.900D.140 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900D.140 New installations and alterations of elevators and other conveyances}

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^{Section 9. Section 22.900D.145 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900D.145 Site and geotechnical review fee}

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^{Section 10. Section 22.900D.150 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900D.150 Electrical permit fees}

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^{Section 11. Section 22.900D.160 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900D.160 Sign, awning, and canopy permit fees}

^{A.  Permanent signs. For permanent signs, a permit fee of (( $139 )) $142.80 shall be charged for the first 32 square feet or less of the total display area of the sign plus an additional charge for each 10 square feet or fraction thereof of total display area in excess of 32 square feet as shown in Table D-16 for 22.900D.160. Adding any on-premises business sign with over 5 square feet of area to an existing structure requires a permit.}

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^{D.  Wall Signs. The maximum fee for signs painted on or otherwise applied directly to the building wall without a frame or mechanical fasteners is (( $636 )) $653.50 .}

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^{Section 12. Section 22.900E.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900E.020 Boiler and pressure vessel certificates of operation}

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^{Section 13. Section 22.900E.030 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900E.030 Fees for elevator certificates of inspection}

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^{Section 14. Section 22.900E.040 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900E.040 Refrigeration systems annual operating permit fee}

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^{Section 15. Section 22.900E.050 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900E.050 Boiler, refrigeration , and gas piping licenses and examinations}

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^{Section 16. Section 22.900E.060 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900E.060 Registration of special inspectors}

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^{C.  The fee for renewal of a special inspector certificate of registration covering one or more types of inspection for which the registrant has been qualified is (( $55 )) $56.50 .}

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^{Section 17. Section 22.900F.010 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900F.010 Monitoring vacant buildings}

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^{Section 18. Section 22.900F.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 124919, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900F.020 Noise fees}

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^{Section 19. Section 22.900G.010 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900G.010 Fees for Department of Neighborhoods review}

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^{E.  Environmental (SEPA) (( Review )) review of (( Projects )) projects . Review of referrals pursuant to subsections 25.05.675.H.2.c and 25.05.675.H.2.d by the City Historic Preservation Officer is charged at (( $280 )) $288 an hour.}

^{F.  Landmark (( Reviews )) reviews . Review of a building, site, or object’s eligibility as a Seattle landmark pursuant to (( Section )) section 25.05.800.B or upon request is charged at (( $280 )) $288 an hour.}

^{G.  Requests for reviewing character structure TDP sending sites in the Pike/Pine Conservation Overlay District. The Department of Neighborhoods’ hourly review fee is (( $280 )) $288 an hour for determining whether a character structure may, if requested by a property owner, be added to the list of character structures in the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections Director’s Rule promulgated according to Section 23.73.005.}

^{Section 20. Section 22.900G.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 124047, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900.G.020 Fees for review by the Seattle Department of Transportation}

^{The fees for Seattle Department of Transportation Review (subsections 22.900A.040.B and 22.900A.040.C and Section 15.04.074) shall be collected by the Department for transfer to the Department of Transportation, or may be collected directly by the Seattle Department of Transportation . The fees are for review and inspection services associated with the following:}

^{1. School Use and School Development Advisory Committee;}

^{2. Major Institution Master Plans;}

^{3. Development (MUP) review;}

^{4. Pre-development submittal conferences and coordination;}

^{5. Traffic impact analysis; and}

^{6. Shoring and Excavation .}

^{Section 21. Section 22.900G.080 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125184, is amended as follows:}

^{22.900G.080 Design Commission fees}

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^{D.  Special (( Exceptions )) exceptions . The Commission will bill non-City projects at the hourly rate of (( $109 )) $112 an hour per Commissioner for subcommittee review, or (( $770 )) $791 an hour for full Commission review, except that fees may be waived, in whole or in part, at the discretion of the Commission with the concurrence of the City Budget Director in the following circumstances:}

^{1.  Whenever Commission fees, if charged, would be disproportionate to the sums available and could cause abandonment of the project for the following types of projects: artworks, projects funded by grants and donations, neighborhood self-help projects undertaken by volunteers and nonprofit organizations, and small capital improvements;}

^{2.  For low-income and special needs housing projects subject to Design Commission review.}

^{E.  Street (( Use Permit Reviews )) use permit reviews . Street use permit reviews, which are required before issuance of a street use permit for improvements within the public right-of-way, will be billed at the hourly rate of (( $109 )) $112 an hour per Commissioner for subcommittee review, or (( $770 )) $791 an hour for full Commission review. Billing will be sent to the Seattle Department of Transportation for inclusion into the plan review costs charged to the applicant, or be billed directly by the Department. For those projects billed through the Seattle Department of Transportation, payment will be made by a fund transfer from the Seattle Transportation Operating Fund to the Department Operating Fund from funds paid by the applicant.}

^{F.  Early Master Use Permit (( Stage or Projects Outside )) stage or projects outside City (( Contract Process )) contract process . For design review at an early Master Use Permit stage or for projects outside The City of Seattle contract award process, Design Commission fees will be billed by the Department at an hourly rate of (( $109 )) $112 an hour per Commissioner for subcommittee review, or (( $770 )) $791 an hour for full Commission review.}

^{Section 22. This ordinance shall take effect on January 1, 2018.}

  ^{Passed by the City Council the ____ day of ________________________, 2017,
and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of ___________________, 2017.}

^{____________________________________}

^{President __________ of the City Council}

  ^{Approved by me this ____ day of _____________________, 2017.}

^{____________________________________}

^{Tim Burgess, Mayor}

  ^{Filed by me this ____ day of __________________________, 2017.}

^{____________________________________}

^{Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk}

^(Seal)