{
  "license": "ADU Ledger (https://aduledger.com) — CC BY 4.0. Attribution required: link to https://aduledger.com and name \"ADU Ledger\". Verified against primary sources; see /methodology. Not legal advice.",
  "state": "wa",
  "generated": "2026-08-20",
  "cities": [
    {
      "slug": "bellevue",
      "name": "Bellevue",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King",
      "framework": "LUC 20.20.120 (Land Use Code)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 6851",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-07-01",
      "complianceNote": "Detached ADUs were prohibited entirely in Bellevue until Ordinance 6851 (adopted June 24, 2025, effective early July 2025). The 2023 ADU reform (Ord 6746) removed owner-occupancy and registration for attached ADUs only — it did not legalize DADUs, despite what several guides claim. Anything describing Bellevue DADU rules with a pre-July-2025 date is describing a prohibition.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per lot in any district that allows a single-family dwelling — attached, detached, or a mix. No new ADU on a unit lot created by unit-lot subdivision.",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.120.C.1, .C.7",
          "prev": "Detached ADUs were prohibited entirely; attached only",
          "changedBy": "Ord 6851, adopted June 24, 2025"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,200 sq ft maximum per ADU. Up to 300 sq ft of parking or unheated storage per ADU is excluded. The Director may approve more for a single-floor attached ADU, an addition to an existing detached accessory structure, or a conversion; guest-cottage conversions are exempt from the cap.",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.120.C.3"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "24 ft to the highest point for a detached ADU; 28 ft when built as an addition over an existing accessory structure. (Principal units get 32–35 ft.)",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.120.E.1; Table 20.20.538.C.1 fn 9"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Same dimensional standards as middle housing: side 5 ft; rear 15 ft (LL-1 through SR-2 districts) or 10 ft (SR-3 through MDR-2); front 10–25 ft by district. A DADU may be sited at a lot line that abuts an alley. Conversions of existing structures are allowed despite nonconforming setbacks.",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.120.E.2, .C.4; Table 20.20.538.C.1"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "None for ADUs under 1,000 sq ft; none within a half mile of a major transit stop; otherwise one space per ADU in addition to the primary structure's spaces.",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.120.C.5, .B.1"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None. Removed by Ordinance 6746 in July 2023 — owners are not required to live on site, and the separate ADU registration was abolished at the same time.",
          "cite": "Ord 6746 §1"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "Lot coverage 40–45% by district (the middle-housing table applies to DADUs). FAR treatment is asymmetric: attached ADUs are fully exempt from FAR and unit counts, while detached ADUs count toward both — making attached units 'cheaper' in zoning currency.",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.390.A–.B; Table 20.20.538.C.1 fns 5, 10"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Permitted use — no conditional use permit and no ADU registration. Built under a standard building permit. The city publishes no ADU-specific review timeline; secondary sources suggest roughly 4–6 months for custom single-family-track review (estimate only).",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.120.C.2, .C.4"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "Bellevue is the newest DADU market in the region — detached ADUs were illegal here until mid-2025, so almost no local DADU precedent or content exists.",
        "ADUs can be sold separately via unit-lot subdivision (LUC 20.45A.065 / 20.45B.057).",
        "An ADU cannot coexist with a Home Occupation Permit business on the same site (LUC 20.20.120.C.6).",
        "A pre-approved DADU plan program is in development (up to ~10 plans, launch anticipated 2026) but is NOT live yet — claims that Bellevue already has approved plan sets are wrong."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "Can I build a detached ADU (backyard cottage) in Bellevue?",
          "a": "Yes — since July 2025. Detached ADUs were prohibited in Bellevue until Ordinance 6851 took effect. You can now build up to two ADUs per lot, including detached ones up to 1,200 sq ft and 24 ft tall. Note that the City of Bellevue's own older ADU-reform page still describes DADUs as not allowed — it predates the ordinance.",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.120 (Ord 6851, June 24, 2025)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How big can a Bellevue ADU be?",
          "a": "1,200 sq ft, excluding up to 300 sq ft of parking or unheated storage. Several national guides state 1,000 sq ft — that's the state-law floor, not Bellevue's adopted limit.",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.120.C.3"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for a Bellevue ADU?",
          "a": "Not if the ADU is under 1,000 sq ft, and not if you're within a half mile of a major transit stop. Otherwise, one space in addition to the main house's parking.",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.120.C.5"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I have to live on the property to rent out an ADU in Bellevue?",
          "a": "No. Bellevue removed owner-occupancy in July 2023 (Ordinance 6746), two years before the state deadline.",
          "cite": "Ord 6746 §1"
        },
        {
          "q": "Are Bellevue's pre-approved DADU plans available yet?",
          "a": "No. The program is in development, with up to ten plans anticipated in 2026 tied to the next state building code adoption. Sources claiming Bellevue already offers approved plan sets with fast-track permitting are contradicted by the city's own program page.",
          "cite": "bellevuewa.gov pre-approved plans page"
        },
        {
          "q": "Attached or detached — which is easier under Bellevue zoning?",
          "a": "Attached, on the numbers: attached ADUs are fully exempt from floor-area-ratio limits and unit counts, while detached ADUs count toward both. If your lot's FAR budget is tight, an attached ADU may fit where a DADU won't.",
          "cite": "LUC 20.20.390.A–.B"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Ordinance 6851 (adopted text)",
          "url": "https://bellevue.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7443299&GUID=21FD6BB4-24F1-4E95-AC91-A0EDD3FD3D5E"
        },
        {
          "label": "Bellevue ADU Reform (Ord 6746)",
          "url": "https://bellevuewa.gov/ADU-reform"
        },
        {
          "label": "Middle Housing Code Amendments",
          "url": "https://bellevuewa.gov/code-amendments/middle-housing-code-amendments"
        },
        {
          "label": "Pre-Approved Plans program",
          "url": "https://bellevuewa.gov/city-government/departments/development/codes-and-guidelines/pre-approved-plans"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "Pre-approved DADU plan program launch anticipated in 2026, tied to the next state building code adoption. Watch for housekeeping Land Use Code amendments following Ord 6851."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "bothell",
      "name": "Bothell",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King / Snohomish",
      "framework": "BMC 12.14.135 (Bothell Municipal Code)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 2415 (amended by Ords 2445, 2461)",
      "effectiveDate": "2024-03-05",
      "complianceNote": "Bothell adopted its core ADU rewrite in March 2024, then kept going: a December 2024 amendment, and in July 2025 Ordinance 2461 repealed minimum off-street parking citywide and capped ADU impact fees at half the principal-unit rate. Its residential zones were also renamed in 2025 — older guides cite zone labels that no longer exist.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per lot, in any mix. Exceptions: one ADU on lots developed with middle housing, and one on lots constrained by critical areas or their buffers.",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.135(A)–(C)"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,200 sq ft. Conversions of existing space may exceed that with director approval, capped at 40% of the primary dwelling's gross floor area.",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.135(D)(1)–(2)"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "30 ft for a detached ADU — 33 ft when built over an existing accessory structure. (Other accessory buildings are capped at 20 ft.)",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.135(E); 12.14.130"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Side: 5 ft in all residential zones. Rear: a DADU matches the primary structure's rear setback (R-C 35 ft; R-L1/R-L2 15 ft; R-M1/R-M2 10 ft), except on alleys, where alley-structure standards apply (down to 0 ft at the alley line; vehicle access needs 25 ft clear to the alley's far edge).",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.070(B); 12.14.030(A); 12.14.060"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "None. Bothell repealed minimum off-street parking citywide in 2025 — 'there is no required minimum number of off-street parking spaces.'",
          "cite": "BMC 12.16.030 (Ord 2461 §2, 2025)"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None. The pre-2024 code required owner or family occupancy more than six months a year plus a recorded covenant — all struck by Ordinance 2415.",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.135 (current); Ord 2415"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "No FAR. Hard-surface coverage is capped by zone (35% in R-C up to 75% in R-M2). DADUs that meet the ADU size limit are exempt from the 5%-of-lot-area cap that binds other accessory buildings.",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.030(A), (B)(8); 12.14.135(D)(2)"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Single-family building permit with the city's ADU submittal checklist — no separate land-use permit. No published review timeline. An amnesty path lets unpermitted existing ADUs be legalized through application and inspection.",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.135(F); city handout 3f (rev. Dec 2025)"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "Impact fees on ADUs are capped at 50% of the fee assessed on the principal unit (added 2025).",
        "The 30/33-ft DADU height allowance is among the most generous in the region.",
        "Bothell straddles King and Snohomish counties — county-side fees and utility districts differ across the city line.",
        "Residential zones were renamed in 2025 (R-L1/R-L2/R-M1–M4); guides citing the old zone labels predate the change.",
        "Middle-housing regulations are still actively moving (a 2026 ordinance amended them again) — the one-ADU-on-middle-housing-lots rule sits in amended territory."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for a Bothell ADU?",
          "a": "No — and not because of an ADU exception. Bothell repealed minimum off-street parking requirements citywide in 2025. Any source telling you an ADU needs a space is quoting the pre-2025 code.",
          "cite": "BMC 12.16.030 (Ord 2461)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How tall can a Bothell DADU be?",
          "a": "30 feet — or 33 feet when built above an existing accessory structure like a garage. That's a two-story unit with room to spare, and among the most generous DADU height allowances in Puget Sound.",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.135(E)"
        },
        {
          "q": "What do impact fees cost on a Bothell ADU?",
          "a": "They're capped at half of whatever the principal unit's fee would be, under a 2025 amendment. Exact amounts depend on which county side of the city you're on.",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.135(G)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How many ADUs can I build in Bothell?",
          "a": "Two per lot in any mix — with two exceptions: lots developed with middle housing get one, and lots constrained by critical areas or buffers get one.",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.135(A)–(C)"
        },
        {
          "q": "I have an old unpermitted ADU — can I legalize it?",
          "a": "Yes. Bothell's code provides an amnesty path: apply, pass a building inspection, and the unit can be brought into compliance.",
          "cite": "BMC 12.14.135(F)"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "BMC 12.14.135 (codified)",
          "url": "https://bothell.municipal.codes/BMC/12.14.135"
        },
        {
          "label": "Ordinance 2461 (parking repeal + fee cap)",
          "url": "https://bothell.municipal.codes/enactments/Ord2461"
        },
        {
          "label": "City ADU handout 3f",
