Building Setbacks & Zoning in Snohomish County, WA (2026)
3 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 4 cities in Snohomish County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
In unincorporated Snohomish County, setbacks are set by zone in the SCC 30.23 bulk matrices. In the common urban R-7,200, R-8,400, and R-9,600 residential zones, the minimum side and rear setback is five feet, with larger street and front setbacks fixed per zone.
Building setback requirements by zone
Some RestrictionsSCC 30.23.010(5)
For design reasons, the director may reduce the property line setbacks established in SCC Tables 30.23.030 and 30.23.032 by up to 25 percent for walls or structures that are 20 feet in length or less; provided, that a minimum setback of three feet is maintained. (6) Except as otherwise provided in this title, every required setback shall be open and unobstructed from the ground to the sky exce...
Structure Height Limits
Snohomish County sets maximum building heights zone-by-zone in the bulk matrices referenced by SCC 30.23.050, ranging from 25 feet in the R-20,000 zone up to 90 feet in the Urban Center (UC) zone. SCC 30.23.050(3) also spells out exactly how that height gets measured, from average final grade to the roof's highest point, with different rules for flat, mansard, and pitched roofs.
Snohomish County Building Height Limits
Some RestrictionsSCC 30.23.050(3)
(1) The maximum height of buildings and structures shall be pursuant to the height standards in SCC Tables 30.23.030 and 30.23.032, except as provided in subsection (2) of this section. ... (3) Building height shall be measured as the vertical distance from the average final grade to the highest point of the roof surface, based on the following roof types: (a) For a flat or minimally pitched (l...
Lot Coverage Limits
Snohomish County caps how much of a lot a building can cover through the bulk matrices in SCC 30.23.010, with most rural, resource, and standard urban-residential zones limited to 35 percent lot coverage. Coverage rules shift by zone: the NB commercial zone allows 65 percent, while several zones like LI, HI, PCB, and UC carry no lot-coverage cap at all.
Snohomish County Maximum Lot Coverage Rules
Some RestrictionsSCC 30.23.010(1)
(1) SCC Tables 30.23.030, 30.23.032, 30.23.041, 30.23.043, 30.23.045, and 30.23.047 constitute the bulk matrices. The bulk matrices contain the setback, lot coverage, building height, and lot dimension regulations for all zones in unincorporated Snohomish County. ... (3) All lots and structures shall conform to the requirements listed in the bulk matrices, SCC Tables 30.23.030, 30.23.032, 30.23...
Building Setbacks & Zoning by City in Snohomish County
4 cities in Snohomish County have their own building setbacks & zoning rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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