Vancouver does not require owner-occupancy of ADUs. Washington HB 1337, codified at RCW 36.70A.696, prohibits every Washington city and county subject to the Growth Management Act from imposing owner-occupancy on ADUs permitted on or after July 23, 2023. The City of Vancouver ADU information page confirms 'the property owner is not required to live on the property where an ADU is located.' No deed restriction or covenant is required.
RCW 36.70A.696, enacted by HB 1337 and effective for ADU permits issued on or after July 23, 2023, expressly prohibits Vancouver from imposing any owner-occupancy condition on ADU permitting. The city's ADU information page reflects this: there is no owner-occupancy requirement, and previously required covenants are no longer required. The visual-subordination requirement that once applied to ADUs in Vancouver has also been removed. The owner may live in the primary dwelling and rent the ADU, live in the ADU and rent the primary, live off-site and rent both units, or rent the primary and a second ADU to separate tenants on the same lot. There is no annual recertification, no recorded covenant, and no special use permit tied to occupancy. Standard Washington landlord-tenant rules under RCW 59.18 (Residential Landlord-Tenant Act) apply to each rented unit. Vancouver does not maintain a citywide rental registration or just-cause ordinance comparable to Seattle's or Tacoma's; ordinary state rules govern.
There is no city penalty for non-owner-occupancy of an ADU. Vancouver enforces state landlord-tenant law only through court process; tenant complaints go to the Washington Attorney General Consumer Protection Division or to civil court. Confirm specific permitting questions with the Vancouver Permit Center at 360-487-7833.
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See how Vancouver's adu owner occupancy rules stack up against other locations.
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