FAQs

Animal Control

The Town contracts with King County for animal services. Please visit the "Animal Services" page in the Other Resources > King County of this website for more information.

Burning Permits

Outdoor burning of brush is no longer allowed.  For more information, visit Bellevue Fire Department's Fire Prevention FAQs or call the Bellevue Fire Department at 425.452.6872.

Business Licenses

The Town of Beaux Arts Village is zoned as a residential area, allowing commercial activity within Town limits under very limited circumstances as described in Beaux Arts Village Municipal Code 18.10.060 Commercial Activity.  We do not issue business licenses; however, contractors and other firms providing goods or services to residents must have a valid business license in effect at their regular place of business, e.g. office, shop, etc

Golf Cart Registration

The Town's instructions and forms for registering your golf cart can be found on the "Other Town Services" page of this section.

Hospitals

The two hospitals closest to Beaux Arts are:

• Overlake Hospital Medical Center, 1035 - 116th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA, and
• Kaiser Permanente Bellevue Medical Center, 11511 NE 10th St, Bellevue, WA 98004.
• Other hospitals located in the greater Seattle include Harborview Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, Virginia Mason Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle Children's Hospital, and Evergreen Hospital (Kirkland).

Name Signs

One of the many unique characteristics of Beaux Arts Village is the posting of family name signs on a corner post near each home.  If you are new to the Village or wish to replace your current sign for any reason, please contact our Deputy Clerk with your name, address, and a preferred sign location, if any.  (In most cases, your name sign will replace the sign for the previous owner of your home.)  Please note that, due to space constraints on our sign posts, the Town can only allow one sign per house.

If you are new to Beaux Arts or just want to replace your current name sign, please contact Deputy Clerk Addie Tych through our CONTACT US page. She will arrange for your sign to be made and installed, after which you will receive an invoice for the cost of the sign, currently about $35.

Parking

The Town's parking rules can be found in Beaux Arts Village Municipal Code Chapter 10.10.  If there is a parking violation near your home, please contact Town Marshal Jeff Jochums or Deputy Marshal Robert Heintz.

Post Offices

There are several post offices within 20 miles of Beaux Arts, including:

• the Main Bellevue Post Office is located at 12224 NE Bel-Red Rd in Bellevue,
• the Midlakes Post Office is located at 12400 SE 38th Street in Bellevue (near the Factoria Mall), and
• the Mercer Island Post Office is located at 3040 - 78th Ave SE on Mercer Island.

Property Taxes

Property taxes are the Town's primary source of operating revenue, but the Town only receives a small portion of the property taxes paid by each property owner (about 11%).  State statutes mandate that the Town may increase the dollar value of its property-tax levy by no more than 1% without putting a larger increase before the people for a vote.  If you have questions about your current property tax bill or property taxes in general, please click here.

For more detailed information describing how the King County Assessor handles property assessments and calculates property taxes, please see this flyer.

Sales Tax

Sales tax produces significant revenue for the Town. The main sources of sales-tax revenue are construction projects and purchases delivered to your Beaux Arts address.  To ensure that the Town receives its share of sales-tax collections, please do the following:

• Ask your contractor to report all construction-related transactions to the Department of Revenue using the Beaux Arts Village Sales Tax Code:  1703
• Use your Zip Code + 4 when you order goods for delivery to your home.  If you don't know your zip+4, please use the Zip Code Tool at the US Postal Service website.

Schools

Beaux Arts Village is located in the Bellevue School District.  The three main public schools serving Beaux Arts are Enatai Elementary School, Chinook Middle School, and Bellevue High School.

Town or WABA?

