I don’t know how many of you have ever submitted for a building permit in King County, WA., but I’m willing to bet if you have you haven’t done it twice. I’m a builder and I do it all the time, but the amount of data you need to gather makes a federal report look tame.

Today was the day to get the permit for our new spec in. I live on Vashon Island out in the Puget Sound and once a week, on Tuesday, a fellow from our building department is out here to answer questions and intake permits. This may not sound like a big deal, but a trip to the DDES (Department of Development and Environmental Services) building in Renton is an all day affair, and nothing to be trifled with. Anyway, I was sure I had all the paper work ready and was going to drop off The Stack on my way to the ferry to head to our job in Seattle.

I decided to give the application the once over this morning about 6:30 when I hit the office. I realized that I missed a couple forms, no big deal, after all there are about 100 of them. There was the Post Construction Soil Amendment Form, a mere 1,000 pages that I had put off, plus the all time favorite, Proof of Legal Lot. I figured a few minutes and I would have it done. After all I am a professional and have done this many, many times.

The thing about me, and maybe you too, is that if I don’t do some mundane task almost on a daily basis the fine points of the endeavor tend to fade away. Forms and such are probably the worst (although copying machines come in a close second as I found out when I went to get the Three Copies of the Site Plan required by the County). Anyway, after looking over the Soil Form for half an hour a light finally went off in my head and I remembered what I was doing.

Then came the Proof of Legal Lot. Now this one I understand. Well, sort of. It is a way for the county to ascertain that the lot you are proposing to develop is legal. LEGAL??? They have been taxing it for the last hundred years or so so you would think it’s legal right? NOOOO! You have to prove that it was segregated before October 1, 1972, or have the original plat if later. This means you have to have a deed, a real estate contract or other such paper stating the creation of the lot prior to ‘72. Now, I know where to get this, and I should have been prepared, but there is no way I am going to be able to get this by the time I need to leave. I have documentation as of 1974, so in it goes with The Stack and cross your fingers.

I’m sure in three or four weeks I will get a nice note from someone down at DDES asking for better proof of legal lot. By then, of course, I will have it, will send it in and hopefully the permit will bounce it’s merry way down the corridors of that building in Renton. And when it comes back to me stamped Approved I’ll let you know. Synchronize you watches, now.

I know that in my industry there is no better sport than ripping on the local building department. After all they have a lot of control over our lives and our businesses. But King County takes the cake. I’ve heard stories that our little DDES is famous throughout the country. What a thing to be known for. It couldn’t be our mountains or the Sound instead? A little less paperwork would kill you guys?