          "url": "https://www.bothellwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/852"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "Ordinance O-2479 (2026) amended the middle-housing regulations (we verified it did not alter 12.14.135); the middle-housing interaction rules remain actively amended territory."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "burien",
      "name": "Burien",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King",
      "framework": "BMC 19.17.070 (Burien Municipal Code, post-Ordinance 868)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 868",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-07-09",
      "complianceNote": "Ordinance 868 — Burien's comprehensive Title 19 rewrite for HB 1110/1337 — took effect July 9, 2025. Fair warning: the city's own ADU handout (last updated May 2024) still shows the pre-868 rules, including an 800 sq ft detached cap that no longer exists.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per lot, with no restriction on the attached/detached mix — allowed accessory to a single detached home in any zone, or to middle housing in a Residential zone.",
          "cite": "BMC 19.17.070(2)(A)–(B)"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft for internal, attached, AND detached ADUs. The director may grant size exceptions to better use existing spaces in buildings at least five years old. (The 800 sq ft detached cap in the city's old handout is the pre-2025 rule.)",
          "cite": "BMC 19.17.070(2)(C)"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "No ADU-specific height limit. Residential accessory structures are capped at 10 ft above the primary residence's existing height or the zone's maximum height (35 ft in residential zones), whichever is less — and the code doesn't expressly say whether that formula binds DADUs. On a low single-story house it could compute below the state's 24-ft floor, an unresolved conflict we're tracking.",
          "cite": "BMC 19.17.060(2)(B); RCW 36.70A.681"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "New DADUs meet zone standards (front 20 ft, interior 5 ft in RS-7,200) — except a detached ADU may sit at the rear lot line where it abuts an unplowed public alley. Conversions of existing structures are exempt from setbacks and lot coverage.",
          "cite": "BMC 19.17.070(2)(D)(i)–(ii)"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "None. 'No parking is required for ADUs' — unconditional, citywide, beyond what HB 1337 required.",
          "cite": "BMC 19.20.045(1)(C) (enacted at (1)(D) by Ord 868, re-lettered by Ord 881, 2025)"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None — Burien removed owner-occupancy back in 2019 (Ord 724), and the current code carries no trace of it.",
          "cite": "BMC 19.17.070 (verified absence)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "70% impervious-surface coverage in RS-7,200; accessory structures are limited to the lesser of 15% of lot area or 80% of the primary structure's footprint (minor deviations allowed). ADU conversions are exempt from lot coverage.",
          "cite": "BMC 19.15.005; 19.17.060(2)"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Building permit under Title 15 — an attached ADU is reviewed as a duplex for building-code purposes. Sewer and water availability certificates plus Fire Marshal flow review are submitted with the application. No published timeline (secondary sources suggest 3–4 months).",
          "cite": "City ADU handout (building-code items); BMC Title 15"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "Unpermitted existing ADUs can be legalized by applying for the applicable permits — an explicit code path.",
        "Separate sewer connections are required for both attached and detached ADUs; separate electric meters are required; water meters may be required for new construction.",
        "Sprinklers are required for new construction over 1,500 sq ft or more than one story.",
        "East of 1st Ave S, airport noise-mitigation construction requirements apply (SeaTac flight path).",
        "Significant-tree retention rules can require a Major Tree Removal Permit before siting a DADU."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "How big can a detached ADU be in Burien?",
          "a": "1,000 sq ft — same as attached and internal ADUs. If you've seen 800 sq ft, that's the city's own May 2024 handout, which predates Ordinance 868 and hasn't been updated. The ordinance controls.",
          "cite": "BMC 19.17.070(2)(C) (Ord 868)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for a Burien ADU?",
          "a": "No — the code says flatly that no parking is required for ADUs, anywhere in the city, with no transit-distance condition. (Cite-checkers beware: the provision moved from subsection (1)(D) to (1)(C) when Ordinance 881 re-lettered the section in late 2025.)",
          "cite": "BMC 19.20.045(1)(C)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How tall can a Burien DADU be?",
          "a": "Genuinely unclear — and worth a direct question to the city. There's no ADU-specific limit, and the accessory-structure formula (primary's height + 10 ft, max 35 ft) could compute below the state's 24-ft minimum on a low house. Ask Burien Community Development for a written answer for your lot; we track this conflict on our watchlist.",
          "cite": "BMC 19.17.060(2)(B)"
        },
        {
          "q": "I have an unpermitted ADU — can I make it legal?",
          "a": "Yes. Burien's code provides an explicit legalization path: apply for the applicable permits and bring the unit into compliance.",
          "cite": "BMC 19.17.070(3)"
        },
        {
          "q": "What utility work should I budget for?",
          "a": "More than most cities: a separate sewer connection for any ADU type, a separate electric meter, possibly a separate water meter for new construction — plus sprinklers if you're building over 1,500 sq ft or two stories.",
          "cite": "City ADU handout"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Ordinance 868 (adopted amendments)",
          "url": "https://connect.burienwa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/3.-Ord-No.-868-Amendments-clean-wtrmrk.pdf"
        },
        {
          "label": "Adoption announcement",
          "url": "https://connect.burienwa.gov/city-council-adopts-housing-code-and-zoning-map-amendments/"
        },
        {
          "label": "City ADU handout (May 2024 — zoning rows stale)",
          "url": "https://www.burienwa.gov/"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "The DADU height question (accessory-structure formula vs. the state's 24-ft floor) is the biggest open item — we recommend written confirmation from Burien Community Development and will log any resolution.",
        "ADU impact fees were not addressed in the Ord 868 text we reviewed — unverified.",
        "The city's ADU handout remains un-republished since Ord 868; watch for a corrected version.",
        "Ordinance 881 (2025) already re-lettered the parking section post-Ord 868 — Burien is amending actively; we re-check Title 19 each pass."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "edmonds",
      "name": "Edmonds",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "Snohomish",
      "framework": "ECDC 16.20.060 (Edmonds Community Development Code)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 4360 (amended by Ords 4397, 4398)",
      "effectiveDate": "2024-06-19",
      "complianceNote": "Edmonds complied with HB 1337 a full year early — Ordinance 4360 took effect June 19, 2024 — then reshaped the details again in mid-2025 with its middle-housing rezone (Ord 4397) and a follow-up amendment (Ord 4398). Note the city's own handout still cites the old code section number.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per detached single-family principal dwelling — one attached plus one detached, two attached, or two detached. Not available on townhouse, duplex, plex, or cottage-housing lots.",
          "cite": "ECDC 16.20.060(B)"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "Gross floor area of 1,200 sq ft in the LDR-L and LDR-M zones, 1,000 sq ft in LDR-S. GFA counts interior habitable area including basements and attics but excludes unconditioned space such as a garage.",
          "cite": "ECDC 16.20.060(C); 21.35.013"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "24 ft for detached ADUs; attached ADUs follow the 25-ft primary-dwelling limit.",
          "cite": "ECDC 16.20.060(C)"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Street/side setbacks per zone (LDR-L 25/10 ft; LDR-M 25/7.5; LDR-S 20/5). DADU rear setbacks: 25 ft in LDR-L; 15 ft in LDR-M (reducible to 10 if the DADU is 15 ft or shorter); 10 ft in LDR-S (reducible to 7.5). Zero rear setback where the rear lot line abuts a public alley.",
          "cite": "ECDC 16.20.060(C) + footnotes"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "First ADU: no parking. Second ADU: one off-street space (tandem allowed) — waived within a half mile of a major transit stop. A Level-II EV circuit is required for the second ADU's space.",
          "cite": "ECDC 16.20.060(C); 17.50.020"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None. Ordinance 4360 repealed the old owner-occupancy chapter entirely, barred enforcement of previously recorded ADU covenants, and authorized staff to release them.",
          "cite": "Ord 4360 §§8, 10"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "35% structural lot coverage on all lots — the council cut it from the proposed 45%. No FAR.",
          "cite": "ECDC 16.20.030 (Ord 4397)"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Residential building permit only — the old conditional use permit is gone. Apply via MyBuildingPermit.com. No published review timeline.",
          "cite": "Ord 4360 §7; city B2 handout"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "Impact fees are NOT waived — and the math changed January 1, 2026: the 2026 Fee Guide moved park impact fees to $1.35 per sq ft of residential space (superseding the earlier flat $1,367.03-per-ADU rate that many guides still quote), plus transportation fees per ITE rates and a sewer general facility charge per ADU.",
        "One water meter and one sewer lateral per parcel — private submetering allowed; the sewer line must be 6-inch where serving more than one unit.",
        "DADUs may be created inside existing detached garages, even nonconforming ones; manufactured and modular units are allowed.",
        "Old recorded owner-occupancy covenants from the previous regime are unenforceable and releasable on request.",
        "The DADU prohibition in Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas sunset on June 30, 2025."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "How big can an Edmonds ADU be?",
          "a": "It depends on your zone: 1,200 sq ft of gross floor area in LDR-L and LDR-M, 1,000 sq ft in LDR-S — and garage space doesn't count, since GFA excludes unconditioned areas.",
          "cite": "ECDC 16.20.060(C)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for an Edmonds ADU?",
          "a": "Not for the first one. A second ADU needs one space (tandem is fine, and it must get a Level-II EV charging circuit) — unless you're within a half mile of a major transit stop, where it's waived too.",
          "cite": "ECDC 16.20.060(C); 17.50.020"
        },
        {
          "q": "I recorded an owner-occupancy covenant under the old rules — am I still bound?",
          "a": "No. Ordinance 4360 bars the city from enforcing previously recorded ADU covenants and authorizes staff to release them on request.",
          "cite": "Ord 4360 §10"
        },
        {
          "q": "What will Edmonds impact fees cost on an ADU?",
          "a": "Unlike several neighboring cities, Edmonds charges them — and the structure changed January 1, 2026: park impact fees are now $1.35 per sq ft of residential space under the 2026 Fee Guide (a 1,000 sq ft ADU ≈ $1,350; the flat $1,367.03 figure still circulating is the superseded 2025 rate), plus transportation fees per ITE trip rates and a sewer general facility charge per unit. Budget for utilities too — one meter and one lateral per parcel, with a 6-inch sewer line where more than one unit is served.",
          "cite": "2026 Planning & Development Fee Guide (eff. 1/1/2026); ECDC 16.20.060(D),(F)"
        },
        {
          "q": "When did Edmonds' current ADU rules take effect?",
          "a": "The core rules on June 19, 2024 — a year ahead of the state deadline — with the zone structure and setback details revised in July 2025 by the middle-housing package (Ords 4397/4398). Anything written before mid-2025 may cite superseded zone names and setbacks.",
          "cite": "Ord 4360; Ord 4397"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Ordinance 4360 (adopted text)",
          "url": "https://www.edmondswa.gov/government/departments/development_services/adu_code_update"
        },
        {
          "label": "City B2 ADU handout (rev. 4/17/2026)",
          "url": "https://www.edmondswa.gov/services/permits_development/permits___applications"
        },
        {
          "label": "Middle Housing code page (Ord 4397)",
