Frequently asked questions

BuildVue is a construction and development tracking platform for the Seattle metro area. It imports permit data from public government sources, enriches it with parcel data, design proposals, and sales history, and presents it through an interactive map with advanced filtering, saved searches, email alerts, and data export.

BuildVue draws from official public government databases. Building permits and land use permits come from the Seattle Open Data Portal, the Bellevue Open Data Portal, the Everett Open Data Portal, the City of Tacoma Open Data, the Pierce County GIS Open Data, the Snohomish County Public Records, the City of Kent GIS, the City of Lakewood Permit Portal, the City of Burien GIS, the City of Kirkland GIS, the City of Renton GIS, the City of Puyallup Permit Portal, the City of Redmond GIS, the MyBuildingPermit, the MyBuildingPermit, the MyBuildingPermit, the MyBuildingPermit, the MyBuildingPermit, the MyBuildingPermit, the MyBuildingPermit, the MyBuildingPermit, the MyBuildingPermit, the MyBuildingPermit, the City of Shoreline eTRAKiT, the City of Marysville eTRAKiT, the City of Mountlake Terrace eTRAKiT, the City of Stanwood Permit Portal, the Bellevue Open Data Portal, the Bellevue Open Data Portal, the Bellevue Open Data Portal, the Bellevue Open Data Portal, the Bellevue Open Data Portal, the Bellevue Open Data Portal, the City of Orting Permit Portal, the City of Sumner Permit Portal, the City of Lake Stevens Citizens Connect, the City of Covington Maps and GIS, the City of Woodinville Citizen Access, the City of North Bend Citizens Connect, the City of Des Moines Citizens Connect, the City of SeaTac Permitting and Licensing, the City of Tukwila Permit Center, the City of Monroe Permitting and Licensing, and the City of Arlington Development Proposals, and parcel data and sales history come from county assessor records. Data is updated regularly to reflect new permits, status changes, and completions.

Address, permit number, project type, status, application date, issue date, completion date, estimated construction value, number of stories, residential units, parking spaces, office and retail square footage, zoning, contractor, architect, developer, and design review meeting dates.

Use the interactive map to explore construction projects near any address in the Seattle metro area. You can draw a custom area to track a specific neighborhood or block, filter by project type, and set up email alerts to be notified of new permits in your area.

Timelines vary by project type. Simple residential permits may take 2 to 4 months, while large multi-family or mixed-use projects requiring design review can take 1 to 3 years from application to issuance. In Bellevue, applications go through MyBuildingPermit.com and are reviewed by Bellevue Development Services, and the city publishes annual permit timeline performance data under the Local Project Review Act. BuildVue tracks permit timelines so you can see actual durations for comparable projects in both cities.

Seattle's Design Review process applies to larger developments in specific zones. Projects go through Early Design Guidance and Recommendation meetings with the Design Review Board. In Bellevue, design review applies to projects in design districts such as Downtown and BelRed and surfaces as Design Review (LD) and Master Development Plan applications reviewed by Bellevue Development Services. BuildVue tracks design review meeting dates for these projects. Design proposals including architectural renderings are available for many projects.

Free tier with basic features, plus paid plans: Plus ($29/mo), Pro ($79/mo), and Business ($199/mo). Annual billing saves 20%. All paid plans include a 14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Your trial converts to the plan you selected. If you don't choose a plan, you'll move to the Free tier. No charges.

Yes, upgrade or downgrade anytime from your account settings. Upgrades take effect immediately and are prorated for the remainder of your billing cycle. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period. You keep full access to your current plan until then.

Full refund within 30 days. After that, cancel anytime and retain access through the end of your billing period.