Wondering who is responsible for something in Beaux Arts Village?  This chart may help you decide whether you should contact the Town of Beaux Arts Village or the Western Academy of Beaux Arts (WABA) for assistance:

Town, WABA, and Outgoing Mailboxes

There are three different mailboxes residents may need to use, and each serves a different entity and purpose:

TOWN OF BEAUX ARTS VILLAGE / BEAUX ARTS WATER DEPT MAIL can be placed in the BLACK locking mailbox on the post across from the water tower on SE 27th St.  THIS MAILBOX IS ONLY FOR INCOMING MAIL INTENDED FOR THE TOWN OF BEAUX ARTS VILLAGE OR THE BEAUX ARTS WATER DEPARTMENT and is clearly marked as such.  Please do not put your outgoing mail or your mail for WABA in the Town's mailbox as this will delay its proper handling.
WABA MAIL can be placed in the BLACK locking mailbox on the mailstand on SE 28th Street just west of 104th Ave SE.  This box is clearly marked for WABA and is addressed as 10010 SE 28th.  Please do not put your outgoing mail or your mail for the TOWN / WATER DEPT in WABA's mailbox as this will delay its proper handling.
OUTGOING MAIL (i.e. mail you want the mail carrier to collect and take to the Post Office) can be placed in the GREEN locking mailbox near the mailstand on SE 28th Street just west of 104th Ave SE.  This box is clearly marked for OUTGOING MAIL.  If you use it for any other purpose, the materials inserted in the box can only be retrieved by the US Postal Service.  Town staff do not have access to the contents of this box.

Trees and Tree Cutting

The Town of Beaux Arts Village is known for its trees!  This abundance of trees creates a tranquil forest-like feel despite being only minutes away from two urban centers.  Villagers have treasured this forest for many years and, until recently, managed it through shared community pride and a vision for its preservation rather than through formal regulations.  In 2008, the Town enacted rules to formally regulate the cutting of trees and a permit process to monitor that cutting, further ensuring the preservation of our urban forest.  These rules are codified in Beaux Arts Village Municipal Code Chapter 16.25.

PLEASE NOTE:  The removal of trees from public property is strictly prohibited.  If you feel a tree on Town property has been damaged or removed without Town permission, please contact us so we can review the situation and follow up appropriately.

Voter Registration / Elections

The King County Department of Elections registers voters and oversees elections for all of King County.  Please visit their website or call them at (206) 296-VOTE (8683).

ZIP + 4

The Town receives a portion of the sales tax that residents pay when the purchased items are delivered to a Beaux Arts address.  To ensure that the Town receives its share of the sales taxes you pay, please use your "Zip Code + 4" for all purchases.  If you don't know your zip+4, you can look it up using the Zip Code Tool on the US Postal Service website.

Construction Hours

In consideration of neighbors, the Town sets the following construction hours as a condition of all permits. These hours are STRICTLY enforced, and a violation will result in a Stop Work Order.

Monday through Friday                  7 AM – 6 PM

Saturday                                           8 AM – 5 PM

Sunday and Holidays*                No Work Allowed

*Holidays are New Year's Day, MLK Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.  If the actual date of the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the preceding Friday or following Monday is the observed holiday and no construction work is allowed.

Sales Tax on Construction

The Town receives a portion of the sales tax charged to residents by contractors when construction work is performed at a Beaux Arts home.  Contractors collect the sales tax and then report it by taxing entity to the Department of Revenue each quarter.  To ensure that Beaux Arts receives it portion of this sales tax, please be sure your contractor uses code 1703 to report all sales-tax collections on your project. 

Use of the Planting Strip Right-of-Way

The Planning Commission has prepared a flyer to help explain what the planting strip right-if-way is and illustrate its uses.  Please click here to view the flyer.

Landscaping Project Guidelines

Many landscape projects can be far more extensive than just installing a few plants.  The Building Department has assembled these Landscaping Project Guidelines to help homeowners and contractors determine whether or not a permit is needed to complete a landscaping project.  We strongly encourage anyone contemplating such a project review the guidelines before beginning any landscaping work.

Arborist Recommendations

Town staff are occasionally asked for arborist recommendations.  We suggest that anyone wanting to hire an arborist for tree-related work visit www.asca-consultants.org for help in finding a qualified professional in the area.  Tree Solutions, our Town Arborist, is not able to perform work for residents due to the potential for conflict of interest.

