Electronic Document Submittal Guidelines | Pdf
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Skagit County temporarily allows electronic submittals of applications and appeals. Please review and submit electronic documents according to these guidelines. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in additional review time and delays in issuing your permit. Please call (360) 416-1320 if you have any questions.
Q: Which file types are acceptable for electronic submittals?
A: All electronic submittals must be in Portable Document Format (PDF).
Q: Are there any specific requirements for my PDF submittal documents?
A: Yes, please refer to the list below when creating your PDF submittal documents.
- Each submittal must be sent to PDS@co.skagit.wa.us.
- The total file size for any PDF submittal package must not exceed 30 MB.
- Ensure all layers are flattened in the authoring program prior to export and submittal. Scanned documents are inherently flattened.
- Orient all sheets so the top of the page is always at the top of the computer screen (right side up).
- All sheets must be numbered, labeled and titled.
- Once your application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email. Once a Permit Technician reviews the application, a second email will be sent to you stating either the application needs more information to proceed or your application was complete for intake and a balance is owed. Your application will be considered officially incomplete and will not be reviewed until payment is received.
Q: What are the requirements for design professional signatures on electronic documents?
A: Permit submittals, which require the signature of a licensed design professional may be submitted electronically, provided the signed document is submitted as a “flattened” PDF such that all layers of text, graphics, and content are merged into a single graphic entity. See security settings below for more information.
Engineering, land surveying and on-site wastewater design documents must meet the applicable requirements of RCW 18.43,RCW 18.210,WAC 196-23, and WAC 196-33. See Guidelines for Electronic Documents on the DOL website.
Q: May I apply security settings to my submitted documents?
A: Electronic documents submitted to Skagit County for plan review and permit issuance must be provided in a state that allows for document mark up, file combining and processing.
Documents submitted in any manner that prevents Skagit County from completing the review and permit- issuance process, including but not limited to submitting documents that are locked, may result in additional review time and/or permitting delays.
Q: Are there any specific drawing scale requirements?
A: Yes, please refer to the following list when considering your drawing scale.
- The minimum allowed scale for submittal drawings is 1/4" = 1’. o The use of a 1/8” = 1’ scale for full building floor plans, exterior elevations, or building sections is acceptable when unit plans, core plans, detail plans, detail sections and detail elevations are provided at the minimum scale of 1/4” = 1’.
o The minimum allowed scale for site plans is 1:40.
- Match lines and separate plan sheets must be used when necessary to provide acceptable drawing quality and clarity in lieu of over-crowded drawings. An overall keyed reference plan for the match lines should be provided on the associated plan sheets.
- A smaller scale may be acceptable in certain cases. Please see the Skagit County Site Plan Checklist associated with your particular application prior to submittal
Q: Are there minimum drawing quality standards?
A: Yes, please refer to the list below when preparing your PDF submittal documents.
- Please refer to the Site Plan Requirements Checklist associated with your application for additional requirements.
- Drawings must be easy to read and free of extraneous information or markings.
- Line-weight(s) must provide sufficient contrast with the background and other drawing elements.
- All code information must be conveyed in a clear and legible manner for review and field inspection purposes.
- Fonts must be legible and text must be a minimum of 10 pt. or 3/32” for CAD prepared documents.
- Scanned hand drawn documents must be legible in font and drafting.
Q: Are there any specific drawing size requirements?
A: Yes, please refer to the following list when considering your drawing size.
- The minimum sheet size is 11”x17” for minor residential remodel permit applications and 22”x34” for commercial applications. Sheet size must not reduce the required minimum drawing scale.
- Smaller sheet sizes for permit applications may be acceptable in certain cases. Please contact Skagit County for specific approval prior to submittal.
- Approved plans that are provided onsite for the field inspector must be printed at full size to scale.
Q: Are there any other specific drawing requirements?
A: Yes, please refer to the following list when considering your drawing orientation and layout.
- Please refer to the Site Plan Requirements Checklist associated with your application for additional requirements.
- Drawings must accurately represent what is proposed for construction. Alternative designs, optional layouts, irrelevant notes and unused details must not be included in the plan set.
- Remove all references to “NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION” or similar language.
- Plan sets must be fully dimensioned.
- Mirrored plans will not be accepted.
- For residential projects, the site plan must have a north arrow. Where the floor plan(s) orientation does not match the site plan, north arrows must also be provided on the floor plan(s).
- For commercial projects a north arrow must be provided on all architectural site plans and building floor plan sheets.
- Elevation views must be labeled as North, South, East and West as appropriate. Final grade should be accurately depicted on the elevation views.
- Building plans and engineering must correspond to the site topographic conditions.
Q: Is it acceptable for my PDF submittal to be a scanned document?
A: PDF documents created from electronic sources are preferred; however, documents which are only available in paper format may be submitted as scanned document PDFs. Original paper documents must be as clean as possible, and scanned at a resolution which ensures the pages are legible when viewed on a computer screen and when printed.
Scanning must be done at a minimum of 150 dpi and a maximum of 300 dpi to balance legibility and file size. Full-photo scan settings for copies must be avoided.
Please refer to Titles 14,15, and 16of Skagit County Code for more information about specific application requirements. If any conflicts arise between these guidelines and Skagit County Code, Skagit County Code applies.
