Tacoma, WA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- UR-1 front & rear setback
- 15 feet
- UR-2 & UR-3 front & rear setback
- 10 feet
- Side setback
- 5 ft (8 ft if entrance faces yard)
- Governing section
- TMC § 13.06.020F.1
- Bonus program
- can reduce setbacks further
Summary
Tacoma's Urban Residential zones set minimum yard setbacks in TMC § 13.06.020F.1: a 15-foot front and rear setback in UR-1, dropping to 10 feet in UR-2 and UR-3, with a 5-foot side setback that grows to 8 feet where a unit's entrance faces that yard.
Front Setback, minimum 15 feet 10 feet Exception: porches, entries, and residential transition areas may be located within the front setback per the provisions of TMC § 13.06.010H. ... Side Setback, minimum 5 feet or 8 feet on sides of buildings when there are units in that building whose primary entrance faces that same side yard ... Rear Setback, minimum 15 feet 10 feet
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4946110; v22 updated 2026-07-28).
Full Breakdown
The Residential Districts chapter's UR-1/UR-2/UR-3 development-standards table fixes these numbers directly rather than leaving them to a variance process: UR-1, the city's largest-lot Urban Residential tier, requires 15 feet front and rear; UR-2 and UR-3, which allow rowhouses, courtyard housing and (in UR-3) multiplexes, both step down to 10 feet. Front-yard setbacks can also be averaged with the setbacks of neighboring structures rather than the flat minimum, and porches, entries and residential transition areas are allowed to project into the front setback under TMC § 13.06.010H. Projects that provide affordability or retain an existing building can use the code's bonus program to shrink setbacks further, to as little as 5 feet.
Violations & Fines
Building outside the required setback line violates Title 13 and is declared a public nuisance under TMC § 13.05.150; Code Enforcement can order removal or correction, backed by penalties under the Uniform Enforcement Code, TMC Chapter 1.82.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Tacoma's yard setbacks change by zone?
Can a porch extend into my Tacoma front setback?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tacoma
Compare Tacoma to another location·View the Washington building setbacks & zoning overview
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Setback Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle setback rules.