Do I have to live on the property in Spokane?
✓ Verified against code · August 20, 2026
Not normally. Owner-occupancy applies only if the lot has both an ADU and a short-term rental — then one unit must be the owner's permanent residence, occupied more than six months a year with no rental income from it. A hardship waiver of up to a year is available. Absent a short-term rental, there is no occupancy requirement.
Citation: SMC 17C.300.110
How current is this?
Spokane’s ADU rules run under SMC 17C.300 (Accessory Dwelling Units) (Ordinance C36696 (amended by Ord C36753)). Spokane rewrote its ADU chapter in Ordinance C36696, effective July 11, 2025 — eleven days after the state's June 30 deadline — then amended the expiration and transfer provisions again in Ordinance C36753 (effective November 28, 2025). Read SMC 17C.300.140 carefully: it still speaks of "required" parking for ADUs, but the citywide minimum was already zero by then, so the condition it describes cannot arise today. We verified this answer against primary sources on August 20, 2026, and every change we catch is logged in the changelog.
More Spokane ADU questions
- How many ADUs can I build in Spokane?
- Do I need parking for a Spokane ADU?
- How tall can a detached Spokane ADU be?
- How close to the property line can a Spokane ADU sit?
All Spokane 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.