City of Sammamish - COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Information & Resources
At this time the City of Sammamish is not accepting development or construction permit applications that do not already have a Traffic Concurrency Certificate (TCR).
Background Information
On Monday April 20, 2020, the Washington State Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB) responded to the case of Don Gerend v. City of Sammamish with a mandate to resolve outstanding growth and development questions regarding the City’s prior amendments to its transportation concurrency and level of service standards. This is not a final decision but a directive to address issues raised by the GMHB.
On April 21, 2020, the City Council passed an immediate 6-month moratorium on all land use, development, and building permit applications.
Subsequently, in May 2020, City Council adopted amendments to limit the restriction to the submittal of new applications for Traffic Concurrency Certificates, with an exception for public agencies.
On July 28, 2020, City Council adopted a replacement 6-month that would expire on January 28, 2021.
Recently, on January 19, 2021, ordinance O2021-525 was adopted by City Council to renew the existing moratorium for an additional 6-month period. This moratorium is in effect from January 27, 2021 until July 27, 2021, with exceptions for:
Applications for TCRs will be accepted and processed in the order received starting on January 27, 2021. Any applications submitted on www.mybuildingpermit.com before then will be rejected.
References
Moratorium FAQs
GENERAL QUESTIONS
With the moratorium in place, what does that mean for my current application?
Any current application will continue to be reviewed. Any project that has already received a Traffic Concurrency Certificate (TCR), and the TCR has not expired, may submit for subsequent development applications.
So what types of projects may now apply for a TCR?
The current moratorium has exceptions for:
- one single-family residence on an existing lot
- one accessory dwelling unit (attached or detached) on an existing residential lot
- public agencies (such as cities, counties, and school districts)
What types of applications will not be accepted?
TCR applications will not be accepted for subdivisions (for any number of lots), multifamily residential development, or commercial development.
Any application for a building permit or land use permit must have a valid TCR in order to be accepted, in accordance with SMC 20.05.040.
You may submit for Project Guidance for more information. This is a free service, providing you with basic information for potential projects.
How long will this moratorium last?
Ordinance O2021-525 is in place for six months, from January 27, 2021 through July 27, 2021.
Yes. Since the permit application was submitted and paid for prior to April 22, 2020, it will still be reviewed and processed. For all existing applications, corrections will continue to be accepted.
Yes. All mechanical, plumbing, and electrical permits associated with a building permit will be allowed.
Yes. For all existing applications, corrections will continue to be accepted.
Yes. Since a Project Guidance or a Pre-Development Services request are both means of providing public information, and are NOT applications, those will continue to be accepted and processed by the City.
Yes. Permit applications for existing residences that are deemed complete will be accepted and reviewed.
Yes. As long as the financial guarantee is for a existing project/permit application, it will continue to be reviewed and processed.
Yes. Ordinance O2021-525 states that public projects for parks, trails, schools, and public agency facilities are exempt from the moratorium.
Yes. Permit applications for the construction of new single-family homes on lots that are vested under RCW 58.17.170 will be reviewed and processed.
Yes. The emergency ordinance does not prohibit right-of-way permits. Right-of-way permits are covered under Chapter 14A.30 of the Municipal Code and was not included in the ordinance.
Yes. All right-of-way permits are allowed to be submitted for work to be done in the public right-of-way.
Yes. You can perform maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to your systems in the public right-of way. A right-of-way permit will need to be submitted, reviewed, and approved prior to any work starting.
No. The moratorium prohibits traffic concurrency applications to be submitted and performed, except for single-family residences on existing lots and accessory dwelling units.
Yes. Right-of-way permits will continue to be reviewed and issued upon approvals.
No. You may apply for a Fire permit for sprinklers and/or alarms.
It depends. You may apply for a building permit if the work that needs to be done qualifies as exempt from the moratorium.
Yes. Enforcement will continue. However, cases may not be resolved until permits are able to be obtained. For cases not requiring permits, enforcement will continue as normal.
Permits & Regulations