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Pasco, WA Accessory Structures: ADU Owner Occupancy (2026)

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Owner-occupancy requirement
Optional, one of three conditions for a fire-separation alternative
Applies to
Attached ADUs built inside the existing dwelling
Paperwork
Owner-occupancy agreement recorded on title
If occupancy changes
New permit required to verify or restore fire separation
Enforcement body
Pasco Code Enforcement Hearings Board

Summary

Pasco does not require owner-occupancy to build an accessory dwelling unit, but it offers owner-occupancy as one path to a reduced fire-separation standard for an attached ADU built inside an existing home. Choosing it means recording an owner-occupancy agreement on the property title.

Applicants may consider the following alternatives from the above if documentation meets all three criteria below per Washington State Amendments to the IRC: ... Either the accessory dwelling unit or primary dwelling unit is owner-occupied. This will require recording on title of an owner occupancy agreement to assure proper use now and with potential future ownership.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4837, passed May 4, 2026).

Full Breakdown

040(6)(d) sets the fire separation an attached ADU must meet under Pasco's building code, but subsection (d)(ii) lets an applicant use an alternative standard under the Washington State Amendments to the IRC if three conditions are all met. 040(6)(d)(iii) requires the owner to pull permits again to modify the unit or verify it independently meets the standard fire separation. 040(3)(c)).

Violations & Fines

Converting an attached ADU built under the owner-occupancy fire alternative to non-owner-occupied use without pulling the follow-up permit required by PMC 25.161.040(6)(d)(iii) is a code violation, since the unit may no longer meet minimum fire separation without the interconnected safeguards. Occupancy or use violations of the ADU chapter generally are reported to and enforced by the Pasco Code Enforcement Hearings Board under PMC 25.161.040(3)(c).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Pasco require the owner to live in an ADU?
No, not generally. Owner-occupancy is not a citywide ADU mandate; it is one optional condition in PMC 25.161.040(6)(d)(ii)(B) that lets an attached, interior ADU use an alternative fire-separation standard instead of full separation.
What happens if an ADU built under the owner-occupancy option is later rented separately?
PMC 25.161.040(6)(d)(iii) requires the owner to obtain permits to modify the unit or verify it meets the standard fire separation requirements once it is no longer owner-occupied, since the reduced standard depended on that condition.
What has to be recorded to use the owner-occupancy fire alternative?
An owner-occupancy agreement recorded on the property title, per PMC 25.161.040(6)(d)(ii)(B), so future owners are on notice of the fire-separation condition tied to the unit.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Pasco

Parking Rules: Overnight ParkingSome RestrictionsADU RulesSome RestrictionsShed & Carport RulesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: RV & Boat ParkingSome RestrictionsADU Rental RestrictionsSignificant RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Decibel LimitsSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Abandoned VehiclesSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: Driveway RulesSome RestrictionsFence Regulations: Fence Permit RequirementsLight Restrictions

All Pasco rules

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