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School building plan review and pre-occupancy inspection

Apply for a school building plan review

Planning and Design Phase: We will review your design plans for new school construction (including portables) and school remodel projects to ensure they comply with health and safety standards and guidance for K-12 school facilities. Turnaround time is approximately 4-5 weeks.

Before you apply, take these steps.

  • Contact local building, planning and zoning departments to determine any additional requirements. See Other Types of Reviews and Inspections from Public Health.
  • Get your Washington State Business License by applying online at www.dor.wa.gov.
  • If the facility is connected to a well or septic system, obtain a Certificate of Sewer Availability, or reach out to the King County On-Site Sewage/Septic System Program.
  • Conduct a noise study for new construction locations (not necessary for additions or replacements). Include the noise study report in your application packet.

Submit a plan review application in the Public Health Permit Center

  • Review School Building Plan Review Application Checklist

    Review the School Building Plan Review Application Checklist (266 KB) to make sure you have all the necessary information and documentation before starting.

  • Create or log in to your account

    Create or log in to your Permit Center account. For guidance using the system, see How to use the Public Health Permit Center.

  • Select the application for a school plan review by the project type

    Search for the application and select one of the below:

    • School Plan Review for New Construction - New school buildings (including demo/rebuild projects, additions, and adding classroom portables).
    • School Plan Review for Renovation or Remodel – Major renovations to the existing building and facilities (including moving or renovating portables, changing sports fields, and moving or installing specialty classrooms such as labs and shops).

    Please note:

  • Provide the required contacts for the application

    Either enter the information manually or search for contacts if they have an account.

    • Applicant: The project contact who we will coordinate with during the plan review (e.g. school project manager or architect/designer).
    • Owner: For public school districts, provide the school district name and address. For private schools, fill in the contact information for the owner.
    • Project Architect: This can be the same as the Applicant.
    • Project Manager: Usually, the main staff contact at the school or school district.
    • Contractor: Needed when the school requests a Pre-Occupancy Inspection after the construction is completed.

  • Upload the required documents to your application

    Files must have different names to upload correctly.  For more information, see School Building Plan Review Application Checklist (266 KB).

    • Water Verification or civil drawings highlighting the utility connection (for new site construction)
    • Sewer/Septic Verification or civil drawings highlighting the utility connection (for new site construction)
    • Noise Study (for new site construction)
    • Plans: one full size set of all drawings (except structural) for the entire facility, including a site plan and vicinity map. Do not submit structural drawings; they will be discarded.
    • Specifications Manual
    • Additional Applications (as necessary)
    • Safe Walking Routes Map (for new site construction)
    • No Hazard Letter (for new site construction) stating a site assessment showed no health hazards.

  • Pay for the plan review fees to finalize your application

    Even though your screen says, "your application was successfully submitted," you still need to pay the fee to finalize your application submission by selecting “add to cart” and proceeding to payment.

    A different contact can pay the invoice by using the invoice number.

  • Receive approval documentation after paying for additional fees (if any)

    After the plan review is completed and all invoices paid, we will email a notification with your approval to all contacts listed on the application. These documents can be found in your Public Health Permit Center account by going to My Work, then My Permits, then selecting the Permit Number, and viewing Attachments.

  • Construct project after approval

    After you have constructed your project, we must conduct a pre-occupancy inspection before students can use the facility.

Request a school building pre-occupancy inspection

Construction Phase: After the project has received an approved school plan review and completed construction, the project is ready for a preoccupancy inspection. A preoccupancy inspection is required before students may use any newly constructed or remodeled space at the school. The inspection ensures that construction conforms to the approved plans.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your newly constructed project did not go through our plan review process, you will need to first submit your final plans by Applying for a School Plan Review (see previous section above). This allows us to review the scope of the project before the inspection.

  • Review the K-12 School Pre-Occupancy Inspection Checklist

    Review the School Preoccupancy Checklist (310 KB) to ensure that your site is ready for our inspection. If the site is not ready when we arrive, we will need to schedule a revisit. This can delay the approval process and result in additional fees.

  • Fill out an online request form (not in the Public Health Permit Center)

    Submit your request using this Pre-Occupancy Inspection Request Form. Please submit your request form to us at least 1 week before the preoccupancy inspection is needed.

  • Create your account in the Public Health Permit Center (if you have not already done so)

    Create your Public Health Permit Center account. We will link the previously approved plan review for the project to your account. With an account, you can access your invoices, approval documents, and inspection reports under the project’s permit number.

    For guidance using the system, see How to use the Public Health Permit Center.

  • Schedule your inspection

    We will email you to schedule an inspection date using the information from your Pre-Occupancy Inspection Request Form. If anything changes with building readiness for the preoccupancy inspection, please contact us at SchoolEHS@kingcounty.gov.

  • Pay for the inspection fees

    Use the Public Health Permit Center to pay your inspection invoice. A different contact can pay by using the invoice number.

  • Receive approval after fees have been paid

    After the inspection is completed and all invoices paid, we will notify you via email when your inspection report is completed. These documents can be found in your Public Health Permit Center account by going to My Work, then My Permits, then selecting the Permit Number, and viewing Attachments.

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