Lynnwood, WA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum street setback
- 10 feet (RN district)
- Minimum interior setback
- 5 feet (RN district)
- Minimum space between buildings
- 10 feet
- Minimum parking lot setback
- 5 feet
- Applies to
- detached, attached, stacked RN housing
- Governing code
- Lynnwood Municipal Code § 8.30.0320
Summary
Lynnwood's Residential Neighborhood (RN) zone, the base district for single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and cottage housing under the Title 8 Unified Development Code, requires a minimum 10-foot setback from the street and a minimum 5-foot setback from interior side and rear property lines, with at least 10 feet of separation required between detached buildings on the same lot.
Lot – RN Detached Configuration ... Building Placement ... B | Minimum Street Setback | 10 ft ... C | Minimum Interior Setback | 5 ft ... D | Minimum Space Between Buildings | 10 ft
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3512, passed May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
30, alongside Residential Multifamily 45 feet (RM-45) and Manufactured Home Park (MHP). RN replaced the city's former single-family zoning after Title 21 Zoning expired June 30, 2025, and it now implements Washington's HB 1110 middle-housing law by allowing up to four units per lot regardless of lot size, with a base standard of three units and a fourth allowed for ownership units at 80 percent AMI, rental units at 60 percent AMI, or lots within a quarter mile of an existing or planned major transit stop.
The Lot, Parking and Access table for the RN Detached Configuration sets Minimum Street Setback at 10 feet, Minimum Interior Setback at 5 feet, and Minimum Space Between Buildings at 10 feet; the RN Attached Configuration table repeats the same 10-foot street and 5-foot interior figures, and the RN Stacked Configuration table again lists a 10-foot Minimum Street Setback and 5-foot Minimum Interior Setback. A related figure, Minimum Parking Lot Setback, is set at 5 feet for both detached and attached layouts. Minimum lot size in RN is 6,000 square feet with a 50-foot minimum lot width, and minimum lot area per unit for multi-unit configurations is 2,000 square feet.
The section was last amended by Ordinance 3492, Sections 3 through 5, in 2025, following the original adoption by Ordinance 3481, Section 7, in 2025.
Violations & Fines
A house, duplex, triplex or fourplex sited closer than the 10-foot street setback or 5-foot interior setback is not eligible for building permit issuance by the City of Lynnwood's Community Development Department, which reviews every new construction and addition against the RN district table before plans are approved. A structure built or expanded in violation faces a stop-work order and required correction before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far back from the street must a new house sit in Lynnwood's RN zone?
What is the side and rear setback for RN-zoned lots?
Does Lynnwood still use its old R-1 single-family zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynnwood
Compare Lynnwood to another location·View the Washington building setbacks & zoning overview
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Setback Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle setback rules.