Most homeowners assume the city permit is the first hurdle. In planned communities across King County, it isn't. Your HOA's Architectural Review Committee has to approve your project before you apply for a building permit — and if you build without that approval, or get the order backwards, the committee can require you to remove or modify the structure at your own expense. We've seen it happen. The permit office doesn't communicate with your HOA; they issue permits based on code compliance, not HOA guidelines. Your HOA enforces its own CC&Rs independently, after the fact, and has legal standing to do so.
If you live in Sammamish, Issaquah Highlands, Klahanie, West Bellevue, or along the Lake Washington waterfront, this article is for you.
HOA Approval Comes First — and Here's Why the Order Matters
The City of Sammamish, the City of Issaquah, and King County permit offices will issue a building permit to a property owner who meets structural and zoning code. They do not check whether your HOA has signed off. This means you can legally pull a permit, legally begin construction, and still be in violation of your CC&Rs — all at the same time.
When your HOA discovers an unapproved deck (and they do discover them — architectural committees walk neighborhoods, and neighbors report work), they issue a violation notice. Depending on your CC&Rs, remedies can include fines, forced modification to meet HOA standards, or in the most extreme cases, forced removal. None of those outcomes are hypothetical. The correct sequence is: HOA approval, then city permit, then construction. In that order, every time.
What a Complete HOA Submission Package Contains
Architectural Review Committees are specific about what they need, and they will reject incomplete packages without reviewing the substance of your project. A returned submission adds two to four weeks to your timeline. Submit everything correctly the first time.
A complete AMR or ARC package for a deck addition typically contains:
**Site plan:** A scaled overhead drawing of your lot showing property lines, the house footprint, and the proposed deck location relative to both. Setbacks from property lines must be labeled. The site plan needs to show that the deck does not encroach on easements, utility corridors, or minimum setback zones defined in your CC&Rs — which are often more restrictive than city setbacks.
**Dimensioned elevation drawing:** A side-view drawing of the deck showing height above grade, railing height, and the relationship of the deck surface to adjacent windows, doors, and finished floor level. For elevated decks, both front and side elevations are typically required. These drawings do not need to be engineer-stamped at the HOA stage — that comes later for the city permit — but they need to be to scale and dimensioned.
**Material specification sheet:** The exact product name, manufacturer, color name, and color code for every exterior-visible material. This means the decking brand and color, the railing system and finish color, the fascia material, and any post wraps or skirting. Vague descriptions ("composite decking, gray") are commonly rejected. HOA committees approve specific products, not categories.
**Color sample:** A physical or printed color chip matching the specified materials. For communities with approved color palettes — common in Sammamish and Issaquah Highlands — your selections must map to colors already on the approved list. If you want something outside the palette, you submit a variance request alongside the standard package, which adds review time.
**Sight-line notes:** Required by any community with view-protection language in its CC&Rs. You document the height of the deck structure at key points — railing top, any overhead element such as a pergola — and note what is and isn't visible from neighboring properties and common areas. Lake Washington waterfront communities are particularly strict here: even a railing that partially interrupts a neighbor's water view can trigger a rejection or a required modification to frameless glass.
Community-Specific Notes
King County's planned communities are not uniform. Each HOA operates under its own CC&Rs, has its own committee, and interprets standards differently.
**Sammamish — Klahanie, Trossachs, Evans Creek, Aldarra:** Sammamish has some of the most active architectural committees in the county. Klahanie is particularly known for thorough reviews — the committee meets on a set schedule (typically monthly), and submissions that miss the cutoff wait for the next meeting. Trossachs and Aldarra enforce strict material standards and often require that composite decking selections match the undertone of the home's exterior trim. Evans Creek reviews tend to move faster but are equally thorough on color compliance.
**Issaquah Highlands (IHA ARC):** The Issaquah Highlands Authority runs a dedicated ARC with a consistent two-to-three-week review window for complete packages. IHA has published design guidelines that are detailed and worth reading before you finalize your material selections. They specify acceptable railing profiles, post dimensions, and in some zones, whether cable railing is permitted. IHA also requires that any landscaping disturbed during construction be restored — document existing landscaping before work begins.
**Klahanie HOA:** Klahanie sits within Sammamish city limits but is governed by its own HOA, separate from any Sammamish city HOA structure. Homeowners sometimes confuse city process with HOA process here. Your city permit goes to Sammamish; your architectural approval goes to the Klahanie HOA board. Both are required.
**West Bellevue planned communities:** West Bellevue and Clyde Hill neighborhoods vary widely. Some older communities have minimal HOA restrictions on decks; others — particularly newer planned communities near the 520 corridor — require full ARC packages with the same detail as Sammamish. Check your CC&Rs specifically, because Bellevue city permit requirements do not indicate HOA requirements.
**Lake Washington waterfront:** View impact is the primary concern for waterfront committees on both the Bellevue and Kirkland sides of the lake. If your deck adds any overhead structure — pergola, shade sail, or elevated railing above the natural grade of the lot — expect the committee to request a view impact analysis. This typically means a written statement from neighboring property owners confirming no objection, or a modified design that keeps overhead elements below a specified height.
The Timeline You Need to Work Backwards From
If you want your deck built by a specific date, count backwards:
Contractor lead time after permit: two to four weeks from permit issuance to construction start, depending on crew schedule and material availability. City permit review: three to five weeks from submission to approval, assuming no plan check comments requiring response. HOA review: two to four weeks for a complete submission; add two to four more weeks if your submission is returned for any reason. Package preparation: one to two weeks to prepare drawings, gather spec sheets, and finalize material selections.
Add it up: for a deck you want built by mid-July, your HOA submission should be in by early April. For a deck you want before Labor Day, submit to the HOA no later than mid-May. Eight to ten weeks before your target construction start is the right planning horizon. Homeowners who contact us in June asking about August builds frequently end up on an October schedule — not because construction takes long, but because the approval pipeline does.
Why Packages Get Rejected — and How to Avoid Each Reason
Incomplete drawings are the most common rejection reason. The committee cannot approve what they cannot clearly see. Dimensioned drawings submitted without a scale bar, or elevations missing railing heights, get returned.
Missing or vague material specs come second. "TimberTech composite" is not sufficient. "TimberTech Legacy Collection, Weathered Teak, 5/4 × 6" is. Always use the manufacturer's full product name and color designation.
Color not on the approved palette is the third most common issue. Pull your community's approved color list before finalizing selections, not after. We can help you find compliant options across multiple composite and PVC brands that fit your aesthetic goals within the approved range.
Unaddressed sight-lines cause rejections in view-sensitive communities even when everything else is correct. If your community has view protection language — most Sammamish HOAs and all Lake Washington waterfront communities do — you need to address it proactively in your submission, not wait for the committee to raise it.
What We Prepare vs. What You Submit
We prepare the full architectural package: the dimensioned site plan, elevation drawings, material specification sheets, and sight-line documentation. In our experience, professionally prepared packages pass on first review at a significantly higher rate than homeowner-drawn submissions.
However: many HOAs require that the submission come from the property owner, not the contractor. We hand you a complete, organized package ready for submission. You sign the cover letter, attach your homeowner information, and submit directly to your ARC. Some communities have online portals; others require physical delivery or certified mail. We'll tell you which applies to your HOA.
If you're planning a deck in Sammamish, Issaquah Highlands, or Bellevue, the earlier you start the process, the more options you have on timing. Learn more about our work in [Sammamish](/deck-builder-sammamish), [Issaquah](/deck-builder-issaquah), and [Bellevue](/deck-builder-bellevue), or [contact us to get started on your HOA package](/contact).