Section 15.04.074 of the Seattle Municipal Code authorizes and directs the Director of Transportation to prepare and recommend to the City Council, for passage by ordinance, a schedule of fees applicable to all street and sidewalk use permits (the Street Use Fee Schedule) commensurate with the cost of administering, reviewing, inspecting, and policing involved in issuing and continuing the permits and the uses granted by permits.

Street Use fees are intended to cover full costs of permit issuance, inspection, and plan review, and it is appropriate that those wanting to use public rights-of-way should bear the costs associated with obtaining appropriate street and sidewalk use permits. In addition, Seattle Department of Transportation is advancing operational and programmatic improvements to allow the department to moderate future increases to fees and rates.

Updating the Street Use Fee Schedule to better recover the costs of permitting will free up use and occupation fees to be returned to the community in the form of investments to support: managing right-of-way, activating public space, leveraging development and utility restoration efforts, and returning the value of using the right-of way to the community that experienced disruption.

It is appropriate that Street Use adjust those fees to comply with current City policy to protect the right-of-way for the traveling public, and place Street Use on a solid fiscal foundation. Therefore,

Be it ordained by The City of Seattle as follows:

Section 1. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Street Use Fee Schedule, last amended by Ordinance 127346, is replaced by the SDOT Street Use Fee Schedule attached as Attachment A to this ordinance. Otherwise, authority to adjust rates and fees as authorized in Ordinances 125945 and 125185 remains in effect.

Attachments:

Attachment A - SDOT Street Use Permit Fee Schedule