Everett, WA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- Governs
- Metro Everett + mixed-use zones
- Tool
- Street-type design table (Table 9-5)
- Map
- Map 33-1 sets street designation
- Review
- Optional architect design review
- Old chapters
- 19.19/19.20 repealed, folded into 19.09
Summary
Everett ties downtown building design to street type under Everett Municipal Code Section 19.09.220, applying different parking-frontage, weather-protection, and window-transparency standards to buildings on TOD, pedestrian, connector, and residential mixed-use streets in Metro Everett and other urban centers.
Some building and site design standards are based on the designation of adjacent streets. Table 9-5 lists the design standards that are different based on the applicable street designation. To determine the street designation for an individual property, see Map 33-1 in Chapter 19.33 EMC. The table applies in conjunction with the detailed standards in the following sections, in addition to other standards in this title...
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4194-26, passed July 29, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 19.09 EMC applies to residential and mixed-use development in the UR4, UR7, MU4, MU7, MU15, MU25 and LI-MU zones, which make up Metro Everett, the city's downtown mixed-use core. Section 19.09.220 ties design standards, including structured-parking frontage limits, weather-protection canopies, window-transparency percentages, and minimum building heights, to the street-type designation shown on Map 33-1: TOD, pedestrian, connector, and residential-mixed-use streets each carry different numeric requirements. The planning director may also require an outside architect's advisory review of a project's design under Section 19.09.410. The old Chapters 19.19 and 19.20, once titled Metro Everett Uses and Metro Everett Development Standards, were repealed by Ordinance 3774-20; their substance now lives in Chapter 19.09.
Violations & Fines
Design-standard violations are processed as general code violations under Chapter 1.20 EMC, which authorizes stop-work orders and a default civil penalty of $250 per violation per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Everett have a downtown design guide?
Are Chapters 19.19 and 19.20 still Everett's Metro Everett rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Everett
Compare Everett to another location·View the Washington zoning overlays & bonuses overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Downtown Design Guide in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle downtown design guide.