Sammamish uses dynamic single-family setbacks that grow with house size. A house under 2,500 square feet needs about a 15-foot front, 5-foot side, and 15-foot average rear setback, while larger homes require deeper setbacks. Lots on arterial streets need a 30-foot front setback.
Sammamish single-family residential setbacks are 'dynamic,' meaning the required distance from each lot line increases with the size of the house, per the City's R-6 Setbacks handout (No. 130) citing SMC 21.04.030.C and SMC 21.04.040.B. For buildings less than 2,500 square feet: front yard 15 feet (20 feet for the garage), rear yard 15 feet average / 12 feet minimum, and side yard 5 feet. For buildings 2,500 to 4,000 square feet: front 15 feet (20 feet garage), rear 20 feet average / 15 feet minimum, and side 10 feet average / 8 feet minimum. For buildings over 4,000 square feet: front 20 feet, rear 25 feet average / 20 feet minimum, and side 12 feet average / 10 feet minimum. Regardless of house size, any lot fronting an arterial (major) street has a 30-foot front-yard setback. The City's published R-4 development standards similarly tie setbacks to building footprint. Rear and side setbacks for accessory structures may be reduced to 5 feet with a recorded neighbor agreement under SMC 21.04.030.C.19. Setback averaging is allowed where the encroaching area is offset by an equal recess. Properties in shoreline jurisdiction must also meet SMC Title 25 requirements. These are city standards, not King County rules.
Building closer to a lot line than the applicable setback, or ignoring the 30-foot arterial front setback, is a zoning violation. The City can deny or revoke a permit, require redesign, or in built cases pursue code enforcement, modification, or removal of the encroaching portion of the structure.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Sammamish does not prohibit backyard composting, and curbside yard waste/compost collection is available citywide. Curbside garbage, recycling, and yard-wast...
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Artificial turf is allowed in Sammamish and counts as 'yard area' for landscaping purposes. However, the city's surface water rules (based on the King County...
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Sammamish encourages native and drought-tolerant landscaping and requires it in certain contexts. The landscaping code (SDC 21.07.070) calls for drought-tole...
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Rainwater harvesting is legal in Sammamish and across Washington. Under a 2009 Washington Department of Ecology policy, collecting rooftop rainwater for on-s...
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The City of Sammamish runs no water utility and imposes no mandatory citywide watering restrictions. Water comes from special-purpose districts — chiefly Sam...
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Sammamish does not set a numeric weed-height limit, but its landscaping standards (SDC 21.07.070) prohibit any plant on the King County noxious weed list acr...
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