Pre-applications
Pre-application meetings are held between a prospective permit applicant and DDES staff before a permit application is filed. Large or complex projects in unincorporated King County require a pre-application meeting and detailed land use inquiries may require a pre-application/feasibility meeting, for which fees are charged at the Department's hourly rate.
During the initial meeting, DDES staff sit down with applicants and review their project's feasibility, zoning, setback requirements, potential costs and other requirements critical to the project's success.
The goal is to ensure that customers understand what is ahead of them with any project they are pursuing. Being unfamiliar with the permit process can be costly both in terms of dollars and in time. A pre-application meeting is an excellent investment, whether it is required or voluntary.
Pre-application meetings also can provide prospective permit applicants with a cost estimate for the actual permit review, thus offering customers an early opportunity to decide whether they want to proceed with a development proposal.
While pre-applications are required for the largest and most complex permit types, voluntary pre-application meetings also are offered to customers working ahead of time to ensure that the permit process is as smooth and predictable as possible.