Island County, WA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Island County does not set a single front-yard number for its rural zones; instead, section 17.03.180.S.3 ties the front, street-side, and street-rear setback to the classification of the road or access easement the lot fronts. A lot served only by local access, including a private easement serving more than one outside lot, keeps a 20-foot setback whether it is in the RR Zone or an R, RA, or RF Zone, on an existing or new lot alike. Front onto an arterial or collector road, or a state highway, and the setback stays 30 feet for an existing lot in either zone group, but jumps to 100 feet for a new lot or parcel created in the R, RA, or RF Zones.

Side and rear yards follow a separate, simpler rule: five feet in the RR Zone and on existing lots in the R, RA, and RF Zones, rising to fifty feet for a newly created lot or parcel in the R, RA, or RF Zones. All these setbacks are measured from the property line or the edge of the right-of-way, whichever is farther out, and private utility easements and interior access easements serving a single lot carry a zero-foot setback. Architectural projections like eaves, cornices, and chimneys can intrude up to eighteen inches into any required yard, and the Planning Director can administratively shave up to 30 percent off a yard setback, or up to 10 percent off a street setback, under the variance standards in section 17.03.210.D.