Building Setbacks & Zoning in Washington (2026)

Auburn's residential setback table, ACC 18.07.030(E), sets a 35-foot front setback in RC and R-1, dropping to 10 feet…

In Bellingham's Residential Single (RS) zone, main buildings need a 5-foot side yard, a 10-foot rear yard, and a front…

In unincorporated Benton County's Community Center Residential (CCR) District, dwellings need a 55-foot setback from a…

In the City of Bothell, Washington, BMC 12.14.030 sets yard setbacks zone by zone in a development standards table…

In unincorporated Chelan County's RR20 district (Rural Residential/Resource, one dwelling unit per 20 acres), Chelan…

In Clark County's rural residential districts (R-20, R-10, R-5), the minimum front setback is 50 feet from a road, side…

In unincorporated Cowlitz County, every zoning district, including the unzoned (U) area, has a front yard setback of at…

Edmonds sets minimum street, side and rear setbacks by low-density residential subdistrict in ECDC 16.20.030(D)…

Everett sets minimum building setbacks by zoning district under Table 6-2: single-family NR-C lots need a 20-foot front…

Federal Way's suburban estate (SE) zone requires a 30-foot front yard, 10-foot side yards and a 10-foot rear yard on…

In the AP-20 agricultural production zone of unincorporated Franklin County, primary buildings must sit at least 25…

Grant County's Unified Development Code layers a special buffer setback on top of the base zone setback whenever a…

In the R-1 Restricted Residential District, unincorporated Grays Harbor County's baseline single-family zone, Grays…

In the Rural (R), Rural Agriculture (RA), Rural Forest (RF), and Rural Residential (RR) Zones of unincorporated Island…

Kennewick's residential zoning code sets minimum front, side, rear, and garage setbacks by zone under KMC…

Kent's agricultural and residential zoning districts each carry their own minimum yard setbacks under KCC 15.04.170…

Unincorporated King County sets a 10-foot minimum street setback and 5-foot interior setback in the R-4 through R-48…

Detached single-family homes in Kirkland's Low Density Residential zones (RS, RSX, RSA) must sit back 20 feet from the…

In the City of Lacey, Washington, a lot in the Low Density Residential District needs a 16 foot front yard, 20 feet in…

Lakewood's residential dimensional table, LMC 18A.60.030(A), sets front, garage, rear, and interior setbacks by zoning…

Outside the incorporated cities and small-town urban growth areas, LCC § 15.15.040 sets a minimum building setback of…

Lynnwood's Residential Neighborhood (RN) zone, the base district for single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes…

Marysville's density and dimension table at Marysville Municipal Code § 22C.010.080(2) sets minimum street, side and…

In unincorporated Mason County's Rural Residential 2.5 zone, Mason County Code Section 17.04.213 sets the front yard…

In the City of Olympia, Washington, Table 4.04 sets minimum front, rear, and side yard setbacks for each residential…

Pasco sets minimum building setbacks by housing type across the R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 residential zones under PMC…

Pierce County sets minimum building setbacks by zone classification in Table 18A.15.040-1, from a 25-foot arterial…

Port Townsend's residential zoning table sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks that vary by district, from 5…

Puyallup's Table 20.20.020 sets minimum yard setbacks for every RS single-family zone: front yards range from 15 feet…

Renton sets minimum front, rear and side yard setbacks by residential zone in RMC 4-2-110A, ranging from a 30-foot…

RMC § 23.18.040 sets minimum yard setbacks for the City of Richland, Washington's five residential zones: 20 feet front…

Within Sammamish's shoreline jurisdiction, SMC 25.06.020(9) sets the shoreline setback at 50 feet landward of Lake…

SMC 23.44.090's Table A sets Neighborhood Residential front setbacks at 15 feet for lots with one or two units and 10…

Table 20.50.020(1) of Shoreline Municipal Code § 20.50.020 sets a uniform 10-foot minimum front yard setback across the…

SCC Chapter 14.28 sets minimum building setbacks for every structure and lot in unincorporated Skagit County. Setbacks…

In unincorporated Snohomish County, setbacks are set by zone in the SCC 30.23 bulk matrices. In the common urban…

In Spokane County's urban residential zones, the front/flanking-street and side setback for a residence is 15 feet (20…

Spokane Valley sets minimum yard setbacks by zoning district in Table 19.70-1 under SVMC § 19.70.020. Front and…

Tacoma's Urban Residential zones set minimum yard setbacks in TMC § 13.06.020F.1: a 15-foot front and rear setback in…

Thurston County sets yard setbacks by zoning district under Title 21. In the Low-Density Residential District 0-6…

Minimum yard setbacks in unincorporated Walla Walla County are set zone by zone in the WWCC § 17.18.020 dimensional…

In unincorporated Whatcom County, Title 20 zoning sets minimum yards from property lines. Rural Residential lots hold…

