Pasco, WA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- Applicability
- Land within/abutting 300 feet of downtown core
- Parking rule
- Exempt from Chapter 25.185 parking standards
- Density rule
- Exempt from PMC 25.215.015 density threshold
- Signs banned
- Billboards and freestanding pole signs
- Precedence
- Overlay rules override underlying district rules
Summary
Pasco's downtown overlay district (PMC Chapter 25.95) waives off-street parking and density-threshold rules for infill projects within 300 feet of the downtown core, while banning billboards and freestanding pole signs to keep the streetscape pedestrian-scale.
(1) The downtown Pasco overlay district shall be exempt from the following: (a) Off-street parking requirements of Chapter 25.185 PMC. (b) Density threshold requirements of PMC 25.215.015. (2) The following signs shall be prohibited, within the downtown core... of the downtown overlay zone: (a) Billboard signs. (b) Freestanding pole signs.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4837, passed May 4, 2026).
Full Breakdown
030). 010, to encourage infill development, redevelopment, and reinvestment in areas with existing infrastructure, and to enhance and reflect Pasco's history, people, and culture. 012 include tailoring development regulations to the Downtown Pasco Master Plan Vision, accommodating growth on vacant and underutilized parcels served by existing utilities, encouraging a mixed-use pattern of shops, workplaces, civic buildings, and residences, and promoting safe pedestrian access with pedestrian-scale amenities. 015, removing two of the biggest cost barriers to downtown infill. In exchange, the district prohibits billboard signs and freestanding pole signs within the downtown core. 020, based on Planning Commission findings that such uses contributed to public disorder, loitering, and nuisance conditions that undermined the area's pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use vision.
Violations & Fines
Development that does not conform to the overlay's sign restrictions, or that is built without applying the parking and density exemptions correctly, is processed through the City's standard zoning enforcement and permit review under the Department of Community and Economic Development. Prohibited billboard or pole signage installed in the downtown core is subject to removal and code enforcement action the same as any other zoning violation under PMC Title 25.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does downtown Pasco have its own design overlay?
Do downtown Pasco projects still need to meet parking minimums?
Are billboards allowed in downtown Pasco?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasco
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