Do I need parking for a Federal Way ADU?
✓ Verified against code · August 20, 2026
Usually yes — and that makes Federal Way stricter than most of its neighbours. One off-street space is required per ADU on top of the primary dwelling's parking, waived only if the ADU is within a half mile of a major transit stop. Cities like Seattle, Tacoma and Shoreline require none at all citywide, so if parking is the binding constraint on your lot, it is worth confirming your distance to transit early.
Citation: FWRC 19.200.180
How current is this?
Federal Way’s ADU rules run under FWRC 19.200.180 (Accessory Dwelling Units) (Ordinance 25-1016 §§30–31). Federal Way amended its ADU standards for HB 1337 in Ordinance 25-1016, effective June 3, 2025 — just ahead of the state's June 30 deadline. It is one of the few cities in this ledger still requiring an off-street parking space for an ADU outside the transit waiver, and the city has no water or sewer utility of its own, which turns utility connections into a real budget line. We verified this answer against primary sources on August 20, 2026, and every change we catch is logged in the changelog.
More Federal Way ADU questions
- How big can a Federal Way ADU be?
- How tall can a Federal Way ADU be?
- What will utilities cost on a Federal Way ADU?
- What do impact fees cost on a Federal Way ADU?
All Federal Way ADU rules → · Compare Washington cities →
Not legal advice — lot-specific overlays can change the answer for your parcel. The citation above points at the governing code section; check it, or ask the city to confirm.