Setbacks in Yakima County come from two codes: the joint Yakima Urban Area Zoning Ordinance (YMC Title 15) inside the…

Washington adopts the International Building Code statewide through chapter 51-50 WAC, setting maximum heights and…

Auburn's residential zoning table caps a house at 35 feet in the RC and R-1 zones, rising to 45 feet in R-3 and R-F…

Bellingham's Residential Single zone caps buildings at 35 feet measured to the roof peak from grade at the wall, or 20…

In unincorporated Benton County's GMA Agricultural District, no residential building may rise higher than 35 feet. The…

In the City of Bothell, Washington, BMC 12.14.110 measures building height vertically from the average city-approved…

In unincorporated Chelan County's Rural Residential/Resource district (RR20, one dwelling unit per 20 acres), Chelan…

In Clark County's rural residential districts (R-20, R-10, R-5), the maximum building height for residential buildings…

In unincorporated Cowlitz County, buildings over 35 feet tall must not exceed what the local fire district's equipment…

Edmonds caps building height at 25 feet across all three low-density residential subdistricts, LDR-S, LDR-M and LDR-L…

Everett caps building height by zone under Everett Municipal Code Section 19.22.020: Neighborhood Residential (NR) and…

Federal Way caps detached houses in its single-family residential zones at 30 feet above average building elevation…

Franklin County caps primary and accessory structures at 35 feet in the AP-20 agricultural production zone, but exempts…

Grant County caps building height by zoning district in the tables to its Unified Development Code, and Table 1's Note…

In unincorporated Grays Harbor County, towers, chimneys, water tanks and similar roof features may rise above a zoning…

In the Rural (R) Zone of unincorporated Island County, Island County Code section 17.03.060.D caps building height at…

Kennewick caps residential building height by zoning district in the Table of Residential Site Development Standards at…

Kent caps residential building height by zoning district under KCC 15.04.170(I): 2.5 stories and 35 feet in the NR-L…

In unincorporated King County's urban single-family zones (R-4 through R-8), homes are capped at a 35-foot base height…

Kirkland limits detached house height to 25 feet above average building elevation (ABE) in RS, PLA 3C and PLA 6E zones…

In unincorporated Kitsap County, building height is measured from a reference datum to the roofline under KCC…

In the City of Lacey, Washington, a main building or accessory dwelling in the Low Density Residential District tops…

Lakewood caps residential building height at 35 feet in its four single-family districts, R1 through R4, and its first…

Across the residential and commercial zones of Lewis County's Packwood and Onalaska Small Town Urban Growth Areas…

Lynnwood's Residential Neighborhood (RN) zone caps building height at 35 feet for detached, attached and stacked…

Marysville sets base residential height limits of 30 feet in the NR-4.5 and NR-6.5 zones and up to 45 feet in R-18 and…

In unincorporated Mason County's Rural Residential 2.5 zone, Mason County Code Section 17.04.214(b) caps residential…

In the City of Olympia, Washington, residential building height starts with the district limit in Table 4.04 of OMC…

Pasco limits single-family homes to 35 feet in the R-1 and R-2 zones and 40 feet in R-3 and R-4 under Table…

Maximum building height in unincorporated Pierce County is set by zone. Residential zones such as Suburban Residential…

Port Townsend caps residential building height by zoning district: 30 feet in R-I, up to 35 feet for single-family…

Table 20.20.020 caps outright-permitted residential structures at 36 feet in Puyallup's RS-35 through RS-06 zones and…

Renton limits residential structures to a maximum wall plate height of 24 feet and two stories in the RC through R-8…

In the City of Richland, Washington, RMC § 23.18.040 caps residential building height at 30 feet in the R-1-12, R-1-10…

Inside Sammamish's shoreline jurisdiction, the Shoreline Master Program caps single-family residences at 35 feet and…

SMC 23.44.070 caps most structures in Seattle's Neighborhood Residential zones at 32 feet, rising to 42 feet for…

In the City of Shoreline, SMC § 20.50.050 measures building height from the average existing grade to the roof's…

In the Rural Mixed-Use zones of unincorporated Skagit County, including Rural Village Residential (RVR), Table…

Snohomish County sets maximum building heights zone-by-zone in the bulk matrices referenced by SCC 30.23.050, ranging…

Maximum building height in Spokane County's Low Density and Low Density Plus Residential zones is 35 feet; Medium…

Spokane Valley limits residential building height to 35 feet in the R-1 through R-4 single-family zones and 50 feet in…

In Tacoma's R-4 and R-5 Multiple-Unit Dwelling Districts, main buildings are capped at 60 and 150 feet respectively…

In Thurston County's Low Density Residential District 0-6, the maximum building height is 25 feet, set by the…

In unincorporated Walla Walla County, residential building height tops out at 35 feet in most single-family and rural…