          "url": "https://www.edmondswa.gov/government/departments/development_services"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "Ordinance 4398 (July 2025) is the last word on the ADU standards table — including whether the LDR-M DADU rear setback is 15 or 20 ft (the current city handout says 15; the Ord 4397 exhibit printed 20). We follow the city's April 2026 handout pending the codified text.",
        "Whether any DADU restriction remains in Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas now that the sunset clause lapsed — unverified."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "everett",
      "name": "Everett",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "Snohomish",
      "framework": "EMC 19.08.100 Table 8-6, under the Everett 2044 zoning (NR / NR-C)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinances 4101-25 / 4102-25",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-07-08",
      "complianceNote": "The Everett 2044 periodic update, effective July 8, 2025, rewrote Title 19, deleted the owner-occupancy requirement, and abolished the old R-S/R-1/R-2 zones — any source citing those zones is describing a code that no longer exists. A housekeeping ordinance (CB 2512-91, January 2026) is already amending the new code, with more expected.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per lot in all zones except industrial — attached, detached, or a combination, with no minimum lot size.",
          "cite": "EMC 19.08.100 Table 8-6"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft of gross floor area, excluding garage and accessory-structure space. No size cap for an ADU located within one floor of the principal dwelling.",
          "cite": "EMC 19.08.100 Table 8-6 row 3; EMC 19.04.030"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "Contested in the current code. The 2023 ADU ordinance allowed 24 ft (28 ft on alley lots), but the 2025 rewrite's Table 22-2 caps detached accessory buildings in NR zones at 18 ft on non-alley lots (24 ft on alley lots with a steep roof), with the 24/28 allowance surviving only in the UR4/UR7 zones. This sits in tension with the state-law height minimums — confirm your specific lot with Everett planning before designing.",
          "cite": "EMC 19.22.020, Tables 22-1/22-2; RCW 36.70A.681"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Detached ADUs use the principal-building setbacks: front 10 ft; interior side 5 ft (none where the side lot line abuts an alley); rear 5 ft (none on alley lots).",
          "cite": "EMC 19.06.020(F) Table 6-4; Table 6-2"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "Effectively none: every dwelling unit under 1,200 sq ft is exempt from off-street vehicle parking, which covers every conforming ADU, citywide, with no transit test. Bicycle parking is required.",
          "cite": "EMC 19.34.050(C); 19.34.160"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None. The Everett 2044 rewrite deleted the owner-occupancy requirement effective July 8, 2025. (It existed as recently as the 2023 ordinance, so pre-2025 sources will say otherwise.)",
          "cite": "EMC 19.08.100 (current); Ord 3963-23 §5 (former rule)",
          "prev": "Owner occupancy of the principal dwelling or ADU was required (Ord 3963-23)",
          "changedBy": "Ord 4102-25, effective July 8, 2025"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "50% maximum lot coverage in NR (35% NR-C), plus 5% for two-unit lots, plus an additional ADU-specific bonus: up to 5% more of the lot's ground area may be used for up to two ADUs. No FAR limit in NR.",
          "cite": "EMC 19.06.010 Table 6-1; Table 8-6 row 4"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Permitted outright with no discretionary review (except historic-overlay DADUs, which get historical commission review). Residential building permit plus trade permits; no published typical timeline.",
          "cite": "EMC Table 5-1; Table 8-6 row 8"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "Detached ADUs require their own water service and meter (attached ADUs may share under single ownership) and a dedicated side-sewer connection — a real cost line many budgets miss.",
        "Traffic impact fees are waived for the first ADU and triggered at the second; park impact fees run per bedroom.",
        "A 4-ft hard-surface emergency walkway is required from the ADU's front door to the street.",
        "Frontage improvements are waived for up to two ADUs when the principal dwelling remains."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "Do I have to live on the property to rent out an ADU in Everett?",
          "a": "No. The owner-occupancy requirement was deleted by the Everett 2044 code rewrite effective July 8, 2025. Sources published before then — including some that still rank well — describe the old requirement.",
          "cite": "EMC 19.08.100 (Ord 4102-25)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How tall can an Everett DADU be?",
          "a": "This is genuinely unsettled in the current code: the tables cap detached accessory buildings in NR zones at 18 ft on non-alley lots, while the older ADU-specific 24/28-ft allowance survives only in UR4/UR7 zones — and state law arguably preempts anything under 24 ft. Get written confirmation from Everett planning for your lot before designing; we log any resolution in our changelog.",
          "cite": "EMC 19.22.020 Tables 22-1/22-2"
        },
        {
          "q": "Does an Everett detached ADU really need its own water meter?",
          "a": "Yes — detached ADUs require a separate metered water service (and a dedicated side sewer, with limited shared exceptions). Budget for it; it routinely surprises people comparing city costs.",
          "cite": "EMC 14.16.430"
        },
        {
          "q": "How many ADUs can I build in Everett?",
          "a": "Two per lot, in all zones except industrial, attached or detached, with no minimum lot size.",
          "cite": "EMC 19.08.100 Table 8-6"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for an Everett ADU?",
          "a": "Effectively no — all dwelling units under 1,200 sq ft are exempt from vehicle parking citywide, which covers any conforming ADU. Bike parking is required.",
          "cite": "EMC 19.34.050(C)"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Everett ADU handout",
          "url": "https://everettwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/44269/Handout---Accessory-Dwelling-Units-ADU"
        },
        {
          "label": "Ordinance 4102-25 (Everett 2044)",
          "url": "https://lfportal.everettwa.gov/WebLink/0/edoc/1908513/Ordinance%204102-25.pdf"
        },
        {
          "label": "City ADU page",
          "url": "https://www.everettwa.gov/3089/Accessory-Dwelling-Units"
        },
        {
          "label": "E2044 housekeeping ordinance (CB 2512-91)",
          "url": "https://everettwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/44895/CB-2512-91-E2044-Housekeeping_ORD"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "CB 2512-91 (January 2026) amends EMC 19.04/19.06/19.08/19.22/19.34 — including the height section at the center of the DADU-height ambiguity. The city says more housekeeping ordinances may follow. We re-check EMC 19.22.020 each verification pass until the height question resolves."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "issaquah",
      "name": "Issaquah",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King",
      "framework": "LUC 18.500.090 (Issaquah Land Use Code)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinances 3092 / 3093",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-05-27",
      "complianceNote": "Issaquah adopted its ADU package (Ord 3092) and parking overhaul (Ord 3093) together in May 2025, alongside its middle-housing ordinance. Unusually for the region, Issaquah publishes actual permit review-time targets.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs in any combination of attached or detached, with a single-family residence or with middle housing (the lot must meet density and minimum lot size for the principal unit; nonconforming lots also qualify for up to two).",
          "cite": "LUC 18.500.090(F)(1), (C)"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft each, excluding nonliving areas like garages, storage sheds, and decks (unless the ADU is located in them). Internal conversions and existing-structure conversions may exceed 1,000 sq ft if no exterior expansion is needed. One catch: the principal home must have gross floor area at least 25% larger than the largest ADU.",
          "cite": "LUC 18.500.090(F)(2)(a)–(c)"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "No separate DADU cap — ADUs comply with the principal unit's height per Ch. 18.404 (roughly 30 ft in most single-family zones).",
          "cite": "LUC 18.500.090(F)(3)"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Standard zone setbacks — with one exception: new ADUs face no rear-yard setback where the rear yard abuts an alley (unless the city routinely plows snow on it).",
          "cite": "LUC 18.500.090(F)(4)(a)(1)"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "Zero minimum — and a maximum of one space per ADU. Tandem parking satisfies any space you choose to provide.",
          "cite": "Table 18.604.080(A) (Ord 3093); LUC 18.500.090(F)(5)"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None — Ordinance 3092 struck the owner-occupancy criterion and covenant. ADUs can be sold and owned separately, and the code bars prohibiting condominium conveyance.",
          "cite": "Ord 3092 Exh. C; LUC 18.500.090(F)(8)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "ADUs don't count toward lot density when associated with a detached single-family home (they do count with middle housing). Standard zone impervious-surface and coverage limits apply.",
          "cite": "LUC 18.500.090(D)(2)"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Level 1 (administrative) review plus a building permit, e-submittal only via MyBuildingPermit.com. Published target review times: four weeks for first review, three for second, one for third and later — targets start when fees are paid.",
          "cite": "LUC 18.500.090(B)–(C); city Target Review Times handout (April 2026)"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "The 25%-larger principal-unit rule is unique in the region — on a small house, it can bind before the 1,000 sq ft cap does.",
        "Issaquah sets a parking MAXIMUM for ADUs (one space) — most cities only set minimums.",
        "A 4-ft-wide walkway to the ADU entrance is required, and a street-facing ADU door must be screened or mitigated.",
        "ADUs may share the principal dwelling's utility connection and meter if fixture counts and fire-flow demands pencil out — the city reviews capacity at submittal.",
        "An explicit legalization path exists for unpermitted pre-existing ADUs via inspection.",
        "No pre-approved ADU plan program — the city's FAQ says so explicitly."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "How big can an Issaquah ADU be?",
          "a": "1,000 sq ft each, not counting garages, sheds, or decks — but check the other direction too: your main house must be at least 25% larger than your biggest ADU, which on a modest home can be the binding limit.",
          "cite": "LUC 18.500.090(F)(2)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How long does an Issaquah ADU permit take?",
          "a": "Issaquah is one of the few cities that publishes targets: four weeks for first review, three for the second round, one week for third and later — measured from fee payment. Budget for two rounds on a custom design.",
          "cite": "City Target Review Times handout (April 2026)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for an Issaquah ADU?",
          "a": "No — the minimum is zero. Unusually, there's also a maximum: one space per ADU, and tandem parking counts.",
          "cite": "Table 18.604.080(A); LUC 18.500.090(F)(5)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Can I sell an Issaquah ADU separately?",
          "a": "Yes — the 2025 ordinance struck owner-occupancy entirely, and the code expressly protects condominium conveyance of ADUs.",
          "cite": "LUC 18.500.090(F)(8)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Can my ADU share the house's water meter?",
          "a": "Possibly — sharing the principal dwelling's connection and meter is allowed if fixture count and fire-flow demands are met; the city reviews capacity with your water/sewer availability forms at submittal.",
          "cite": "LUC 18.500.090(F)(7); ADU submittal requirements"
        },
        {
          "q": "Does Issaquah offer pre-approved ADU plans?",
          "a": "No. Issaquah has no pre-approved or stock ADU plan program, according to the city's own ADU FAQ. Every ADU, whether attached or detached, goes through standard Level 1 administrative review and a building permit like a custom design. If you want the faster, discounted path some neighboring cities offer through vetted plan sets, you will not find it in Issaquah — budget the same design and review time regardless of plan source.",
          "cite": "City ADU page + FAQ"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Ordinance 3092 (ADU standards, signed)",
