Emergency Management - Landslides & Earthquakes

Our emergency preparedness effort has two goals:

  • Protect lives during earthquakes, landslides, and other emergencies
  • Restore essential services after earthquakes, landslides, and other emergencies

We count on you to be prepared. We also work with regional, state, and federal emergency partners to help you prepare for an emergency and to respond after an emergency.

How Are We Involved?

We ensure building safety by:

We help restore essential services by:

  • Quickly evaluating your structure after an earthquake, landslide,or other emergency that causes structural damage
  • Quickly issuing emergency repair permits
  • Conducting emergency inspections following a disaster

Landslides

Protect Your Home
If you think your property might be at risk from a landslide, check out our GIS Map to see if you are in a landslide-prone area and then contact a geotechnical engineering professional for an evaluation.

How You Can Prevent Landslides

Who to Contact
If a landslide damages your property and you are concerned for your safety, leave the premises and call 9-1-1. If your home was damaged by an landslide, you should apply for an emergency repair permit.

  • Landslides on private property: Code Compliance, (206) 615-0808
  • Work in a landslide prone area (including landslide-related repairs): Applicant Services Center
  • Connect to a storm drain or wastewater pipe: Site Development Team, (206) 684-8860
  • Storm drain or wastewater facility drainage complaints and maintenance requests: Seattle Public Utilities 24/7 Field Operations, (206) 386-1800
  • Landslide blocking a street: Seattle Department of Transportation 24/7 Street Maintenance, (206) 386-1218
  • Parks: Eduardo Aban, (206) 733-9104

Additional Resources

Earthquakes

If your home was damaged by an earthquake, you should apply for an emergency repair permit. You can help protect your home from earthquake damage by getting a Home Retrofit Permit.

If you need to stabilize or conduct an emergency repair to an historical building, you need a permit from us and a certificate of approval from the Department of Neighborhoods.

Additional Resources

Construction and Inspections

Nathan Torgelson, Director
Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 2000, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 34019, Seattle, WA, 98124-4019
Phone: (206) 684-8600
Phone Alt: Violation Complaint Line: (206) 615-0808
Contact Us

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SDCI issues land use, construction, and trade permits, conducts construction and housing-related inspections, ensures compliance with our codes, and regulates rental rules. SDCI is committed to an antiracist workplace and to addressing racism through our work in the community.