Puyallup, WA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- PMC § 20.26.050
- Applies to
- CBD-Core, CBD, RM-Core zones
- Exemption
- preexisting single-family RM-Core development
- Date-based exemption
- RM-Core buildings before Feb. 28, 2017
- Amendment path
- council resolution after board recommendation
- Approval expiration
- 1 year if not exercised by permit
Summary
Any structure built or remodeled in Puyallup's CBD-Core, CBD, or RM-Core zones must follow the Downtown Design Guidelines, adopted separately from the zoning code itself. Preexisting single-family homes and buildings built before February 28, 2017 in RM-Core are exempt.
§ 20.26.050. Downtown Design Guidelines. (1) Intent. Any structure built or remodeled within the applicable zones shall be subject to the Downtown Design Guidelines. The standards and regulations set forth in the Puyallup Municipal Code applicable to these zones shall be applied consistent with the intent and purpose for these zones and in accordance with the Downtown Design Guidelines and other applicable provisions of the Puyallup Municipal Code. ... (2) Applicability. The Downtown Design Guidelines shall be applicable to the CBD-Core, CBD, and RM-Core zones. ... (3) Exemptions. The Downtown Design Guidelines shall not apply to: ... (a) Preexisting single-family residential development in the RM-Core zone; or ... (b) Buildings constructed prior to February 28, 2017, in the RM-Core zone; such buildings shall be subject to the design standards, processes and procedures of this chapter as applicable in PMC § 20.26.001.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4985225; v6 updated 2026-07-21; through 07-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
050 makes the Downtown Design Guidelines mandatory for development in Puyallup's downtown zones. Under subsection (1), any structure built or remodeled within the applicable zones is subject to the guidelines, and the zoning code's own standards for those zones are meant to be applied consistent with the guidelines' intent and purpose alongside the rest of the municipal code. Subsection (2) limits applicability to three zones: CBD-Core, CBD, and RM-Core. 001, rather than the newer downtown-specific guidelines. 050(4) sets the amendment path: the city council can amend the guidelines by resolution, but only after receiving a recommendation from the design review and historic preservation board, keeping the design-review body in the approval loop for any future changes.
A related expiration rule in subsection (5) voids a design review decision if it is not acted on within one year of approval, unless a complete building permit application tied to that decision has already been submitted, which keeps stale downtown approvals from sitting indefinitely.
Violations & Fines
A downtown building permit application in the CBD-Core, CBD, or RM-Core zones that does not conform to the adopted Downtown Design Guidelines can be denied or sent back for modification by the director under the design review process in Chapter 20.26 PMC; an approved design review decision that is not exercised through a complete building permit application within one year becomes null and void under § 20.26.050(5).
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Puyallup zones require compliance with the Downtown Design Guidelines?
Is an existing single-family home downtown exempt from the design guidelines?
How can the Downtown Design Guidelines be changed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Puyallup
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