Kennewick, WA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- BP maximum lot coverage
- 50%
- HMU limit
- Floor area ratio of .45 maximum
- Zones printing None
- 15, including CN, CG, CC, IL, IH and JF
- BP minimum district size
- 5 Acres
- BP front and corner yards
- 15 feet front, ten feet corner
- BP rear yard
- Ten feet, 25 feet abutting an R zone
- Governing provision
- KMC 18.12.010(B)(2)
Summary
Kennewick caps lot coverage in only two non-residential zones. The Business Park (BP) district prints a Maximum Lot Coverage of 50%, and the Historic Mixed-Use (HMU) district limits floor area ratio to a maximum of .45. The other 15 commercial, industrial and public zones in KMC 18.12.010(B)(2) print None in the lot coverage column.
Table of Commercial/Industrial Standards Maximum District Size Minimum District Size Yards Maximum Building Height Maximum Lot Coverage Outdoor Storage UMU - Urban Mixed-Use District None 40 acres See KMC 18.80 None None None ... HMU - Historic, Mixed-Use District See (5) Below 35' See (5.a) Below None ... BP - Business Park District None 5 Acres See (6) Below 35' 50% None ... HMU-Historic, Mixed Use District Development Standards: (a) Floor area ratio (the amount of building surface expressed as a ratio to lot surface) is a maximum of .45;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Kennewick sets lot coverage in the Table of Commercial/Industrial Standards at KMC 18.12.010(B)(2). Each zoning district gets one row, with columns for maximum district size, minimum district size, yards, maximum building height, maximum lot coverage and outdoor storage.
Business Park. The BP row is the only one with a percentage in the lot coverage column: 50%. The same row lists a 5 Acres minimum district size and a 35' building height, and sends yards to footnote (6). That footnote sets a 15 foot front yard, a ten foot corner or flanking street yard, a ten foot rear yard (25 feet where the lot abuts an R zone), 20 foot side yards next to R or HMU zones, and 30 feet of minimum street frontage. Interior lot lines of a parent parcel can have zero foot side yards, but every perimeter lot line of the parent parcel carries a ten foot side setback, and buildings with side yards under ten feet cannot be longer than 300 feet.
Historic Mixed-Use. The HMU row prints no percentage. Its lot coverage cell reads "See (5.a) Below", and footnote (5)(a) caps floor area ratio, the amount of building surface expressed as a ratio to lot surface, at .45. By that definition a 10,000 square foot HMU lot carries at most 4,500 square feet of building surface. HMU rear yards are none, provided the F.A.R. and other setbacks are observed. The table lists 35' for height, while footnote (5)(b)(i) sets a 30 foot maximum for new construction and exterior remodels.
Every other zone. UMU, CN, CO, CBD, CC, CR, CAR, CG, CM, IP, IL, IH, JF, PF and OS all print None. Building size there is controlled by the other columns: CN requires 20 feet of street frontage, IP requires 15 foot street frontage yards and 25 foot side and rear yards, JF requires every yard to be at least 20 feet and unobstructed, and CAR requires a 25 foot front yard.
Residential zones. The residential standards table at 18.12.010(A)(2) never uses the term lot coverage. Its columns are built around density and minimum lot size instead.
Violations & Fines
KMC 18.12.010 prints no fine or penalty of its own for this table. A Business Park project drawn above the 50% figure, or an HMU project above the .45 floor area ratio, does not conform to the table. Existing buildings that already exceed a coverage limit are handled by the conversion and nonconforming-structure language in 18.12.020(9) and 18.12.070(3).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum lot coverage in Kennewick's Business Park zone?
Does Kennewick limit lot coverage in zones like Commercial General or Commercial Community?
How is building size limited in the Historic Mixed-Use district?
Can a building that exceeds lot coverage limits become an accessory dwelling unit?
Do day care facilities have to meet the zone's lot coverage?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kennewick
Compare Kennewick to another location·View the Washington building setbacks & zoning overview
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