Water Department Address

Beaux Arts Water Department
10530 SE 27th Street
Beaux Arts, WA  98004

Please use this address for payments to and mailed correspondence with the Beaux Arts Water Department.

Billing by Email

The Water Department offers residents the option of receiving water bills by email instead of by US Mail.  If you would like to receive your water bills by email, please contact Clerk/Treasurer Sue Ann Spens.  Unfortunately, we do not have an option for autopay at this time.

Payment Options

At this time, the Water Department is only able to accept payments by check -- either processed through your bank's Online Bill Pay option OR written and mailed / hand-delivered to the Water Department mailbox across from the water tower.

We are working to find an option for true automatic payments.  If you would like to set up a monthly payment through your bank's online billpay that replicates that option, please contact Clerk/Treasurer Spens for help in determining a regular monthly payment that will cover your water usage over the course of a year.

Backflow Prevention Device Testing

Homeowners who have a lawn-irrigation system, fire-sprinkler system, pond, spa, hot tub, swimming pool or any other installation that is permanently connected to the water-distribution system are required to install and maintain a backflow prevention device (BFD). This device prevents water sitting in any of these systems from flowing back into the water-distribution system -- a potentially serious source of contamination.  Every BFD must be tested annually by a certified inspector.

Each spring, the Town arranges for bulk testing of BFDs on behalf of residents who wish to participate in the program.  There is a nominal fee for this testing, usually about $45 per test.  Homeowners who choose NOT to participate in this bulk testing must arrange for their own annual test and submit the results of that test to the Beaux Arts Water Department, 10530 SE 27th Street, Beaux Arts, WA 98004.

Sulfur-Like Smell?

On occasion, customers report a sulfur-like smell in the water coming from a tap inside or outside their homes. That smell is caused by an anaerobic organism that lives on the trace amounts of manganese in our well water.  Neither the manganese not the organisms pose a health threat, but the smell can be objectionable.  These pockets of smelly water tend to develop in taps that are seldom used and in garden hoses that sit idle through the cooler months.

The best way to eliminate the smell is to run chlorinated water through the affected tap, line or hose, but that isn't always easy to do. (On those rare occasions when the Town switches to Bellevue Water for a short period, the chlorine in their water supply usually does the trick.)

Many homeonwers find that just running the affected tap for a period of time flushes out the smell, but that doesn't always work.  Homeowners who are unable to completely eliminate the smell may want to call a plumber, particularly one with experience in water treatment.

The Town does not, as a rule, recommend firms to our residents.  We suggest that you perform an internet search for suggestions or consult a service like Home Advisor or Angie's List.

Police Services

The Town contracts with the King County Sheriff for police services.  As part of that contract, KCSO patrols the Town regularly and is also the agency that responds to all non-emergency calls.  In the case of an emergency, the Washington State mutual-aid agreement ensures that the closest available police officer(s) will respond.

Please visit the King County Sheriff's Office webpage for more information.

Fire Services

The Town contracts with Bellevue Fire Department for fire services.  As part of that contract, BFD responds to all calls for fire and medical emergencies placed through 911.  In addition, BFD handles all fire-sprinkler plan reviews and permitting.

For more information, please visit the Bellevue Fire Department webpage.

Recreational Fires / Outdoor Burning

In 2019, the Town amended our outdoor burning code.  The new  code allows only recreational fires, ie "cooking fires and charcoal barbecues, campfires, and bonfires in designated areas or on private property for cooking, pleasure, or ceremonial purposes".  All other outdoor burning is strictly prohibited.  Please review both Chapter 8.15 Outdoor Burning and this public information sheet from the Bellevue Fire Department for details.

Mail Theft

Mail thieves continue to find success with stealing identities, money, packages and more. They often target full or unlocked mailboxes, but owners of locking mailboxes report an increase in thefts after finding their boxes pried open as well.  Please click here for more detailed information on how your can protect yourself.

