Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Woodway, Washington

Woodway’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, alteration, demolition, occupancy changes, and regulated gas, mechanical, and plumbing work inside Woodway city limits.

  • A separate permit is required for each building or structure, except the Building Official may include accessory buildings and structures under the main-building permit.
  • Work listed in § 12.05.215 is exempt; exemptions do not authorize code violations and do not apply in flood-hazard areas or critical areas/buffers.

  “shall first make application to the Building Official and obtain the required permit.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings and construction within Woodway city limits.

  • The code lists 2021 International Building Code, International Residential Code, International Mechanical Code, National Fuel Gas Code, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code among administered technical codes.

  “The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the administration, organization and enforcement of the technical codes adopted by the Town.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permit-required construction or work inside Woodway city limits.

  • Work must remain accessible and exposed until approved.
  • The Building Official may establish a self-certification program under which approved contractors receive spot inspections.

  “Construction or work for which a permit is required shall be subject to inspection by the Building Official”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings and structures inside Woodway city limits.

  • Permit-exempt work is excepted.
  • For single-family dwellings and accessory structures, the Building Official may waive the requirement when code-required structural systems, heating, sanitation, and cooking facilities continue.
  • Issuance follows inspection, no code violations, and final inspection and/or construction approval for associated permits.

  “A building or structure shall not be used or occupied [...] until the Building Official has issued a certificate of occupancy therefor as provided herein.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Woodway city limits.

  • Construction and land use must meet Title 14 regulations for the applicable zoning area.

  “This title shall be known as the Woodway zoning ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Woodway city limits.

  • Official code contents identify Conservation, R-87, R-43, R-14.5, UR Urban Restricted, and Urban Village districts.

  “The location, size, shape, area and boundaries of the zones to which the provisions of this title are applicable shall be delineated on the map entitled, "ZONING MAP OF THE TOWN OF WOODWAY," and such map and amendments thereto, adopted by the Town Council, signed by the mayor and Town Clerk, shall be filed with the county auditor as a part of this title.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Accessory dwelling units inside Woodway city limits.

  • Applies to ADUs under Chapter 14.41; additional dwelling-size standards by base district were not extracted.

  minimum ADU gross floor area: >= 800 square feet (No more than two bedrooms; maximum is 1,000 square feet.)

  “An accessory dwelling unit shall not be less than 800 square feet nor more than 1,000 square feet of gross floor area in size and shall not have more than two bedrooms.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings and structures inside Woodway city limits.

  • ADUs generally must conform to underlying-zone setbacks; detached ADUs may be at the rear lot line abutting an alley but must meet side-yard setbacks.

  “All buildings and structures must comply with the setback regulation of the zoning area in which such building or structure is located”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings and structures inside Woodway city limits.

  • Height may not exceed the limit for the applicable zoning area.
  • Detached ADUs have a 24-foot maximum; attached ADUs follow underlying-zone height limits.

  detached ADU maximum building height: <= 24 feet (Attached ADUs conform to underlying-zone height limits.)

  “The maximum building height of a detached accessory dwelling unit is 24 feet.”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  New or existing residential use inside Woodway city limits.

  • Maximum two ADUs, subordinate to a residential use, subject to Chapter 14.41 and § 14.80.050 density restrictions.
  • Underlying-zone setbacks and other zoning requirements apply; ADUs are prohibited in designated critical areas and related buffers.
  • ADU size is 800 to 1,000 square feet and no more than two bedrooms.
  • ADUs may not be used for short-term rentals.

  maximum accessory dwelling units: <= 2 units (Subject to § 14.80.050 and lot density restrictions.) · ADU gross floor area: 800-1000 square feet (No more than two bedrooms.)

  “A maximum of two accessory dwelling units shall be permitted as subordinate to a new or existing residential use if the accessory dwelling unit and lot meet the requirements of this chapter.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Attached and detached accessory dwelling units inside Woodway city limits.

  • Public sewer and water connections are required for ADUs and must comply with Olympic View Sewer and Water District ADU policy and technical requirements.
  • Private on-site sewage systems are not allowed for attached or detached ADUs.

  “Public sewer and water connections to attached and detached ADUs are required”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  ADU subdivision proposals inside Woodway city limits.

  • The ADU or its land cannot be subdivided from the principal dwelling unless both resultant lots meet the underlying-zone bulk regulations.

  “shall not be subdivided from the land on which the principal dwelling unit is located unless [...] both the principal unit lot and the ADU lot are each of sufficient size to meet the bulk regulations for the underlying zone district.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units inside Woodway city limits.

  • The restriction is specific to ADUs; this record does not establish the general short-term-rental rule for other dwellings.

  “Accessory dwelling units shall not be used for short-term rentals.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Woodway or Snohomish County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside Woodway city limits.
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside Woodway city limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Woodway city limits.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Woodway city limits.
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy inside Woodway city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Woodway means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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