          "url": "https://issaquah.civicweb.net/document/368401/"
        },
        {
          "label": "Ordinance 3093 (parking, signed)",
          "url": "https://issaquah.civicweb.net/document/368402/"
        },
        {
          "label": "City ADU page + FAQ",
          "url": "https://www.issaquahwa.gov/3432/Accessory-Dwelling-Unit-ADU"
        },
        {
          "label": "Target review times",
          "url": "https://www.issaquahwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3478"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "Ordinance 3114 (October 2025) — subject matter unverified; we confirm it didn't amend the ADU or parking chapters on the next pass.",
        "The 'Lot Density Covenant' section (retitled from the old owner-occupancy covenant) is ambiguous about whether any recorded covenant is still required for new ADUs — worth a one-line confirmation with Issaquah CPD."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "kent",
      "name": "Kent",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King",
      "framework": "KCC 15.08.350 (Kent City Code)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 4517 (building on Ord 4464)",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-07-30",
      "complianceNote": "Kent's ADU rules came in two waves — a 2023 liberalization (Ord 4464) and the ReCode Kent package effective July 30, 2025 (Ord 4517) — with the zone charts reworked again in April 2026 (Ord 4536). ReCode phases are still in progress, so this code is actively moving.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per lot, in any mix — one attached plus one detached, two attached, or two detached. An ADU connected to the house only by a breezeway or shared roof (or attached to a garage) counts as detached.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(1)–(2)"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft per ADU (no transferring square footage between the two). Excluded from the count: areas under 7-ft ceilings, up to 200 sq ft of covered decks and porches, and the host structure's floor area when the DADU is built within, above, or as an addition to an existing garage or accessory building.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(6)"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "24 ft; chimneys, antennas, and railings may extend 4 ft above that.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(4)"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Zone setbacks apply generally — but a DADU in the rear half of the lot may come within 2 ft of the side and rear lot lines, and may sit on the lot line where it abuts a public alley (unless the alley is routinely plowed). The planning director may modify setbacks where lot shape makes an ADU infeasible.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(3)(a)–(d)"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "Zero within a half-mile walking distance of a major transit stop; one space per ADU beyond that, with director waivers available for special circumstances.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.05.040(A) parking chart (rev. 1/26)"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None — the code affirmatively states an owner-occupancy covenant 'is not required,' and old recorded covenants can be released by the planning director (applicant pays the recording cost).",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(9)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "Underlying zone standards apply (maximum site coverage runs 30–55% by residential zone under the April 2026 charts). Note: ADUs count as dwelling units in Kent's density calculations.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(8); 15.04.170 (Ord 4536)"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "An ADU permit through Economic & Community Development plus the building permit; attached and internal ADUs in existing homes are exempt from residential design review. No published review timeline.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(10); 15.04.180(10)"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "The first ADU is exempt from school, transportation, and park impact fees (treated as part of the single-family use); each subsequent ADU pays 50% of the single-family rate — all three verified in current code text.",
        "No metal, aluminum, or fiberglass siding on ADUs — an unusual materials rule.",
        "Separate ownership/condominiumization of ADUs is expressly allowed.",
        "Existing nonconforming structures — including garages violating setbacks — may be converted to ADUs.",
        "A shared water meter with the main house is permitted if a shared-meter notice is recorded with King County before permit issuance.",
        "The rear-half-of-lot 2-ft setback allowance is among the tightest DADU siting rules in the region."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "What do impact fees cost on a Kent ADU?",
          "a": "For your first ADU: nothing — it's exempt from school, transportation, and park impact fees. A second ADU pays 50% of the single-family rate in each category. That first-unit exemption is one of the best ADU fee deals in Puget Sound.",
          "cite": "KCC 12.13.040(A)(10); 12.14.070(A)(5); 12.16.090(B)(3)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How close to the property line can a Kent DADU sit?",
          "a": "In the rear half of the lot, within 2 feet of the side and rear lines — and on the lot line itself where it abuts an unplowed public alley. That's tighter siting than nearly any neighboring city allows.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(3)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How big can a Kent ADU be?",
          "a": "1,000 sq ft each, and the exclusions matter: low-ceiling areas, up to 200 sq ft of covered porch or deck, and — if you build a DADU into or above an existing garage — the garage's own floor area doesn't count against you.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(6)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I have to live on the property?",
          "a": "No — Kent's code goes out of its way to say an owner-occupancy covenant is not required, and if you recorded one under the old rules, the planning director can release it.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(9)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Can I sell a Kent ADU separately?",
          "a": "Yes — separate ownership, including condominiumization, is expressly allowed by the code.",
          "cite": "KCC 15.08.350(B)(11)"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "KCC 15.08.350 (codified)",
          "url": "https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Kent/html/Kent15/Kent1508.html"
        },
        {
          "label": "ReCode Kent (Ord 4517)",
          "url": "https://engage.kentwa.gov/recodehousing"
        },
        {
          "label": "Kent ADU FAQs",
          "url": "https://engage.kentwa.gov/adu/widgets/59136/faqs"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "ReCode Kent Phases 2.5 and 3 are in progress (Phase 3 includes Mill Creek Historic District standards) — we re-check KCC 15.08.350 each pass while the package moves.",
        "No published permit review timeline found; unverified."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "kirkland",
      "name": "Kirkland",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King",
      "framework": "KZC 115.07 (Kirkland Zoning Code)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinances O-4905 / O-4913",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-06-01",
      "complianceNote": "Kirkland's 2025 middle-housing and state-conformance ordinances (O-4905, O-4913) updated KZC 115.07. Kirkland pairs its rules with the most homeowner-friendly tooling in the region: a full ADU Toolkit microsite and an active pre-approved DADU plan gallery.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per single-family dwelling — one attached plus one detached, or two of either type. ADUs don't count as 'dwelling units' for one-unit-per-lot limits.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.07 (introductory)"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,200 sq ft of gross floor area per ADU. Excluded: floor area under 5-ft ceilings, uncovered rooftop decks and at-grade patios, and up to 200 sq ft of exterior elements. The Planning Director may allow a larger attached ADU occupying an entire existing floor.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.07(4)(a)–(c)"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "The zone's single-family height applies: 25 ft above average building elevation in RS/PLA 3C/PLA 6E, 30 ft in RSX/RSA/PLA 16. A DADU sited within the reduced 5-ft rear yard is capped at 15 ft.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.07(5); 15.30.060; 115.115(3)(o)(3)"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Zone single-family setbacks apply (RS: front 20 ft, sides 5 ft each, rear 10 ft). A DADU without alley access may come within 5 ft of the rear line (with the 15-ft height cap), and may extend to the rear lot line where it abuts an alley. Conversions of existing structures are exempt from setbacks and coverage if the nonconformity isn't increased.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.07(5)–(6); 115.115(3)(o)(3)–(4)"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "None within a half mile of a major transit stop. Beyond that, one space is required only when there's more than one ADU — and even that is waived if on-street parking exists within 600 ft or frequent transit is within a half mile. The first ADU never requires parking.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.07(7)(a)–(b)"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None. The code affirmatively allows the ADU to be segregated in ownership from the house, and ADUs (except stacked ones) may be subdivided via unit-lot subdivision.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.07(2)–(3)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "Zone lot coverage applies (50% in RS/RSA). FAR applies per zone, but the first 500 sq ft (lots under 8,500 sq ft) or 800 sq ft (8,500+ sq ft) of a DADU located behind the main structure is excluded from FAR — a real design lever.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.42(1)(c)–(d); 15.30.060"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Permitted outright. Requires an ADU permit with owner affidavit, a registration covenant recorded with King County, and a standard building permit (via MyBuildingPermit.com). Expedited review is available; pre-approved plans use a reduced submittal list. No published timeline — secondary sources suggest 8–12 weeks standard.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.07(9)"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "The pre-approved DADU plan gallery is real and active (designs by Cast Architecture, Fivedot, Ahouse Studio and others) — the homeowner pays a designer royalty capped at $1,000 and gets a permit-ready plan plus expedited review.",
        "Kirkland kept a covenant-recording step most cities dropped — one extra piece of paperwork at King County.",
        "The 500/800 sq ft FAR exclusion rewards siting the DADU behind the main house.",
        "The 'Kirkland ADU Toolkit' microsite is the best official homeowner resource in the region."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "How big can a Kirkland ADU be?",
          "a": "1,200 sq ft of gross floor area — with meaningful exclusions: sub-5-ft-ceiling space, uncovered decks and patios, and up to 200 sq ft of exterior elements don't count. National guides quoting 1,000 sq ft are citing the state floor, not Kirkland's adopted limit.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.07(4)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Does a Kirkland DADU count against floor-area limits?",
          "a": "Partially — and this is a Kirkland-specific advantage: the first 500 sq ft (lots under 8,500 sq ft) or 800 sq ft (larger lots) of a DADU behind the main structure is excluded from FAR.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.42(1)(c)–(d)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for a Kirkland ADU?",
          "a": "Usually not. Nothing within a half mile of a major transit stop; elsewhere, only a second ADU triggers one space, and even that is waived with nearby on-street parking or frequent transit.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.07(7)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Can I use a pre-approved DADU plan in Kirkland?",
          "a": "Yes — Kirkland runs an active gallery of city-vetted DADU plans. You pay the designer a royalty (capped at $1,000) and get a permit-ready plan with expedited review and a reduced submittal list.",
          "cite": "Kirkland ADU Toolkit / Pre-Approved DADU Program"
        },
        {
          "q": "Can a Kirkland ADU be sold separately?",
          "a": "Yes — the code allows ADUs to be segregated in ownership, and non-stacked ADUs may be subdivided via unit-lot subdivision under KMC Title 22.",
          "cite": "KZC 115.07(2)–(3)"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "KZC 115.07",
          "url": "https://kirkland.municipal.codes/KZC/115.07"
