A correction notice landed in your portal, and it feels like the city just said no. It did not. ADU permit corrections are a routine part of Seattle review, and SDCI says it can take several rounds of back and forth before a permit is ready. A DADU, or detached accessory dwelling unit, is a separate home on the same lot as a house.

Each notice lists what a reviewer needs to see changed or explained.

Details below reflect official Seattle pages checked in October 2026. Confirm with city staff for your property.

Why Do Reviewers Ask for Changes?

Several teams review each application, and each one reads the plans against a different code. The mix depends on your site, so a steep lot or a large tree can add reviewers that a flat lot never sees. Zoning looks at setbacks, height and coverage. Structural review checks framing and bracing, and energy review checks insulation and windows.

Because each team writes its own comments, one notice can mix very different requests. You might see a zoning note next to an engineering question and an energy form request. A small gap in one sheet can draw notes from two reviewers, because both rely on the same drawing.

Common Reasons for Comments

• Sheets that disagree, such as a window on a floor plan but not on an elevation.
• Missing dimensions to property lines or between buildings.
• Structural details or calculations that need more support.
• Energy values that do not match the window schedule.
• Easements or recorded agreements left off the site plan.

Setbacks draw many zoning notes, and the post on Seattle ADU setbacks shows what reviewers measure. Recorded agreements matter too, as the guide to DADU easement restrictions explains.

When Can You Respond?

Timing has a firm rule. SDCI’s page on responding to review comments says every review must finish first. The project status must read Corrections Required before you can upload anything.

That can feel slow if one review wraps up early, because you can see its comments but cannot act on them yet. So use the wait well. Draft answers as comments arrive, but hold the upload until the full cycle closes. The city notifies the primary contact once all reviews in the cycle are complete.

How Should Each Comment Be Answered?

SDCI uses electronic plan review and sends a consolidated summary report plan set at the end of each cycle. Your designer replies to every item directly in that file.

• Describe the change you made.
• Give a code citation if you did not make a requested change.
• Explain any voluntary changes the reviewer did not ask for.
• Cloud or circle every change on the drawings.

Responses from the architect, engineers and owner go into the same consolidated file. One clear voice makes the next round easier to read.

Upload Rules That Trip People Up

The city wants a complete plan set, combined into one PDF, along with the response set. SDCI will not review a single corrected sheet uploaded by itself.

Wrong orientation, wrong sheet size, missing sheets or missing responses can each get a resubmittal turned back. If you skip the instructions, the city notes it may charge a penalty fee. SDCI lists a target of two weeks to review corrected plans. That is a goal and not a promise for your project.

A Hypothetical Fremont Correction Round

Picture an invented Fremont lot with a tight side yard and a steep driveway down to the alley. The owner plans a two story cottage with an office below. Its first notice includes three small items: a missing dimension from the cottage to the side lot line, a beam size question and a skylight left off the window schedule.

So the designer adds the dimension, the engineer sends a short calculation and the schedule gets the skylight. Every change is clouded and answered in the summary file. The second cycle clears.

Nothing here was a redesign. Clear answers to small items kept the project moving. If the designer had uploaded only the changed sheets, though, the city would have sent the set back, and the owner would have lost time on a technicality.

Can Corrections Be Reduced?

Few projects avoid ADU permit corrections entirely, but careful preparation helps. When the design team checks the set as a whole, they also find the gaps a reviewer would find. A full sheet by sheet check at intake catches most mismatches.

Early surveys and easement research prevent site plan comments. It helps when the structural engineer and the energy consultant review each other’s sheets, since their numbers often overlap on the same walls and windows.

Design changes mid review are worth a pause. Significant changes may need a correction response letter and can bring added fees under city rules. The post on DADU design cost explains why response time belongs in the design budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a correction notice mean denial?

No. It means a reviewer needs changes or explanations. Most cottage permits move forward after one or more rounds.

Can I track where my permit stands?

Yes. The portal shows each review’s status, and SDCI’s Construction Permit Timeline tool shows when the file sat with the city or with you.

Who should answer the comments?

Usually the designer of record, with input from engineers. Owners help with property facts and decisions on scope. If a comment would change the layout, the owner should also weigh in before the reply goes back.

Correction Response Checklist

• Wait for the Corrections Required status.
• Answer every item in the summary file.
• Cloud or circle each change on the plans.
• Combine all sheets into one PDF.
• Upload the full clean set with the response set.

Correction rounds are part of the process, and a complete, careful reply is the fastest way through them. Answer every comment in one pass and follow SDCI’s upload rules exactly. The Seattle DADU review guide covers the stages before corrections, and the permits and approvals section covers what comes after.