Retaining Wall Permit on a Steep Backyard Slope — Seattle, WA
A 5-ft engineered retaining wall inside a Seattle steep-slope ECA — sealed by a Washington PE and approved by SDCI…
A Butler Chain boathouse held under the over-water cap with the NHWE contour and conservation line plotted — through a famously picky review in one revision.
A boathouse on the Butler Chain of Lakes required an exhibit for the county's environmental division: the normal high-water elevation contour, the structure's square footage over water against the cap, and the conservation-area line landward of the shore.
We plotted the NHWE contour from the county's lakes data, dimensioned the 480 SF boathouse and 4-ft walkway against the over-water maximum, showed the conservation line with the required upland setback, and tabulated it all in a compliance box on the sheet.
One revision to adjust the walkway handrail note and the environmental division approved — on a chain of lakes known for multi-round reviews.
Use these free planning tools for an early check, then confirm every limit, definition, and submittal requirement with the local authority having jurisdiction.
Local-rule reminder: tool results and project examples are planning aids, not an approval guarantee. Your building or planning department makes the final determination.