Snohomish County, WA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)
Key Facts
- Base bonus, most rural land
- 15% of underlying zone max density
- Maximum bonus, most rural land
- 35% with added open space
- Base bonus, local forest/mineral overlay
- 5%
- Maximum bonus, local forest/mineral overlay
- 10%
- No bonus allowed
- RR-RD zoned land within RUTA overlay
- Extra bonus rate
- 1% per 1% added open space
Summary
Unincorporated Snohomish County awards rural cluster subdivisions a 15% residential density bonus over the underlying zone's maximum density when the project meets base open-space requirements, rising to as much as 35% for extra restricted open space set aside beyond the minimum.
(1) For all lands, except those specified in subsections 2 and 3 of this section, a rural cluster subdivision or short subdivision shall be awarded a residential density bonus of 15 percent of the maximum density allowed by the underlying zone if the amount of restricted open space equals the amount required in SCC 30.41C.075 and 30.41C.090. If additional restricted open space is proposed beyond the minimum amount required, a rural cluster subdivision or short subdivision shall be awarded an additional one percent density bonus for every additional one percent of restricted open space designated up to a maximum total density bonus of 35 percent. (2) A rural cluster subdivision or short subdivision on lands designated local forest or subject to the mineral resource overlay shall be awarded a residential density bonus of 5 percent if the amount of restricted open space meets or exceeds the amount required in SCC 30.41C.075 and 30.41C.090. If additional restricted open space is proposed beyond the minimum amount required, a rural cluster subdivision or short subdivision shall be awarded an additional one percent density bonus for every additional one percent of restricted open space designated up to a maximum total density bonus of 10 percent. (3) On lands designated RR-RD within a RUTA overlay, no density bonus is allowed.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through legislation passed August 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
41C SCC. 090 is provided. Applicants who dedicate more restricted open space than the minimum earn an additional 1 percent density bonus for every additional 1 percent of restricted open space, capped at a 35 percent total bonus. Land designated local forest or subject to the mineral resource overlay is treated differently: the base bonus there is only 5 percent, with the same one-for-one trade for extra open space, but capped at a 10 percent total bonus. No bonus at all is available on land designated Rural Residential-Resource Development (RR-RD) within a Rural Urban Transition Area (RUTA) overlay under FLUM designations; subsection (3) flatly bars any density bonus there.
230: basic lot yield is the gross site area divided by the larger of 200,000 square feet or the zone's minimum lot area, and the maximum lot yield is the basic yield multiplied by one plus the density bonus expressed as a fraction. 5 or more rounds up. 120.
Violations & Fines
There is no separate penalty schedule for this section because the density bonus is a design-standard calculation, not a prohibition. Failing to provide the restricted open space required by SCC 30.41C.075 and 30.41C.090 simply denies the bonus and caps the project at the basic lot yield under SCC 30.41C.230. A plat recorded with a lot count that exceeds what the verified open space supports is subject to denial or correction by the department during preliminary and final plat review, since the bonus calculation and the open-space tract must both appear on the recorded plat maps.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much extra density can a rural cluster subdivision get in Snohomish County?
Does the density bonus apply on forest or mineral resource land?
Can every rural parcel in unincorporated Snohomish County use this bonus?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Snohomish County
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