When do I need a permit design drawings?

It really depends on the city jurisdiction, however most of the time whenever you perform one of the actions:

- Construction of a deck where any of the following apply:

-Larger than 200 square feet

-The deck surface exceeds 30 inches above the finished grade at any point

-Attached to a dwelling serves the main side-hinged exit door

-A permit is also required for replacing or repairing existing decks that meet the previous criteria

-Installation or moving an exterior door, skylight, or window, including making an existing window wider

-Construction of or modification to a garage or carport

-A remodel of a house, such as creating new walls, converting basements or garages into living areas, or adding a bay window

-A tenant improvement to a commercial building, including interior and exterior changes

-Construction of retaining walls or rockeries over four feet high, or where a car or structure is on top of the wall; the height of the wall is measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall

-For single-family residences, roofing projects that include modifying or replacing the sheathing

-For multi-family residential or non-residential property, any roofing project

-Construction of a storage shed or playhouse with a floor area greater than 200 square feet

Please get in touch with your city construction department to verify.

What exactly are Design Drawings and what are they used for?

Design drawings are often aesthetic renderings or drawings that depict the client's desires and ideas. These sketches represent the initial step in the design process. They may be utilized for any project, including remodels, house expansions, and new construction.

Design drawings serve a variety of functions. They are used at the start of the design phase to develop and express the client's ideas into an acceptable and intelligible design. Design drawings are often used by homeowners to explain their designs to contractors and the city building department to obtain permits.

Design drawings benefit the city building department by providing them with the necessary information to ensure that the proposed building meets the necessary zoning and building code regulations, safety standards, and energy efficiency standards.

Do I need an architect or engineer to prepare my plans?

Washington State has requirements for when an architect is required to complete a set of plans. Generally, any building over 4,000 square feet, where the life safety or structural systems are modified, must be designed by a licensed architect.

A structural engineer is required to prepare building plans when the design does not use the prescriptive building code requirements, or for walls or rockeries that require a building permit. A civil engineer is required to design drainage and roadway improvements. Source: https://www.ci.woodinville.wa.us/Faq.aspx?QID=77

How permit drawings are different from architectural drawings?

A set of permit drawings is simply a set of basic drawings that comply with a building department's checklist to verify the building is permitted to be built on the property and also shows it will meet the most basic safety and energy efficiency standards. Aside from that, further construction plans are required to specify the construction specifics and materials to the contractor. The building department is unconcerned with the technical aspects of the construction plans.

Permit drawings are relatively basic, providing only an approximation of the size and shape of a building, without conveying any specific information needed for construction. They are simply the minimum requirements to comply with a building department's checklist, verifying that the building is allowed to be built on the property and meets basic safety and energy efficiency standards. Additional construction drawings are required for the builder to understand the specific construction details and materials. The building department does not need to know the finer details of the construction such as the attachment of a stair tread or the exact specification of a window, door, or countertop. These details are not included in permit drawings as they are not required and it would increase the cost of review, time and scrutiny. Permit drawings are also subject to change throughout the design and construction process, therefore it is more efficient to not include these details in the early stage of the design and construction process.