        },
        {
          "label": "KZC 115.42 (FAR)",
          "url": "https://kirkland.municipal.codes/KZC/115.42"
        },
        {
          "label": "Kirkland ADU Toolkit",
          "url": "https://www.kirklandwa.gov/Government/Departments/Planning-and-Building/Housing/The-Kirkland-ADU-Toolkit"
        },
        {
          "label": "Pre-Approved DADU Program guide (PDF)",
          "url": "https://www.kirklandwa.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/2/planning-amp-building/cars/housing/pre-approved-dadu-program-submission-guide-01-21-25.pdf"
        }
      ],
      "pending": []
    },
    {
      "slug": "lynnwood",
      "name": "Lynnwood",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "Snohomish",
      "framework": "LMC Title 8 (Unified Development Code) — no standalone ADU section",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 3481 (amended by Ords 3492, 3507)",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-07-01",
      "complianceNote": "Lynnwood didn't amend its ADU code — it replaced its entire development code. The 2025 Unified Development Code (Ord 3481) scrapped Titles 18/19/21, and ADUs are now regulated as ordinary dwelling units under a units-per-lot model, with the details still being amended by cleanup ordinances. Anything describing 'Lynnwood's ADU chapter' predates the UDC.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "No ADU-specific cap — the units-per-lot rules govern: RN zones allow 3 units per lot base (a house plus two ADUs), 4 with one affordable unit or within a quarter-mile walk of a major transit stop. ADUs are a permitted use in the RN, RM-45, NC, and CDM zones.",
          "cite": "LMC 8.30 Table 8.30.03; Table 8.35.01"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft — written into the ADU definition itself (a cap added by Ord 3492 in November 2025; the original UDC had none). No garage or storage exclusion is stated.",
          "cite": "LMC 8.99.0250 (Ord 3492 §18)"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "No ADU-specific limit — a proposed 24-ft ADU cap was dropped at adoption. Detached units fall under the RN detached-configuration maximum of 35 ft.",
          "cite": "LMC 8.30 building-form tables"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "RN detached configuration: 10 ft from the street, 5 ft interior side and rear, 10 ft between buildings. No reduced alley setback — but where an alley exists, vehicle access must come from it.",
          "cite": "LMC 8.30 Tables 8.30.04–05"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "Zero. Dwelling units under 1,200 sq ft of gross floor area require no parking — which covers every conforming ADU, citywide, with no transit test.",
          "cite": "LMC 8.40.0720(A); Table 8.40.70"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None — no owner-occupancy requirement exists anywhere in the adopted UDC. (Pre-UDC city guides described one; they're obsolete.)",
          "cite": "LMC Title 8 (verified absence)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "RN zones use FAR by unit count — 0.6 for one unit, 0.8 for two, 1.0 for three, 1.2 for four — plus building-footprint standards instead of lot coverage, and required amenity space (shared 10% of the lot or 120 sq ft private per unit at grade).",
          "cite": "LMC 8.30 building-form tables"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "An ADU Permit is a Type 1a ministerial decision processed with the building permit — no notice, no hearing. Completeness review within 28 days; no codified final-decision deadline.",
          "cite": "LMC 8.90.0330; 8.90.0320"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "A pre-approved DADU plan program is in development — the designer-submission window closed July 2, 2026, but no plan sets are published yet.",
        "A proposed fire-sprinkler mandate for DADUs was rejected at adoption — it is not in the code.",
        "Edge case worth knowing: because ADUs count toward the 3-base/4-max units per lot, a lot that already holds two or more principal units can't always add two ADUs — a point of tension with the state statute's 'two ADUs per lot' that the city hasn't addressed publicly.",
        "Cleanup ordinances keep amending Title 8 (two in late 2025–2026 so far) — expect continued drift."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "Where are Lynnwood's ADU rules?",
          "a": "Nowhere singular — and that's the trap. The 2025 Unified Development Code has no standalone ADU chapter; ADUs are permitted-use dwelling units governed by the RN zone's units-per-lot rules, the parking exemption for sub-1,200 sq ft units, and a 1,000 sq ft cap in the definitions section. Guides citing the old Title 21 ADU chapter describe a repealed code.",
          "cite": "LMC Title 8 (Ord 3481)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How many ADUs can I add in Lynnwood?",
          "a": "Usually two — a house plus two ADUs hits the RN base of 3 units per lot. A fourth unit is possible with an affordable unit or within a quarter-mile walk of a major transit stop.",
          "cite": "LMC 8.30 Table 8.30.03"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for a Lynnwood ADU?",
          "a": "No. Units under 1,200 sq ft of gross floor area are exempt from parking citywide, and every conforming ADU (capped at 1,000 sq ft) qualifies.",
          "cite": "LMC 8.40.0720(A)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How tall can a detached ADU be in Lynnwood?",
          "a": "Up to the RN detached-configuration limit of 35 ft — a proposed ADU-specific 24-ft cap was dropped before adoption.",
          "cite": "LMC 8.30 building-form tables"
        },
        {
          "q": "Are Lynnwood's pre-approved DADU plans available?",
          "a": "Not yet. The program exists and designer submissions closed in July 2026, but the city hasn't published the plan sets. We'll log it in the changelog when they land.",
          "cite": "City pre-approved DADU page"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Ordinance 3481 (UDC)",
          "url": "https://lynnwood.municipal.codes/enactments/Ord3481"
        },
        {
          "label": "LMC Title 8 (codified)",
          "url": "https://lynnwood.municipal.codes/LMC/8"
        },
        {
          "label": "Pre-approved DADU program",
          "url": "https://www.lynnwoodwa.gov/Government/Departments/Development-and-Business-Services"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "Pre-approved DADU plan sets pending publication (submissions closed July 2026).",
        "Ongoing UDC cleanup ordinances (Ords 3492, 3507, 3508 so far) keep amending Title 8 — we re-check the ADU-relevant tables each pass.",
        "The draft fee schedule listed a $640 ADU permit fee; the adopted fee schedule is unverified."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "olympia",
      "name": "Olympia",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "Thurston",
      "framework": "OMC 18.04.060 (Olympia Municipal Code)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 7444 (amended by Ord 7457)",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-12-22",
      "complianceNote": "Olympia adopted its combined HB 1110/1337 package in November 2025 — about five months after the state deadline — making its rules the freshest of the region's major cities. Its ADU liberalization runs deep, though: zero parking has been the rule here since 2019, and the city's ADU history dates to 1995.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per residential lot in all residential districts — added to, created within, or detached from the principal unit; an ADU may even attach to a garage, shop, or another ADU.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.04.060(A)(1)–(4)"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft of gross floor area each. Covered porches up to 120 sq ft per ADU don't count, and an ADU may combine with an accessory structure of up to 800 sq ft. The director may allow an entire single floor of an existing home.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.04.060(A)(3)–(7)"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "24 ft for detached ADUs — an exception carved out of every district's height row, including districts that otherwise allow 35–60 ft.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.04.080 Table 4.05"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Side: the zone's required side yard (typically 5 ft). Rear: 5 ft, reduced to zero where the lot abuts an alley. Any garage attached to the ADU must also conform.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.04.080(H)(5)(a)–(b)"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "Zero. No off-street parking is required for ADUs anywhere in Olympia — and that has been true since 2019 (Ord 7187), not just since the 2025 package. Optional parking is allowed if the owner wants it.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.38.100 (most recently amended by Ord 7444)"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None — and ADUs may be sold separately from the main house via condominium or unit-lot subdivision.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.04.060(A)(8)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "ADUs meet the same lot-coverage and tree-density standards as a single-family residence in the zone. They're exempt from maximum density except in zones capped at 12 units/acre or less. Structures built before December 22, 2025 (or 10+ years old) may convert even if nonconforming.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.04.060(A)(5)–(6); 18.04.080(E)(3)"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Permitted outright in all residential districts — a building permit, with design review folded into it inside the Infill & Design Review District (the ADU must reflect the primary home's character; every unit needs a lit, 3-ft paved walkway). No published review timeline; the city urges early pre-application contact.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.04.060(A); Table 4.01; city ADU page"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "A 3-year property-tax exemption is available for ADU construction worth up to 30% of the original structure's value — but you must file with the Thurston County Assessor BEFORE building (RCW 84.36.400).",
        "Six pre-approved DADU stock plans, from a 480 sq ft studio to a 1,000 sq ft 3-bedroom, including a carriage-house-over-garage option.",
        "An existing home of 1,200 sq ft or less may be reclassified as the ADU when a new principal unit is built — useful for tear-down-averse lots.",
        "Fire sprinklers are required in the ADU if the main house has them.",
        "Park impact fees changed July 1, 2026 (Ord 7470, implementing SB 5258): now $3.92 per sq ft of habitable space (min $3,187.93), always capped at 50% of the principal unit's fee — and ADUs remain exempt from school impact fees.",
        "Ordinance 7471 (June 2026) added residential lot splitting under HB 1096 — a new path to put an ADU on its own sellable lot, alongside the condo and unit-lot-subdivision routes."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "Can I sell my Olympia ADU separately from my house?",
          "a": "Yes — via condominium or unit-lot subdivision, expressly allowed by the 2025 code package.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.04.060(A)(8)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for an Olympia ADU?",
          "a": "No — zero off-street parking is required citywide, with no transit-proximity condition. And this isn't new: Olympia dropped ADU parking in 2019, six years before the state's mandate.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.38.100"
        },
        {
          "q": "Is there a tax break for building an ADU in Olympia?",
          "a": "Yes — a 3-year property-tax exemption for ADU construction up to 30% of the original structure's value. The catch: you must file with the Thurston County Assessor before construction begins.",
          "cite": "RCW 84.36.400; city ADU page"
        },
        {
          "q": "How many ADUs can I build, and how big?",
          "a": "Two per residential lot, 1,000 sq ft of gross floor area each — plus up to 120 sq ft of covered porch per unit, and an ADU can pair with an accessory structure up to 800 sq ft.",
          "cite": "OMC 18.04.060(A)"
        },
        {
          "q": "When did Olympia's current rules take effect?",
          "a": "The HB 1110/1337 package was adopted November 18, 2025 and took effect in late December 2025 — five months after the state deadline, which means guides published in mid-2025 describe transitional rules. A cleanup ordinance followed in 2026.",
          "cite": "Ord 7444; Ord 7457"
        },
        {
          "q": "Does Olympia offer pre-approved DADU stock plans?",
          "a": "Yes. Olympia offers six pre-approved DADU stock plans ranging from a 480 square foot studio up to a 1,000 square foot three-bedroom design, including a carriage-house-over-garage option. Because these plans are already vetted by the city, choosing one can streamline your permit review compared to a fully custom design. Check the city's ADU page for the current plan set and any updated launch details before committing to a design direction.",