Whatcom County caps building height by zoning district instead of countywide: WCC § 20.32.400 sets 35 feet in the…

Unincorporated Yakima County caps most single-family homes at 35 feet in the SR, R-1 and R-2 districts, while…

Auburn caps how much of a residential lot can be covered by buildings, driveways and other hard surfaces through a…

Bellingham caps standard multifamily lot coverage at 35% of the site under BMC 20.32.040(D), but BMC 20.32.050(C) lets…

Parcels in unincorporated Benton County's Community Center Residential (CCR) District are capped at 40 percent lot…

In the City of Bothell, Washington, BMC 12.14.140 defines building coverage and hard surface coverage as percentages of…

In unincorporated Chelan County's RR20 district (Rural Residential/Resource, one dwelling unit per 20 acres), Chelan…

Clark County's rural residential districts (R-20, R-10, R-5) set no numeric maximum lot coverage in Table 40.210.020-3…

Cowlitz County's Table 18.10.501 caps maximum lot coverage by zoning district for unincorporated land: 50% in the RR-1…

Edmonds caps lot coverage at 35 percent of total lot area across all three low-density residential subdistricts under…

Everett caps how much of a residential lot a building can cover: 35 percent in the NR-C zone and 50 percent in the NR…

Federal Way caps impervious lot coverage, meaning every structure, driveway and other surface that blocks water…

In the RR-1 rural residential zone of unincorporated Franklin County, buildings and structures may cover no more than…

Unincorporated Grays Harbor County caps how much of a residential lot can be covered by buildings, driveways and other…

In the Rural (R) Zone across unincorporated Island County, impervious surface is capped at 25 percent of a parcel five…

Kennewick caps lot coverage in only two non-residential zones. The Business Park (BP) district prints a Maximum Lot…

Kent caps building and site coverage by zoning district under KCC 15.04.170(B): 30% in the A-10 agricultural and NR-L…

Unincorporated King County caps impervious surface, pavement, roofs, decks, by zone under Code § 21A.09H.030: 55% in…

Kirkland caps a single-family lot at 50 percent impervious lot coverage under KZC 15.30.060, the Density/Dimensions…

In the City of Lacey, Washington, the Low Density Residential District caps building area coverage at 50 percent of the…

Lakewood caps building coverage at 45 percent of the lot in the R1 through R3 single-family zones, 50 percent in R4…

In the Packwood and Onalaska Small Town Urban Growth Areas, commercial lot coverage is capped by zone rather than by…

In Lynnwood's Alderwood-city center transition area (ACC) zone, LMC 8.30.0440(B)(1) caps building coverage at 70…

Marysville Municipal Code § 22C.010.080(2) caps building coverage and total impervious surface for every residential…

In the R-1 Single-Family Residential district of Mason County's Allyn urban growth area, Mason County Code § 17.11.150…

In the City of Olympia, Washington, residential impervious surface limits sit in Table 4.04 of OMC 18.04.080, and…

Pasco caps residential lot coverage at 60 percent for detached single-family and multifamily buildings across the R-1…

In unincorporated Pierce County, detached accessory structures on residential lots under 1 acre cap out at 2,000 total…

Port Townsend limits building lot coverage to 25-75% of a parcel depending on the residential zoning district, with…

Table 20.20.020 caps how much of an RS-zoned lot a structure may cover: there is no fixed percentage in RS-35, but…

Renton caps building lot coverage between 10% in the Resource Conservation zone and 50% in R-8, with impervious surface…

RMC § 23.18.040 caps how much of a residential lot in the City of Richland, Washington can be covered by buildings: 40…

SMC 23.44.080 caps structure coverage at 50 percent of the lot in Seattle's Neighborhood Residential zones, rising to…

Table 20.50.020(1) of Shoreline Municipal Code § 20.50.020 caps impervious hardscape coverage at 50 percent of the lot…

Table 14.11.030-1 caps impervious lot coverage in unincorporated Skagit County's Rural Mixed-Use zones: 35 percent in…

Snohomish County caps how much of a lot a building can cover through the bulk matrices in SCC 30.23.010, with most…

In Spokane County, maximum building coverage is 55% of lot area in the Low Density and Low Density Plus Residential…

Spokane Valley caps how much of a residential lot a building can cover under Table 19.70-1 of the zoning code: 30…

Tacoma caps total building coverage at 65% of lot area in its R-4 and R-5 multi-unit districts; single-family UR-zoned…

In Thurston County's unincorporated Low-Density Residential District 0-6, Code Section 21.12.050 caps building…

In unincorporated Walla Walla County, lot coverage caps run by zoning district under the density and dimensional…

In Whatcom County's Residential Rural (RR) zone, the base rural zoning covering most of the unincorporated county…

Unincorporated Yakima County caps building and impervious lot coverage by residential zone: 60% in the SR, R-1 and R-2…