Bellevue hosts free permitting expo Oct. 17 with new ADU session

Bellevue homeowners can get free permitting help from city staff at the second annual Residential Permitting Expo on Saturday, Oct. 17. The drop-in event covers everything from backyard cottages and renovations to tree removal.

The expo runs 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at City Hall. The event is free. The city asks attendees to register in advance through Eventbrite.

Hundreds of residents turned out for the inaugural expo in 2025 to ask questions about permits, inspections and policy changes, according to the city's announcement.

This year's lineup adds workshops the city said were shaped by that feedback: a session on understanding the permitting process, a walkthrough of the MyBuildingPermit.com online portal and a session on tree code rules and removal requirements.

Staff from the city's Development Services division will be available throughout the day.

ADU pre-approved plans: first public session

After the expo wraps, the city will hold a separate interactive session introducing a proposed pre-approved plans program for detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and cottages.

The program would let homeowners purchase city-reviewed building plans rather than commission custom designs from scratch, a step the city said is aimed at simplifying permitting for those housing types.

Detached ADUs became legal in Bellevue on July 1, 2025, under the city's middle-housing ordinance. Since then, several regional builders have noted the city is developing the pre-approved plans concept, with some comparing it to Seattle's ADUniverse catalog.

The Oct. 17 session is the first public engagement step. City staff plan to share the program's vision, demonstrate feasibility tools and take questions. No launch date has been set. The city says additional details are available on its pre-approved plans webpage.

Nearby Issaquah announced on Sept. 4 that it became the first city in Washington to offer a self-certification program for detached ADUs, a different approach that lets licensed architects certify plans meet code. Bellevue's proposed program would instead provide pre-designed, city-reviewed plans for purchase.