          "cite": "City ADU page (pre-approved plans, tax exemption)"
        },
        {
          "q": "What do Olympia's ADU park impact fees cost?",
          "a": "Olympia charges a park impact fee of $3.92 per square foot of habitable ADU space, with a minimum charge of $3,187.93, under a rate that took effect July 1, 2026. The fee is always capped at 50 percent of whatever the principal unit would owe, so a second unit never costs more in park fees than half the main house's rate. ADUs remain exempt from school impact fees entirely, regardless of size or configuration.",
          "cite": "Ord 7470"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "OMC ch. 18.04",
          "url": "https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Olympia/html/Olympia18/Olympia1804.html"
        },
        {
          "label": "OMC ch. 18.38 (parking)",
          "url": "https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Olympia/html/Olympia18/Olympia1838.html"
        },
        {
          "label": "City ADU page (pre-approved plans, tax exemption)",
          "url": "https://www.olympiawa.gov/services/building_permits___land_use_review/adu.php"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "Home-based business code amendments were at Planning Commission public hearing August 17, 2026 — they will touch OMC 18.04.060's home-occupation provisions when they reach Council.",
        "Ord 7472 (June 2026) shifted some design-review applicability language; we re-check the ADU design-criteria scope (OMC 18.175.080–.090) once the codifier publishes it."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "redmond",
      "name": "Redmond",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King",
      "framework": "RZC 21.04.1110 (Redmond Zoning Code, post-Redmond 2050 restructure)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 3220 (recodification); Ord 3261 pending codification",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-06-28",
      "complianceNote": "The Redmond 2050 restructure (Ord 3220, effective June 28, 2025) moved ADU rules from RZC 21.08.220 to RZC 21.04.1110 — any source citing the old section number predates the current code. Ordinance 3261 (adopted June 2026) amends the ADU sections further and is pending codification; we re-check on every verification pass.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs or tiny homes per residential lot — attached (within or added to the primary home) or detached, in any mix.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.04.1110.C.1, C.2.a"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft total (the state-law floor, exactly). The Administrator may allow more if the ADU occupies an entire single floor of the primary unit, or on lots over 10,000 sq ft where the ADU is affordable or provides a public benefit. Tiny homes max 400 sq ft.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.04.1110.C.3.a–d"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "Structures containing ADUs may go to the underlying zone maximum — 38 ft base in Neighborhood Residential — rather than the 22-ft cap that applies to other accessory structures.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.04.1120.C.1; Table 21.08.200.B"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Zone setbacks apply (NR: front 10 ft, street side 10 ft, interior side 3 ft, rear 5 ft, alley 2 ft) — and a detached ADU may sit immediately on a lot line that abuts a public alley or right-of-way. No accessory structures in the front setback.",
          "cite": "Table 21.08.300.A; RZC 21.04.1120.C.4–5"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "Zero. The parking table sets ADU minimums at 0 in all three location categories — near transit, in centers, and everywhere else. No transit-proximity condition needed.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.40.010 Table D"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None. No owner-occupancy provision exists anywhere in the current chapter.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.04.1110 (absence verified)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "The DADU and the primary unit must each meet zone lot coverage (NR 50%; 60% for lots ≤18,000 sq ft with 3+ units). NR also caps total gross floor area of all structures by unit count — 4,500 sq ft for one unit, 6,000 for two, 7,500 for three — which effectively binds the combined house-plus-ADU size.",
          "cite": "Table 21.08.200.B–.C; RZC 21.04.1120.C.2.a"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Permitted outright in NR, NMF, NMU and mixed-use zones — a residential building permit only, no land-use permit. No city-published ADU timeline; secondary sources suggest roughly 4–8 weeks.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.04.0100; redmond.gov/469"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "Redmond is a rare explicit-yes city for tiny homes on wheels: they count as an ADU type (max 400 sq ft), with the trailer base landscape-screened if visible from public view.",
        "Fire sprinklers are required for new detached ADUs.",
        "A home business inside a detached ADU has no size restriction — unusual.",
        "The NR total-floor-area schedule (6,000 sq ft at two units) can bind before lot coverage does on large-house lots."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "Can I put a tiny home on wheels on my Redmond lot as an ADU?",
          "a": "Yes — Redmond explicitly names tiny homes as an ADU type, capped at 400 sq ft, with the trailer base screened by landscaping if publicly visible. Most guides answer 'no, tiny homes on wheels are RVs' — that's the generic rule; Redmond carved an exception. This is one of the most commonly wrong AI answers we track.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.04.1110.C.2.c"
        },
        {
          "q": "How big can a Redmond ADU be?",
          "a": "1,000 sq ft, with two exception paths: an attached ADU occupying an entire existing floor, or a lot over 10,000 sq ft where the ADU is affordable or provides a public benefit.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.04.1110.C.3"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for a Redmond ADU?",
          "a": "No — the minimum is zero everywhere in the city, in all three of the code's location categories.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.40.010 Table D"
        },
        {
          "q": "Where are Redmond's ADU rules actually codified?",
          "a": "RZC 21.04.1110, as of the June 2025 Redmond 2050 restructure. Sources citing RZC 21.08.220 are reading the retired code. Note also that Ordinance 3261 (June 2026) amends these sections and is pending codification.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.04.1110 (Ord 3220)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How tall can a Redmond DADU be?",
          "a": "Up to the zone maximum — 38 ft base in Neighborhood Residential — because structures containing ADUs are exempt from the 22-ft accessory-structure cap. That's the most generous DADU height in the region.",
          "cite": "RZC 21.04.1120.C.1; Table 21.08.200.B"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "RZC 21.04.1110",
          "url": "https://redmond.municipal.codes/RZC/21.04.1110"
        },
        {
          "label": "RZC 21.40.010 (parking)",
          "url": "https://redmond.municipal.codes/RZC/21.40.010"
        },
        {
          "label": "Residential permits",
          "url": "https://www.redmond.gov/469/Residential-Permits"
        },
        {
          "label": "Zoning code amendments (Ord 3261)",
          "url": "https://www.letsconnectredmond.com/zoning-code-amendments"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "Ordinance 3261 (adopted June 2, 2026) — the 2025 Legislative Conformance package — amends RZC 21.04.1110/21.04.1125 (parking, permitting timelines, conversions) and is pending codification. We re-check each pass and will log the changes the day they publish."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "renton",
      "name": "Renton",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King",
      "framework": "RMC 4-2-110C (Renton Municipal Code)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 6160 (amended by Ord 6173)",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-06-16",
      "complianceNote": "Renton adopted its HB 1337 compliance package in June 2025 (Ord 6160) and amended it again five months later (Ord 6173, November 2025) — two rule changes in one year. Its PRADU pre-approved plan program is among the most generous in the state.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per legal lot as accessory to a principal dwelling — one attached plus one detached, two attached, or two detached. In the lower-density zones, the second ADU must meet the principal dwelling's location and setback standards.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110C"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft of gross floor area and 1,000 sq ft of building area (GFA excludes garages, porches, exterior stairs; building area includes attached garages). Converting an entire single floor of the house may reach 1,250 sq ft.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110C; 4-2-110I fns 40–41, 25"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "24 ft to the highest ridge, with shed-roof averaging allowed. PRADU pre-approved plans are exempt from the height cap.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110C; fns 23, 42"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Rear: 5 ft (zero at an alley; a DADU within 10 ft of the rear line must keep 25% of the rear yard's length clear). Side: 25 ft in RC/R-1, 5 ft in R-4 through R-8, 4 ft in R-10/R-14. A detached unit within 4 ft of another residential structure counts as attached.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110C"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "One space per ADU — but zero within a half-mile walking distance of a major transit stop, and lots partially inside that walkshed count as entirely inside.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110C; fn 20"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None. The city confirms both units may be rentals — no on-site owner required.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110C (absence); city HB 1337 page"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "Zone lot-coverage caps apply; detached accessory structures may exceed coverage by 5%. ADUs are excluded from density calculations. Structures existing before June 30, 2025 that convert to ADUs are exempt from coverage, setback, and size rules.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110A; 4-2-110I fns 15, 17, 25"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Permitted outright — building permit only, no discretionary land-use review. The city states PRADU pre-approved-plan permits can issue in about a week. No street improvements or sidewalks required.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-060; 4-2-080A.7; city PRADU materials"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "The PRADU (Permit Ready ADU) program offers roughly eight free pre-engineered plans (about 415–1,000 sq ft), with waived plan-review and application fees plus several impact fees waived outright and others reduced (some utility connection charges are cut ~30% rather than zeroed). City-estimated savings: around $40,000 — confirm current terms with Renton CED, since the waivers live in the fee schedule, not the code.",
        "PRADU plans are exempt from both the size cap and the height cap — that IS in the code.",
        "Renton amended its ADU code twice in 2025; content written between June and November 2025 may already be out of date on details."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "How many ADUs can I build on a Renton lot, and do I have to live there?",
          "a": "Two ADUs in any mix, and no — no owner-occupancy requirement. Both the house and the ADUs can be rentals. This has been true since Ordinance 6160 took effect in June 2025.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110C"
        },
        {
          "q": "What is Renton's PRADU program actually worth?",
          "a": "Roughly eight free pre-engineered DADU plans, permits that can issue in about a week, waived plan-review/application fees, several impact fees waived and others reduced — the city estimates around $40,000 in savings. The waiver terms live in the city's fee schedule rather than the municipal code, so confirm current terms with Renton CED before budgeting.",
          "cite": "Renton PRADU program; PSRC case study"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for a Renton ADU?",
          "a": "One space, unless you're within a half-mile walk of a major transit stop — then zero. Lots even partially inside the walkshed count as fully inside.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110C fn 20"
        },
        {
          "q": "How big can a Renton ADU be?",
          "a": "1,000 sq ft of gross floor area (and building area). Converting one full floor of your existing house can reach 1,250 sq ft, and PRADU pre-approved plans are exempt from the cap entirely.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110C; fns 40–41, 26"
