Bellingham, WA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- Requires
- Design Review Board approval
- Applies to
- Downtown urban village (CC, CT areas)
- Cross-referenced by
- BMC 20.37.530(B)
- Historic areas add
- Historic Preservation Commission review
Summary
Bellingham's downtown is a designated Urban Village Design Review District: new buildings and developments there need Design Review Board approval, and no building permit issues until that review is complete.
The following areas and developments are subject to design review under this chapter. No building permit shall be issued for projects regulated under this chapter until design review approval has been issued unless the activity is exempt... All development activities within an urban village design review district listed in Table 20.25.020 ... shall obtain design review approval unless exempted by subsection (A) of this section.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-06-015, passed June 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
BMC 20.25.020(C) lists Downtown among the city's Urban Village Design Review Districts (alongside Old Town, Waterfront, Fairhaven, Fountain District, Samish Way and Barkley) under Table 20.25.020. New buildings and developments there must go through the Design Review Board, and projects in the historic district or historic influence area also go through the Design Review Subcommittee of the Historic Preservation Commission. BMC 20.37.530(B), governing the downtown district urban village's development regulations, cross-references this requirement directly: 'See Chapters 20.25 and 21.10 BMC for applicable design review areas, standards, guidelines and procedures.' Single-family homes, minor interior work and normal maintenance are exempt under BMC 20.25.020(A).
Violations & Fines
No building permit may be issued for a covered downtown project until design review approval is obtained (BMC 20.25.020); building without it is enforceable as a Title 20 violation under BMC 20.52.010.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every downtown Bellingham building need design review?
Who reviews downtown design review applications in Bellingham?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellingham
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