Puget Sound Energy

Puget Sound Energy supplies electricity and gas service to Town residents.  For information about starting/stopping service, reporting outages, to view your bill, and other services, please visit their website at https://pse.com/Pages/default.aspx 

If you see a street light out near your home, you may contact PSE through one of the following:

• Online: Report a Street Light Problem
• Email:  Streetlights@PSE.com
• Phone: 425-456-2496

When possible, record the pole ID number to include with your outage report.

Bellevue Sewer Utility

Bellevue Sewer Utility provides sanitary sewer service to Town residents.  For information about the sewer system, what to do in case of a sewer backup, and who to contact with questions about your bill, please visit their website at https://utilities.bellevuewa.gov/manage-your-utility-services/sewer/ .

Xfinity (Comcast)

Xfinity (Comcast) provides TV, internet, and similar services to Town residents through a hard-wired system.  For information about their services, please visit their website at https://www.xfinity.com/learn/digital-cable-tv .

Republic Services

Republic Services offers garbage, recycling, and yard-waste collection services to Town Residents.  To learn more about these services, please visit their website at https://www.republicservices.com/municipality/beaux-arts-wa.

To receive alerts about service changes, view Republic's Pick-up Calendar for your address, and make payments online, please follow these steps:

1. Go to republicservices.com and create a login ID and password. Be sure to go to your profile and enter your contact information (phone, email, or both).
2. Once you are logged in, you will see the schedule for your residence and any current alerts affecting your service.
3. Click on the link to My Account in the upper right corner and choose Manage Account. Enter the primary contact name and contact information for your account.
4. Also at My Account, choose Manage Profile. Click on Communication Preferences and indicate if you wish to receive service alerts by email, text, and/or phone.

Century Link

Century Link provides landline-based phone and internet services to Town residents.  For more information, please visit their website at https://www.centurylink.com/.

King County Emergency News

King County maintains a website with timely information about regional emergency events in King County, Washington and the greater Puget Sound, from brief power outages to weather events to serious catastrophes.  The County has also compiled useful information to help residents prepare themselves as well as volunteer to help others.  Please visit King County Emergency News for more information.

King County Enhanced 9-1-1 Program

Accidentally called 911?  Don't hang up! 911 operators are required to follow up on ALL calls placed to 911, and they will call you back.  Instead, please explain that you dialed by mistake when the 911 operator answers your call.

The King County Enhanced 9-1-1 (E-911) Office administers the emergency 9-1-1 telephone system in King County.  In partnership with the twelve 9-1-1 call centers in King County, this office helps provide quick and professional 9-1-1 service to the entire county, including all cities and unincorporated areas.  For more information, please visit the King County Enhance 9-1-1 (E-911) Program website.

King County Parks

King County maintains 200 parks, 175 miles of trails, and 28,000 acres of public forest lands all within a short drive of Beaux Arts Village.  For full information about these public lands, including locations and hours, please visit King County Parks.  If you like what you see, you'll notice an opportunity to subscribe on the home page.

Hazardous Waste Disposal

King County provides information for the disposal of hazardous waste as part of their Local Hazardous Waste Management Program (LHWMP) at http://www.lhwmp.org/home/default.aspx including disposal locations, safer alternatives, and other valuable information for residents and businesses.  Additional information is available in here:  Wastemobile Schedule - Household Hazardous Waste Collection Options - Facilities - King County Solid Waste Division - King County

Emergency Snow Network

When severe weather is in the forecast, Metro switches its bus routes to maintain as much bus service as possible while minimizing risk to buses and rides. For more information, please visit KC Emergency Snow Network.

Reporting Dangerous and Problem Wildlife

If a human/wildlife interaction occurs that is unwelcome, whether in a residential or a recreational situation, please contact Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for assistance.  If the encounter poses an immediate danger, PLEASE DIAL 911.  The 911 Operator will be able to direct your call to an emergency response.  Otherwise, please contact WDFW using one of the contacts on the website linked below.

WSDOT Blog with FAQs

Visit https://wsdotblog.blogspot.com/ to view answers to some of the many questions WSDOT has answered recently about their operations, including important seasonal information.