How long does Seattle permit plan review take?
Based on 3,305 permits with recorded SDCI plan-review timing. "Plan review" is the time spent in review cycles before a permit is issued.
Half of permits clear review in 63 days or less, but the slowest 10% take 173+ days — the gap is where projects stall.
How to read these numbers
Plan around the median, budget around the 90th percentile. The average runs higher than the median because a long tail of complex projects — structural changes, new uses, landmark review — pulls it up. And each round of city review comments resets the clock while corrections are prepared, so the review-cycles figure matters as much as raw days.
Distribution of plan-review time
Average review time by permit type
Review cycles per permit
Each correction cycle adds a round-trip with reviewers. Permits sit out for corrections about 27 days on average.
Slowest neighborhoods by average review time
Neighborhoods with at least 3 reviewed permits, ranked by longest average review.
Average review time by review level
Raw numbers available as JSON at /api/plan-review.