        },
        {
          "q": "Can I convert an existing garage or shed?",
          "a": "Yes, with a major grandfather clause: structures that existed before June 30, 2025 and convert to ADUs are exempt from the lot coverage, setback, and size regulations.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110I fn 25"
        },
        {
          "q": "Are Renton's PRADU plans exempt from height limits?",
          "a": "Yes. Renton's PRADU pre-approved plans are exempt from the standard 24-foot ADU height cap, on top of already being exempt from the size limit. That means a Permit Ready ADU design can be built taller than a custom detached ADU would be allowed under the general rule. It is one more reason the free, pre-engineered PRADU plans move faster and offer more design flexibility than starting from scratch.",
          "cite": "RMC 4-2-110C; fns 23, 42"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "RMC 4-2-110C",
          "url": "https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Renton/html/Renton04/Renton0402/Renton0402110C.html"
        },
        {
          "label": "Renton HB 1337 page",
          "url": "https://yourvoice.rentonwa.gov/house-bill-1337-auds"
        },
        {
          "label": "PRADU program",
          "url": "https://www.rentonwa.gov/Projects-Development/Community-and-Economic-Development-Projects/Projects-and-Programs/Permit-Ready-ADU-Program"
        },
        {
          "label": "PSRC PRADU case study",
          "url": "https://www.psrc.org/media/7901"
        }
      ],
      "pending": []
    },
    {
      "slug": "sammamish",
      "name": "Sammamish",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King",
      "framework": "SMC 21.05.010.C(5) / 21.04.030.C (Sammamish Municipal Code)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance O2024-578",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-01-01",
      "complianceNote": "Sammamish's Title 21 rewrite (Ord O2024-578) took effect January 1, 2025 — six months ahead of the state deadline. Beware the city's own DADU handout: last revised September 2023, it still shows an 18-ft height limit, one-DADU cap, and two-space parking rule, all long repealed.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per lot with a single-family home — two attached, two detached (in one or two structures), one of each, or conversions of existing structures like a detached garage.",
          "cite": "SMC 21.05.010.C(5)(a)(i)–(ii)"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft; an ADU entirely within the existing residence may be the larger of 50% of the home's floor area or 1,000 sq ft.",
          "cite": "SMC 21.05.010.C(5)(a)(iii)"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "24 ft for detached ADUs in every residential zone (the primary residence gets 35 ft in R-1 through R-8, 60 ft in R-12/R-18).",
          "cite": "SMC 21.04.030.C height table"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Side 5 ft and rear 5 ft in every residential zone — but only for stand-alone DADUs; a DADU combined with another structure (garage, pool house) takes standard structure setbacks. Accessory-structure front setbacks run 10–20 ft by zone (30 ft on arterials).",
          "cite": "SMC 21.04.030.C + conditions (4), (7)"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "No additional space required when the parcel already has four or more; and no minimum parking at all for homes, ADUs, and middle housing within a quarter mile of an existing or planned transit stop — counting planned stops is unusually generous.",
          "cite": "SMC 21.05.010.C(5)(a)(iv); 21.06.030"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None — no owner-occupancy condition appears anywhere in the adopted ADU regulations.",
          "cite": "SMC 21.05.010.C(5)(a) (verified absence)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "ADUs are exempt from FAR and hardscape-coverage calculations on single-family lots — a significant design lever. The 3,000 sq ft per-building footprint cap still applies, and the two ADUs together count as one dwelling unit for density.",
          "cite": "SMC 21.04.030.C ('Exempt' row) + condition (10); 21.05.010.C(5)(a)(v)"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Building permit via MyBuildingPermit.com. No published review timeline (secondary sources suggest roughly 8–14 weeks for single-family-class review).",
          "cite": "City Permit Center page"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "The FAR/hardscape exemption is the standout: on Sammamish's large-home lots, an ADU doesn't eat the main house's floor-area budget — the reverse of Seattle's 2026 change.",
        "The 'planned transit stop' parking waiver means lots near future transit corridors already qualify.",
        "The city's inclusionary fee-in-lieu ($34.45/sq ft, enacted March 2025) exempts projects of 1,500 sq ft or less, and ADUs up to 1,000 sq ft are excluded from the affordable-housing calculation.",
        "The city's DADU handout No. 310 (Sept 2023) is dangerously stale — 18-ft height, one DADU, two parking spaces, façade-matching — none of it current.",
        "No pre-approved ADU plan program."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "Does a Sammamish ADU count against my floor-area (FAR) limits?",
          "a": "No — ADUs on single-family lots are exempt from both FAR and hardscape-coverage calculations. That's the opposite of Seattle's January 2026 rule, and it makes Sammamish one of the friendliest cities in the region for adding a DADU to an already-large home.",
          "cite": "SMC 21.04.030.C"
        },
        {
          "q": "How tall can a Sammamish DADU be?",
          "a": "24 feet in every residential zone. The city's own 2023 handout still says 18 feet — it predates the January 2025 rewrite and hasn't been updated.",
          "cite": "SMC 21.04.030.C"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for a Sammamish ADU?",
          "a": "Usually not: no additional space if your parcel already has four or more, and no minimum at all within a quarter mile of an existing — or even a planned — transit stop.",
          "cite": "SMC 21.05.010.C(5)(a)(iv); 21.06.030"
        },
        {
          "q": "How many ADUs can I build, and how big?",
          "a": "Two per lot in any configuration — including converting an existing detached garage — at 1,000 sq ft each (an internal ADU may be the larger of 50% of the house or 1,000 sq ft).",
          "cite": "SMC 21.05.010.C(5)(a)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How close to the lot line can my DADU sit?",
          "a": "Five feet from side and rear lines — but only if it's a stand-alone DADU. Combine it with a garage or other structure and standard setbacks apply, so the configuration choice matters.",
          "cite": "SMC 21.04.030.C conditions (4), (7)"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Adopted 2024 Comp Plan code updates (Ord O2024-578)",
          "url": "https://www.sammamish.us/media/kiih423e/2025_0203-sammamish-code-updates_clean-final.pdf"
        },
        {
          "label": "City ADU page",
          "url": "https://www.sammamish.us/government/community-development/housing/accessory-dwelling-units-adus/"
        },
        {
          "label": "DADU handout 310 (stale — for contrast)",
          "url": "https://www.sammamish.us/media/zykhcsll/310-handout-dadus.pdf"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "The SMC is current through Ordinance O2026-595 (May 2026); whether any 2025–26 ordinance touched the ADU sections is unverified because the code host blocks automated access — no ADU changes surfaced in searches. We re-check each pass.",
        "The 'two ADUs count as one dwelling unit' density phrasing is loose — worth confirming the city's interpretation if density is load-bearing for a project."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "seattle",
      "name": "Seattle",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King",
      "framework": "SMC 23.42.022 and the new Chapter 23.44 (Neighborhood Residential)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 127376 (CB 120993)",
      "effectiveDate": "2026-01-21",
      "complianceNote": "Seattle rewrote its residential zoning twice in eight months: the HB 1337 compliance package (Ord 127211, May 2025), then the permanent state-compliance code signed December 22, 2025 and effective January 21, 2026, which repealed the old Chapter 23.44 and amended SMC 23.42.022. Most guides written in 2025 describe interim rules that no longer exist.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per lot, in addition to the principal unit(s) — attached, detached, or stacked, in any combination. Two detached ADUs may even stack in one structure.",
          "cite": "SMC 23.42.022.C–.D"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft of gross floor area for an ADU with up to 2 bedrooms; 1,200 sq ft with 3+ bedrooms; up to 1,500 sq ft in Lowrise zones in frequent-transit areas (with an anti-speculation condition). Up to 250 sq ft of attached garage, underground stories, and up to 35 sq ft of bike parking don't count.",
          "cite": "SMC 23.42.022.G.1–.2"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "Detached ADUs follow the same height standards as the main house: 32 ft in Neighborhood Residential zones, plus 5 ft for a pitched roof ridge (4:12 or steeper).",
          "cite": "SMC 23.42.022.E; 23.44.070"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Side: 5 ft average, 3 ft minimum (a flat 3 ft on lots under 5,000 sq ft in frequent-transit areas). Rear: 5 ft, or zero where the rear lot line abuts an alley. Structures containing floor area need 5 ft between them.",
          "cite": "Table A for SMC 23.44.090 fn 3; 23.44.100.A"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "None. No off-street parking is required for an ADU anywhere in Seattle — no transit-proximity condition.",
          "cite": "SMC 23.42.022.I"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None. Seattle removed owner-occupancy in 2019, six years before the state required it.",
          "cite": "Ord 125854 (2019)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "Lot coverage is capped at 50% in NR zones (60% for stacked-unit and certain courtyard developments). Important 2026 change: ADU floor area now counts toward the floor-area ratio (FAR), and ADUs count toward density — the interim ADU FAR exemption was struck effective January 21, 2026.",
          "cite": "SMC 23.44.080; 23.42.022.J; 23.44.050 Table A",
          "prev": "ADU gross floor area was exempt from FAR limits (interim 2025 rule)",
          "changedBy": "Ord 127376, effective Jan 21, 2026"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Permitted outright — no land-use or design review, no MHA contribution. Standard construction permit through SDCI. Pre-approved DADU plans through the ADUniverse program permit in roughly 2–6 weeks; no published timeline for custom designs.",
          "cite": "SMC 23.42.022.A; SDCI"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "ADUs can be condominiumized and sold separately from the main house (SMC 23.42.022.K).",
        "Accessory structures that existed before July 23, 2023 get Type I waivers for conversions and are exempt from coverage and setback limits when converted.",
        "The odd 1,500 sq ft allowance applies only if the lot hasn't been sold for more than $1,000 in the past 20 years — an anti-speculation clause.",
        "King County's sewer capacity charge applies on top of city fees."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "Does a backyard cottage count against Seattle's floor-area limits?",
          "a": "Yes — as of January 21, 2026, it does. The interim rule that exempted ADU floor area from FAR was struck by Ordinance 127376. If a guide tells you ADUs are FAR-exempt, it's describing the 2025 interim code, which no longer exists. Model your FAR before assuming you can build two 1,000 sq ft units.",
          "cite": "SMC 23.42.022.J, as amended by Ord 127376"
        },
        {
          "q": "How many ADUs can I build on my Seattle lot?",
          "a": "Two, in addition to your house — attached, detached, or both, and two detached units may stack in a single structure. Seattle has allowed two ADUs since 2019.",
          "cite": "SMC 23.42.022.C–.D"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I need to add parking for an ADU in Seattle?",
          "a": "No. Seattle requires no off-street parking for ADUs anywhere in the city, regardless of transit proximity.",
          "cite": "SMC 23.42.022.I"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I have to live on the property?",
          "a": "No. Seattle repealed its owner-occupancy requirement in 2019. Both the main house and the ADUs can be rentals.",
          "cite": "Ord 125854"
        },
        {
          "q": "Can I sell a Seattle ADU separately from the house?",
          "a": "Yes — the code expressly allows ADUs to be condominiumized and sold separately.",
          "cite": "SMC 23.42.022.K"
        },
        {
          "q": "What's the fastest way to permit a DADU in Seattle?",
