🏗️ Puget Sound Blueprint & Permitting Tips
A Practical Guide to Building Right the First Time
Brought to you by professionals who’ve learned to read the ground before trying to write on it.
Welcome.
Whether you're a first-time homeowner planning an addition, an architect drafting in sleep-deprived CAD, or a contractor just trying to make it through permit hell without losing your last nerve—we’ve put this together for you.
Puget Sound is beautiful, expensive, and unforgiving. Let's make your blueprint hold under pressure.
🔟 Ten Tips for Better Blueprints (and Fewer Permit Nightmares)
1. Know Your Lot Like It Knows You
Pull your GIS parcel data first.
Look for: slope, access, easements, overlays.
Every project is shaped by the terrain it stands on.
🗺️ Pro Tip: Even “flat” sites may have hidden constraints like wetland buffers or old plat lines.
2. Setbacks Are Not Suggestions
They are legal and structural boundaries.
Know the front, side, and rear setbacks before you draw your first line.
These define your buildable envelope.
📐 What to Watch: Some cities apply “averaging” rules. Others do not. Don’t guess.
3. Your Coverage Ratio Tells a Story
Lot coverage isn’t just math—it tells you how much space you’re allowed to displace.
That number (often 35%-50%) is sacred. Break it, and expect a denial.
📏 Translate it early: Total impervious surfaces count: house + patio + garage + driveway.
4. The Permit Reviewers Are Your First Audience
Your plans need to communicate clearly.
Ambiguous labels, missing elevations, or “TBD” notes will cost you weeks.
📝 Golden Rule: Pretend you're submitting to a machine. If it's not 100% clear, it's a red flag.
5. A Good Site Plan is Worth More Than 1,000 Words
This is the first page most reviewers flip to.
Show: north arrow, scale, setbacks, structure footprint, trees, access, utilities, drainage.
📄 Pro Tip: Overlay zoning overlays—let them see what you already solved.
6. Never Underestimate Stormwater
In Puget Sound, the runoff always returns.
You may need infiltration trenches, rain gardens, dispersion, or detention systems—even for small additions.
🌧️ Before You Design: Know which manual your city uses (2021 Stormwater Manual, etc.)
7. Don’t Guess What “Residential” Means
Zoning language is local and often outdated. “R5” means 1 dwelling per 5,000 sqft—but what’s a “dwelling”? What’s “attached”?
Read your jurisdiction’s exact definitions.
📚 Best Practice: Link every design choice to a zoning clause or table row. Pre-answer their questions.
8. Overlays Change Everything
Floodplain? Historic district? Critical slope? Wildlife corridor?
Your base zoning doesn’t tell the whole truth.
🧭 Check First: County GIS portals often reveal overlays others miss.
9. Build Like You’ll Be Inspected Tomorrow
The permit is a promise to perform.
If you can’t build what’s drawn without improvisation, expect issues at framing inspection.
🛠️ Get Real: Don’t just make it pass on paper. Make it buildable in the field.
10. The Best Time to Catch a Mistake Is Before You Submit
Review your submittal packet like it isn’t yours.
Get a second set of eyes—draftsperson, engineer, even a trusted builder.
A missed page or note can delay permits by weeks.
📤 Check These:
Site plan
Floor plans
Elevations
Energy forms
Drainage design
Structural sheets
SEPA if applicable
📌 Bonus: Local Agencies You’ll Want to Bookmark
Agency
King County iMap https://kingcounty.gov/imap
Seattle SDCI https://seattle.gov/sdci
Snohomish PDS https://snohomishcountywa.gov/pds
Tacoma Planning https://cityoftacoma.org/planning
Pierce County PPW https://piercecountywa.gov/ppw
🧠 Final Thought
A permit is more than a stamp.
It’s your first real proof that the plan you dreamed can hold under the weight of reality.
Design it like it’s already built.
Then let the structure rise without surprise.