SeaTac’s Department of Community and Economic Development is designed to provide a one-stop location to obtain permits, provide customer service, and assist in the facilitation of economic development by creating a more cohesive approach to real estate development and job creation. The Community and Economic Development Department is under the direction of Evan Maxim and provides the following services to the SeaTac community: permitting, inspections, economic development, long range planning, and code compliance. The Department is organized into five divisions: Economic Development, Permit Center, Planning, and Building Services (includes Code Compliance). Work related to permits is closely coordinated with several other departments, including Police, Fire, and the Public Works’ Engineering Review Division.

CED's Mission

Our goal is to foster an inclusive, economically thriving, livable and safe community that is clean, healthy, and both neighborhood and business focused.

Economic Development

The Economic Development Division strives to create and retain jobs and increase the city’s tax base to help improve the quality of life and enhance the community. Aleksandr Yeremeyev, the Economic Development Manager, works with the city’s current and potential businesses and real estate developers to create a city with a well-balanced economic base. Economic development staff promotes the City of SeaTac as a place to invest and encourages businesses to locate in the City. This division also oversees Tourism and Travel, Workforce Development, and Neighborhood Development.

Permit Center

The Permit Center Division is a centralized location for the community to apply for and obtain permits, schedule inspections, pay fees, and engage with Community and Economic Development Department’s services. Becky Scheffer is the Permit Center Manager. The Permit Center is the central hub for permit review and is the primary point of contact for most permit customers.

Planning

The Planning Division is mainly responsible for long range planning, land use permitting, and environmental services and is under the direction of Jenn Kester, Planning Manager. The Division works with the City Council, Planning Commission, State agencies responsible for Growth Management, private sector developers, and other city divisions and departments to plan the future of the City. This is accomplished by developing, amending, and facilitating the Comprehensive Plan and Sub-area Plans that reflect the desires of the public. In addition, the Division also reviews land use permit applications such as subdivisions, multi-family development, and commercial building projects.

Building Services

The Building Services Division reviews building permits for compliance with the Washington State Building Code (SBC) as adopted by the SeaTac Municipal Code, which includes building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing regulations. The division manager, Mary Kate McGee, CBO, is also the Building Official, who according to State law, is responsible for ensuring development complies with the State and local codes. This division also manages the City’s Code Compliance Division.

Planning, Fire, and Engineering Review

To facilitate the comprehensive review of permit applications, the Community and Economic Development Department works closely with the Planning, Fire, and the Engineering Review Division. 

• The Planning Division reviews permit applications to ensure that new development incorporates Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) features. CPTED is the design and effective use of the built environment to reduce the fear and incidence of crime and improve the quality of life.

• The Fire Department, which is part of the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority (PSRFA), reviews permit applications to ensure that new construction complies with applicable fire regulations and codes.

• The Engineering Review Division is in the Public Works Department and reviews site engineering plans, which include information related to clearing, grading, paving, stormwater management system, roadway, right-of-way use and much more.

To learn more about what we do and why, click on the graphic below.

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