          "a": "Use a pre-approved plan from the city's ADUniverse gallery — SDCI estimates roughly 2–6 weeks for pre-approved designs versus an unpublished (longer) timeline for custom designs.",
          "cite": "SDCI / ADUniverse"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "SMC 23.42.022 (current)",
          "url": "https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code"
        },
        {
          "label": "Ordinance 127376 / CB 120993 (signed text)",
          "url": "https://seattle.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7308377"
        },
        {
          "label": "SDCI — ADU permits",
          "url": "https://www.seattle.gov/sdci/permits/common-projects/accessory-dwelling-units"
        },
        {
          "label": "ADUniverse (pre-approved DADU plans)",
          "url": "https://aduniverse-seattlecitygis.hub.arcgis.com/"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "Later One Seattle Plan implementation phases continue through 2026 but do not change the ADU standards above. SDCI Tips and some code-hosting mirrors were still catching up to the January 2026 recodification in early 2026 — old deep links to SMC 23.44.041 are dead."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "shoreline",
      "name": "Shoreline",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "King",
      "framework": "SMC 20.40.210 (Shoreline Municipal Code)",
      "ordinance": "Ordinance 1027 (amended by Ord 1043)",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-01-28",
      "complianceNote": "Shoreline rewrote its ADU section in January 2025 (Ord 1027), then went further than the state ever asked in August 2025: Ordinance 1043 eliminated minimum vehicle parking requirements for everything, citywide.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per lot, attached and/or detached — subject to the zone's units-per-lot density (NR3: 3 dwellings per lot, 4 within a half mile of a major transit stop; NR2: 4; NR1: no unit cap).",
          "cite": "SMC 20.40.210(A)–(B); Table 20.50.020(1)"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,200 sq ft. An ADU inside the residence may exceed the limit if it occupies a separate floor sharing a common roof with the primary home. No garage/storage exclusion is stated in code.",
          "cite": "SMC 20.40.210(C)"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "No ADU-specific limit — base zone heights apply: 23 ft in NR3 (28 ft with a pitched roof), 30 ft in NR2 (35 pitched), 35 ft in NR1 (40 pitched).",
          "cite": "Table 20.50.020(1)"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Side 5 ft; rear 10 ft (NR3/NR2) or 5 ft (NR1); front 10 ft. A DADU's side or rear setback drops to zero where it abuts an alley.",
          "cite": "Table 20.50.020(1) + Exception (25)"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "Zero. Shoreline repealed minimum vehicle parking citywide in August 2025 — not just for ADUs, for everything.",
          "cite": "Ord 1043 §1; SMC 20.50.390 (repealed)"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None. Ordinance 1027 struck the owner-occupancy requirement, the deed covenant, and the ban on selling the ADU separately.",
          "cite": "Ord 1027 §1 (Exh. A)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "No building-coverage cap in the NR zones; hardscape is capped at 50% for one unit, rising with unit count (NR3 50% / NR2 60% / NR1 75% for 2+ units). No FAR.",
          "cite": "Table 20.50.020(1) + Exception (6)"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Type A ministerial decision (staff-level, no hearing) plus a building permit — and Type A decisions are due within 65 calendar days, with the clock running from the completeness determination.",
          "cite": "Table 20.30.040; SMC 20.30.140(A)(1)"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "ADUs are a permitted use in every neighborhood-residential and commercial zone.",
        "ADUs may be sold separately from the primary home.",
        "City materials state ADUs pay reduced impact fees and require no street frontage improvements (exact rates live in the fee schedule).",
        "The citywide parking repeal makes Shoreline one of the most parking-permissive cities in the state — for any project, not just ADUs."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "Do I need parking for an ADU in Shoreline?",
          "a": "No — and not because of an ADU carve-out. Shoreline eliminated minimum vehicle parking requirements citywide in August 2025 (Ordinance 1043). Sources describing a one-space ADU requirement predate that repeal.",
          "cite": "Ord 1043 §1"
        },
        {
          "q": "How long does a Shoreline ADU permit take?",
          "a": "ADUs are a Type A ministerial decision — staff-level, no public hearing — and the code requires a decision within 65 calendar days of a complete application. Few cities put a number in the code at all.",
          "cite": "SMC 20.30.140(A)(1)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How many ADUs can I add in Shoreline?",
          "a": "Two per lot, attached or detached, within the zone's units-per-lot density: NR3 allows 3 dwellings per lot (4 near major transit), NR2 allows 4, NR1 has no unit cap.",
          "cite": "SMC 20.40.210(A)–(B)"
        },
        {
          "q": "How big can a Shoreline ADU be?",
          "a": "1,200 sq ft — above the state's 1,000 floor — and an interior ADU on its own floor under a common roof may exceed even that.",
          "cite": "SMC 20.40.210(C)"
        },
        {
          "q": "Can I sell a Shoreline ADU separately?",
          "a": "Yes. The 2025 rewrite struck the old ban on separate ownership along with the owner-occupancy covenant requirement.",
          "cite": "Ord 1027 §1"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Ord 1027 adopted code exhibit (city site)",
          "url": "https://www.shorelinewa.gov/government/projects-initiatives/picture-it-shoreline"
        },
        {
          "label": "SMC 20.40.210 (codified)",
          "url": "https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Shoreline/"
        },
        {
          "label": "Shoreline parking code update",
          "url": "https://www.shorelinewa.gov/government/departments/planning-community-development"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "Ordinance 1047 — the '2025 Development Code Batch Amendments' implementing state legislation — was adopted around early 2026; whether it touched SMC 20.40.210 is unverified pending the posted text. We re-check each pass.",
        "ADU impact-fee dollar amounts (fee schedule, Ord 1042) not yet verified."
      ]
    },
    {
      "slug": "tacoma",
      "name": "Tacoma",
      "state": "wa",
      "county": "Pierce",
      "framework": "TMC 13.06.080.A, under the Home in Tacoma Phase 2 zoning (UR-1/UR-2/UR-3)",
      "ordinance": "Home in Tacoma Phase 2 (adopted Nov 19, 2024)",
      "effectiveDate": "2025-02-01",
      "complianceNote": "Home in Tacoma Phase 2, effective February 1, 2025, replaced Tacoma's single-family zoning with Urban Residential zones and folded detached ADUs into the 'Backyard Building' housing type. But Tacoma's ADU fundamentals — no parking, no owner-occupancy, DADUs citywide — date to its 2019 reform (Ord 28576), years ahead of the state mandate. Widely-read national guides still describe pre-2019 rules under fresh-looking date stamps.",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-08-19",
      "rules": {
        "adus": {
          "v": "Two ADUs per residential lot, on any legally established lot regardless of size or width, in any zone permitting residential use — attached, detached, or a mix. All dwellings must be in single ownership.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.080.A.4.a, A.5.a"
        },
        "size": {
          "v": "1,000 sq ft of habitable living area, excluding garage and other non-living areas. An ADU occupying a single floor of an existing building may exceed this to use the whole floor efficiently.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.080.A.5.b"
        },
        "height": {
          "v": "No ADU-specific cap — zone and housing-type limits apply: 35 ft in UR zones, but 25 ft within the rear 25 ft of UR-1 lots (where most DADUs sit). The old 18-ft DADU cap was repealed.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.080.A.5.c; 13.06.020.F.1"
        },
        "setbacks": {
          "v": "Side: 5 ft (8 ft where a main entrance faces the side lot line). Rear: 15 ft in UR-1, 10 ft in UR-2/UR-3 — and none from alleys (rear may be measured from the alley centerline). Attached ADUs use the primary structure's setbacks.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.020.F.1; 13.06.100.F"
        },
        "parking": {
          "v": "None. No off-street parking is required for ADUs anywhere in Tacoma — a local rule since 2019, not a transit-conditioned waiver. You may not remove the primary dwelling's required parking unless it's replaced.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.080.A.4.d",
          "prev": "Off-street parking was required for ADUs",
          "changedBy": "Ord 28576 (2019), reaffirmed by Home in Tacoma Phase 2"
        },
        "ownerOcc": {
          "v": "None — removed by Tacoma's 2019 ADU ordinance. One exception: using an ADU (or the main house) as a short-term rental requires the owner to occupy one of the dwellings.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.080.A.4.g; Ord 28576 (2019)"
        },
        "coverage": {
          "v": "UR zones use floor-area ratio rather than lot coverage: UR-1 max 0.6 (1–2 units) / 0.8 (3+); UR-2 0.8/1.0; UR-3 1.0/1.2, higher with affordability bonuses. At least 10% of the lot must remain usable yard space.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.020.F.1, F.7"
        },
        "permit": {
          "v": "Permitted outright — building permit only, no discretionary land-use review. The city's stated issuance goal for residential new-building permits is 8 weeks.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.080.A.3.a; tacomapermits.org"
        }
      },
      "quirks": [
        "Tacoma liberalized ADUs citywide in 2019 — DADUs everywhere, no owner-occupancy, no parking — so HB 1337 changed almost nothing here. Guides crediting the state law for Tacoma's rules are flattening six years of local history.",
        "DADUs are now a 'Backyard Building' housing type that can stack behind houseplexes and rowhouses, not just single houses.",
        "A walkway to the street (minimum 3 ft, distinct materials) and a separate visible address are required.",
        "Legal lots of record are guaranteed a minimum of four dwellings under Home in Tacoma."
      ],
      "faq": [
        {
          "q": "Do I need off-street parking to build an ADU in Tacoma?",
          "a": "No — zero parking is required for ADUs anywhere in Tacoma, and it has been that way since 2019. Beware: as of mid-2026, the #1 search result for this question was a page stamped 'Updated June 2026' still claiming a space is typically required. It isn't.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.080.A.4.d"
        },
        {
          "q": "How many ADUs can I build on a Tacoma lot?",
          "a": "Two, on any legally established lot regardless of size, in addition to the primary dwelling — attached, detached, or one of each.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.080.A.4.a"
        },
        {
          "q": "Do I have to live on the property?",
          "a": "No — Tacoma removed owner-occupancy in 2019. The exception is short-term rentals: to run an ADU or the main house as an STR, the owner must occupy one of the dwellings.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.080.A.4.g"
        },
        {
          "q": "How tall can a Tacoma DADU be?",
          "a": "Zone limits apply rather than an ADU-specific cap: 35 ft in UR zones, but 25 ft within the rear 25 feet of a UR-1 lot, which is where most backyard DADUs sit. The old 18-ft DADU cap is gone.",
          "cite": "TMC 13.06.020.F.1"
        },
        {
          "q": "How long does a Tacoma ADU permit take?",
          "a": "It's a building permit with no discretionary review; the city's published service goal for residential new-building permits is 8 weeks.",
          "cite": "tacomapermits.org level-of-service page"
        }
      ],
      "sources": [
        {
          "label": "Tacoma ADU tip sheet L-150 (03/2025)",
          "url": "https://www.tacomapermits.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/L-150-Accessory-Dwelling-Units.pdf"
        },
        {
          "label": "TMC Title 13 (eCode360)",
          "url": "https://ecode360.com/48470095"
        },
        {
          "label": "Home in Tacoma program",
          "url": "https://tacoma.gov/government/departments/planning-and-development-services/pds-programs-tools-incentives/home-in-tacoma/"
        },
        {
          "label": "Permit level-of-service goals",
          "url": "https://www.tacomapermits.org/level-of-service-2"
        }
      ],
      "pending": [
        "The 2025 Annual Amendment package (minor Home in Tacoma refinements) was in public review in early 2025; the current tip sheet already reflects post-Phase-2 rules."
      ]
    }
  ]
}