Edmonds, WA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Principal structure height (all LDR subdistricts)
- 25 feet
- Accessory building/structure height
- 15 feet
- Detached ADU height
- 24 feet
- Amateur radio antenna default cap
- Zone height limit
- Governing sections
- ECDC 16.20.030(D), 16.20.065(B)
Summary
Edmonds caps building height at 25 feet across all three low-density residential subdistricts, LDR-S, LDR-M and LDR-L, under ECDC 16.20.030(D), with accessory buildings and structures separately limited to 15 feet under ECDC 16.20.065(B).
D. Site Development Standards Table. | | LDR-S | LDR-M | LDR-L | | ... Height Maximum | 25' | 25' | 25' | ... 16.20.065 Site development standards - Accessory buildings and structures. ... B. Height. Height shall be limited to 15 feet, except for amateur radio transmitting antennas and their supporting structures. Garages or other accessory buildings attached by a breezeway, hallway, or other similar connection to the main building which results in a separation exceeding 10 feet in length may not exceed the 15-foot height limit.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4444, passed August 3, 2026).
Full Breakdown
030(D) sets a flat 25-foot maximum building height for principal structures in every low-density residential overlay, LDR-S (small lot), LDR-M (medium lot) and LDR-L (large lot). 030(A) bars middle housing from facing dimensional standards stricter than those for a detached single-family home. 065(B) caps their height at 15 feet, except for amateur radio transmitting antennas and their supports. A garage or other accessory building connected to the main house by a breezeway, hallway or similar link exceeding 10 feet in length is still treated as an accessory building and stays subject to the 15-foot cap; the separation is measured as the minimum distance between the outside walls of the main building and the accessory building, not counting the connector itself.
060(C): up to 24 feet regardless of LDR subdistrict, which is higher than the general 15-foot accessory-building cap because a DADU functions as a dwelling rather than a garage or shed. 065(E) and (F).
Violations & Fines
Height compliance is checked during building permit plan review by the Edmonds planning and development department; a structure exceeding the applicable limit without an approved waiver or exception can be denied a certificate of occupancy or ordered altered. Property owners seeking additional height for a satellite dish or amateur radio antenna must apply for a technological-impracticality waiver, reviewed by the hearing examiner as a Type III-A decision under ECDC 16.20.065(F), and pay the same application fee charged for a variance (waived for licensed amateur radio operators).
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a house be built in Edmonds's low-density residential zones?
Is a backyard shed or detached garage held to the same height limit as a house in Edmonds?
How tall can a detached accessory dwelling unit be in Edmonds?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Edmonds
Compare Edmonds to another location·View the Washington building setbacks & zoning overview
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Structure Height Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle structure height limits.