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

The site requirements table in RMC § 23.18.040 requires a 20-foot minimum front yard setback and a 25-foot minimum rear yard setback in the R-1-12, R-1-10 and R-2 districts, with a 10-foot side yard in R-1-12 and R-1-10 narrowing to 6 feet in R-2. R-2S carries the tightest and most detailed standard: table note 4 sets the front yard at not less than 15 feet in front of living areas, up to 55 percent of the front lot line, and not less than 18 feet in front of everything else, while note 7 allows the rear yard down to 3 feet behind a garage or carport for up to 60 percent of the rear lot line, though it must stay at least 20 feet behind living areas.

Every district also carries a 6-foot minimum setback from any alley or private access easement. Note 3 layers on an averaging rule: where more than half the existing homes on a block face already sit closer to the street than the district standard, a new single-family or duplex home may match the average setback of its two neighbors, but never less than 15 feet or more than 30 feet. Multifamily buildings in R-3, per note 6, instead take a 20-foot front yard, a 25-foot rear yard, and a side yard of one foot for every three feet of building height.