PLANNING
Tom’s Tips & Tricks for Permit Portal BY TOM KREINBRING, ASSISTANT PLANNER
If you are technologically challenged or just frustrated with the City’s online SelfService Permit Portal (SSPP), Assistant Planner Tom Kreinbring is your person. Last year the City transitioned to an entirely paperless permitting system, which has greatly eased the permit application process and improved staff efficiency. While the amount of information available on the portal might feel a little overwhelming at first, with a little time and familiarity, users can apply for permits, check the status of your permit, search for permit history for any property in town, and more. Here are Tom’s Tips & Tricks to ensure you are set up for success to not only create a SSPP account, but to prepare and manage your permit application, too.
is correct, causing your frustration level to rapidly rise, use the “forgot username” feature to double-check you’re using the correct one. An email will be sent to the address associated with your account to remind you what username you created for the SSPP.
1. User Guides: Read the seven user guides that provide step-by-step guidance. Folks state the “How to Create an Account”, “Apply for a Permit”, “Pay Fees” and “Manage Inspections” are the most useful guides. The user guides can be downloaded from the SSPP web page at www.snohomishwa.gov/718. Bookmark this location to make it easy to return to it.
3. Check Your Email Spam Folder: All automatic notifications and emails from the SSPP come from noreply@snohomishwa.gov. If you are expecting an email (to finish setting up your account or to reset your password, for instance) be sure to check your spam or junk folder and then mark this email sender as “safe”. If you are using company email, have your IT department approve the sender. This is imperative because some folks who were invoiced didn’t realize the City was waiting for payment before continuing the permitting process, while their invoice notification sat in their spam folder.
2. Best Internet Browsers: For the best user experience, use Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari web browsers. Do not use Internet Explorer, which is unsupported.
4. Forgot User Name: Sometimes folks make their business name their “username”, while others simply use their email address. If you cannot log in, and you are sure your password
12
SPRING 2022
SNOHOMISH QUA R TER LY
5. Do Your Homework Before Applying: There are many checklists and FAQ documents available to support your preparation in applying for permits. The most frequently needed are: • “Land Use” forms: www.snohomishwa.gov/405 • “Building & Construction” forms: www.snohomishwa.gov/404 6. Check the Code: To find out the regulations applicable to your project check out the Snohomish Municipal Code, which can be found at snohomish.municipal.codes. It even has a “search” bar to help you find precisely what you are looking for. Almost everything you need to know will be in Title 14 SMC, the City’s Land Use Development Code. You will want to bookmark this location, too. 7. Contact Tom: When all else fails, call Tom at 360-916-6123, Tuesday-Friday. He can walk you through the process over the telephone. If you don’t need help right away you can also email him at kreinbring@snohomishwa.gov. Or, come on down to City Hall 8:00 a.m.4:00 p.m. Tuesday or Wednesday, or by appointment on Thursdays and Fridays, and Tom will watch over your shoulder as you set up your SSPP account and even apply for your permit at our new customer service computer workstation set up in the lobby.
