Building setbacks in Kennewick are set by KMC 18.12.010 A.2 (Table of Residential Site Development Standards) in the Title 18 Zoning Code. Front yard / street setback is 15 feet in the RS, RL, RM, RH, RTP zones (20 feet in RMH); garage setback is 20 feet (15 feet for side-entry); side yard is 5 feet (0 feet in UMU); rear yard is 15 feet (5 feet in UMU). Setbacks are measured from the back of the sidewalk (or the right-of-way line where no sidewalk exists, and in the UMU district). State authority is RCW 35A.63 (planning powers).
Kennewick's residential setback framework is codified in KMC 18.12.010 A.2 (Table of Residential Site Development Standards) within Chapter 18.12 (Zone Districts and Standards) of the Title 18 Zoning Code. The standards differ by zoning district: for RS, RL, RM, RH and RTP, the minimum front yard / street setback is 15 feet, the minimum garage setback is 20 feet, the minimum side yard setback is 5 feet, and the minimum rear yard setback is 15 feet; for RMH (Manufactured Home), the front-yard setback is 20 feet with the same side, rear and garage standards; for UMU (Urban Mixed Use), setbacks are governed by KMC 18.80 / 18.12.010 A.2(7), with no required setback from front and side property lines except as mandated by local, state and federal codes. KMC 18.12.010 A.2(2)(a) provides that 'building setback lines will be measured from the back of the sidewalk' - and where no sidewalk exists, or in the UMU district, from the right-of-way line. Garage setbacks may be reduced to 15 feet for side-entry garages provided the street-facing facade is treated with windows, modulations and architectural features. The Title 18 framework was significantly updated by Ord. No. 24-6074 (2024) and Ord. 6007 (2023) to accommodate the state middle-housing package. RCW 35A.63 (Planning Powers - Code Cities) is the state authority. Variances are heard through the Kennewick administrative processes; tall structures may also implicate the Crash and Approach overlays in KMC Chapter 18.58 for the area around the Tri-Cities Airport.
Building within a required yard or otherwise violating KMC 18.12.010 A.2 is a zoning violation enforceable by the Kennewick Planning Department and Code Enforcement, with refusal of a Certificate of Occupancy, stop-work orders on active construction, and citation under the general penalty provisions of the Kennewick Municipal Code. Building permits are issued by the Kennewick Permit Center under the State Building Code (Chapter 19.27 RCW) and the WAC 51-50 series. Each day of continuing violation may be cited as a separate offense.
Kennewick, WA
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Kennewick, WA
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Kennewick, WA
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