INSPECTION OF CERTAIN STRUCTURES IN PUBLIC PLACES

SEA-MC tit. 15, subtit. III, ch. 15.76

in effect

Seattle Mun. Code § 15.76.010 Inspection of bridges, trestles, viaducts, skybridges and other structures.

15.76.010 - Inspection of bridges, trestles, viaducts, skybridges and other structures. The Director of Transportation may annually, or as often as deemed necessary for the protection of the public safety, inspect or cause to be inspected all bridges, trestles, viaducts, tunnels, grade crossings, skybridges and other structures which have been or may be constructed or installed in, along, over, or across the public places of the City pursuant to ordinance granting any franchise or special permit and required by such ordinance to be maintained by the grantee of any such franchise or special permit. Pursuant to agreement with the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, the Director of Transportation may also inspect or cause to be inspected such structures in, along, over, or across park drives and boulevards. (Ord. 118409 § 121, 1996; Ord. 117569, § 138, 1995; Ord. 96715, § 1, 1968.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 15.76.020 Inspection costs.

15.76.020 - Inspection costs. The cost of such inspection shall be paid by the grantee of any such franchise or special permit. The Director of Transportation, and/or as to park drives and boulevards, the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, is authorized to bill for and collect fees in such amounts as are commensurate with the reasonable cost of such inspections. (Ord. 118409 § 122, 1996; Ord. 117569, § 139, 1995; Ord. 96715, § 2, 1968.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 15.76.030 Chapter not applicable when.

15.76.030 - Chapter not applicable when. This chapter shall not be applicable to inspections made in accordance with specific provisions of an ordinance authorizing or granting any such franchise or special permit where the payment of the cost of inspection is specifically provided for in such ordinance. (Ord. 96715, § 3, 1968.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 15.76.050 Barricading of hazards authorized.

15.76.050 - Barricading of hazards authorized. If the inspection authorized in Section 15.76.010 should disclose that there is a hazard to the public safety, health or welfare, then the Director of Transportation, and as to park drives and boulevards, the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation may order that the grantee of the franchise immediately close the structure and set up barricades, warnings, and/or lights to the extent necessary, so as to prevent public access to the area of the hazard in the interest of public safety. If the City incurs an expense in erecting or maintaining barricades, warnings, lights, and/or detours of traffic, the authorizing official shall bill the owner or occupant the cost thereof together with an amount equal to fifteen percent (15%) of such costs to cover administrative charges. (Ord. 118409 § 123, 1996; Ord. 117569, § 137, 1995.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 15.76.060 Other protective action.

15.76.060 - Other protective action. A. If the inspection authorized in Section 15.76.010 should disclose that the structure is not being maintained in accordance with approved plans and specifications, the Director of Transportation, and as to park drives and boulevards, the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation (the "authorizing official") may require that the grantee within ten days present a plan for making the necessary repairs or improvements to bring the structure into as good or better condition than contemplated by the approved plans and specifications, that the plan include time tables for completion of the work, and that the grantee adopt a plan of regular maintenance and repair. B. If the inspection should disclose that the structure endangers persons in the public place (whether through a collapse, dropping of materials, channelizing water or debris, or subsidence of the surface of the public place) or that the structure does not meet applicable standards of the Building and Construction Code (Title 23), the authorizing official may direct that the grantee at the grantee's expense make immediate repairs to correct the hazard to the public place and to bring the structure into conformity with applicable City codes. The authorizing official, in consultation with the Director of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, may set a reasonable deadline for the grantee to complete the necessary repairs or removal of the structure. C. Should the grantee fail to make satisfactory progress toward remedying a hazard to the public health, safety, or welfare, or should a reasonable time elapse after notice to the grantee to make such repairs, the Director of Transportation or the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, as to park drives and boulevards, may enter upon the property and take such actions as deemed necessary to protect the public from the hazard; and the owner or grantee shall be liable to the City for the costs thereof together with an amount equal to 15 percent of such costs to cover the City's administrative expenses. D. In the event a franchise ordinance provides an alternative procedure for remedying a hazard to the public health, safety, or welfare, from such structures, the procedure in the franchise ordinance shall be followed. (Ord. 124919, § 61, 2015; Ord. 121276, § 37, 2003; Ord. 118409, § 124, 1996; Ord. 117569, § 137, 1995.)

Source: City of Seattle, Seattle Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT15STSIUS_SUBTITLE_IIIMACO_CH15.76INCESTPUPLFetched: 11/1/2026