Chelan County, WA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Unincorporated Chelan County zones its rural land under Title 11 of the Chelan County Code, and Chapter 11.08 sets the standards for the Rural Residential/Resource - 1 Dwelling Unit per 20 Acres (RR20) district. Section 11.08.020(3) states that development in RR20 'shall meet the applicable provisions of the Chelan County Code,' and among the numbered standards listed is a maximum building height of thirty-five feet. The same thirty-five-foot ceiling repeats almost verbatim in the adjacent Rural Residential/Resource - 1 Dwelling Unit per 10 Acres (RR10) district at Section 11.10.020(3), so a landowner moving between the county's two largest-lot rural zones faces an identical cap.

The Chelan County Department of Community Development reviews building permit applications against this limit before construction begins; a design that exceeds thirty-five feet cannot be permitted as a matter of right. A property owner who believes strict application of the height cap creates an undue hardship, because of unique topography, lot shape or lot size the applicant did not create, can apply for a variance under Chapter 11.95. The Hearing Examiner decides variance requests within 120 days of a completeness determination (Section 11.95.020), may not use the variance to grant a de facto rezone or added density, and any approval expires three years after approval if substantial construction has not started (Section 11.95.080).

Decisions are final unless appealed to Chelan County Superior Court within twenty-one days (Section 11.95.090). A structure built over height without an approved variance becomes a civil code violation processed under Title 16: the Administrator, the Department of Community Development director, sheriff, or a designee, issues a notice and order under Chapter 16.06, and the property owner has fourteen days to request a hearing before the order becomes final.