Lacey, WA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Building area coverage
- 50 percent maximum (Low Density Residential)
- Development coverage
- 65 percent maximum
- Patio exemption
- Side and rear yard patios with pervious pavement
- Usable open space (alley lots)
- 10 percent of lot size, not in front yard
- McAllister Springs district
- 60 percent building, 75 percent development
Summary
In the City of Lacey, Washington, the Low Density Residential District caps building area coverage at 50 percent of the lot and development coverage at 65 percent. Side and rear yard patios are exempt from the development cap when the paving counts as pervious to Lacey's public works department. Lacey Municipal Code § 16.13.050 prints both limits.
D. Other lot standards: ... 2. Maximum building area coverage, fifty percent. 3. Maximum development coverage, sixty-five percent. Side and rear yard patios are exempt from development coverage restrictions provided the paving material used is considered a pervious pavement by the city of Lacey’s public works department.
Full Breakdown
Section 16.13.050 of the Lacey Municipal Code sets two separate caps for lots in the Low Density Residential District in the City of Lacey, Thurston County. Maximum building area coverage is 50 percent. Maximum development coverage is 65 percent. Development coverage is the broader measure, so paving and hard surfaces count against it even when they are not buildings. The code carves out one exemption: side and rear yard patios are exempt from the development coverage restriction provided the paving material used is considered a pervious pavement by the City of Lacey's public works department. Front yard patios get no such exemption in the text.
The same section requires usable open space where alleys are utilized: a contiguous open space equivalent to 10 percent of the lot size, with minimum dimensions of 15 feet on all sides. The site plan review committee can reduce one side to 10 feet if the space includes at least two design features such as a pergola with landscaping or an improved patio. That open space cannot be located in the front yard, and each unit of a duplex or triplex needs direct access to its own usable open space.
Other Lacey districts carry higher or lower caps. The McAllister Springs Geologically Sensitive Area Residential District, section 16.10.050, allows 60 percent building area coverage and 75 percent development coverage on sewered lots. Section 16.21.050 in the urban agriculture chapter limits building coverage to 15 percent and development coverage to 25 percent for five acres or more. In a planned residential development, section 11.10.120 requires at least 30 percent of the gross land area as common open space and bars common-space structures from pushing building coverage past the maximum the underlying zone permits.
Violations & Fines
Section 16.13.050 has no penalty clause. The general penalty in section 1.12.010 applies except where a different penalty is specifically provided: a misdemeanor conviction under Lacey ordinances carries a fine of not more than $1,000.00 or imprisonment not to exceed ninety days, or both, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. A gross misdemeanor carries up to $5,000.00 or one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between building coverage and development coverage in Lacey?
Do patios count toward the 65 percent limit in the City of Lacey?
Is the lot coverage limit the same in every Lacey residential zone?
Does Lacey require open space on a residential lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lacey
Compare Lacey to another location·View the Washington building setbacks & zoning overview
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