King County and Seattle authorize transitional bridge housing including tiny-house villages, enhanced shelters, and safe parking, operated under contract by KCRHA, the Low Income Housing Institute, Mary's Place, and DESC, with streamlined permitting.
Tiny-house villages operated by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) host roughly 1,200 people across King County, providing 8-by-12-foot insulated units, hygiene facilities, and case management toward permanent housing. Enhanced shelters run by DESC and Mary's Place offer 24/7 low-barrier access with on-site behavioral health and housing navigation. Seattle Ordinance 126279 streamlined permitting of these facilities, and King County waives certain zoning requirements for transitional housing on county-owned land. The 2026 KCRHA Five-Year Plan targets 18,000 additional shelter and bridge housing units. Operators must meet building code health and safety standards but receive expedited zoning review.
Operating an unpermitted bridge housing site without KCRHA contract or county authorization may trigger zoning enforcement, but authorized villages and enhanced shelters operate freely under streamlined permits, and good-faith operators rarely face citations.
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