Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Kenmore, Washington

Kenmore’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  An owner or authorized agent undertaking covered building, gas, mechanical, or plumbing work inside Kenmore city limits.

  • The permit requirement applies before covered work is done.
  • Specified work is exempt, including certain small accessory structures, fences, ordinary repairs, and other enumerated work.
  • Exemptions do not authorize work violating City code or other laws.
  • Most listed exemptions require that the work not be within critical areas, shorelines, associated buffers, or native-growth-protection areas.

  “Any owner or owner’s authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by this code, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction regulated by the Kenmore Municipal Code inside Kenmore city limits.

  • The adopted 2021 International Building Code excludes Chapter 1, Scope and Administration.
  • The city's Construction Administrative Code replaces IBC Chapter 1.
  • The code incorporates the amendments in WAC Chapter 51-50.

  International Building Code edition: 2021 (Chapter 1 excluded)

  “The 2021 Edition of the International Building Code, excluding Chapter 1, “Scope and Administration,” [...] is adopted”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Kenmore city limits.

  • Land use is subject to Kenmore Municipal Code Title 18 and its district-specific provisions.

  “Title 18 Zoning (§ 18.05.010 – § 18.125.060)”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Kenmore city limits.

  • Title 18 contains multiple identified zoning chapters, including residential, neighborhood business, community business, downtown residential, urban residential, downtown commercial, urban corridor, waterfront commercial, regional business, public and semi-public, parks, and golf course zones.

  “Chapter 18.15 ZONES, MAPS AND DESIGNATIONS”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units on residential lots inside Kenmore city limits.

  • Accessory dwelling units are subject to KMC § 18.73.100.
  • The cited residential standard treats accessory dwelling units as units when calculating unit density.

  “Accessory dwelling units are considered units for the purposes of calculating unit density, subject to the provisions of KMC § 18.73.100.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit applications inside Kenmore city limits.

  • The application must be complete and on the form furnished by the department.
  • It must identify the work and land, state intended use and occupancy and valuation, be signed, and include required construction documents and other information.
  • For construction costing more than $5,000, KMC § 15.30.225 specifies additional information.
  • The building official may reject incomplete or nonconforming applications in writing.

  application expiration if no permit issued: 18 months (Measured following the date of application) · inactivity cancellation response period: 90 days (Building official may extend upon an approved schedule submitted within the original period)

  “Applications for which no permit is issued within 18 months [...] shall expire by limitation”

Rules another office applies inside Kenmore

Kenmore does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Driveway accessLimited

  Garage, carport, or fenced-parking access in Kenmore R-1, R-4, and R-6 residential zones.

  • This is a residential-zone development standard.
  • The 20-linear-foot requirement applies between the parking structure/access area and the street property line.
  • Joint-use driveways have a separate 26-foot straight-line standard.

  driveway distance to street property line: >= 20 linear feet (Measured along driveway centerline from access point to street property line) · joint-use driveway straight-line length: >= 26 feet (Measured as specified in the residential-zone table note)

  “At least 20 linear feet of driveway shall be provided between any garage, carport or other fenced parking area and the street property line. The linear distance shall be measured along the centerline of the driveway from the access point to such garage, carport or fenced area to the street property line.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Kenmore city limits.
• Inspections — Building work inside Kenmore city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of structures inside Kenmore city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Residential zoning districts inside Kenmore city limits.
• Lot coverage — Residential zoning districts inside Kenmore 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 Kenmore 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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