Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Skykomish, Washington

Town of Skykomish’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings and construction inside Skykomish town limits.

  • The adopted International Building Code is amended under Chapter 51-50 WAC and by the State Building Code Council or the most current edition adopted by Washington.

  “The following codes are adopted by reference: The International Building Code, 2006 Edition, published by the International Code Council, and as amended as set forth in Chapter 51-50 WAC, and adopted by the State Building Code Council or most current edition adopted by the state of Washington;”

• InspectionsLimited

  Short-term rentals inside Skykomish town limits.

  • The inspection is required before the short-term rental is offered for rent and before issuance of its STR license.

  “All short-term rentals (STRs) must be inspected by the building department and issued an STR license before being offered for rent.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Skykomish town limits.

  • Uses are governed by the Town's zoning districts and zoning tables.

  “In order to classify, segregate and regulate the uses of land, buildings, and structures, the town is divided into the following zoning districts:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Skykomish town limits.

  • District boundaries are delineated on the official zoning map.

  “The subdivisions of zones as they may be established through the town shall be called zoning districts. The zoning districts shall be identified and delineated with specific boundaries on a map of the town and this shall be known as the official zoning map.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes on permanent foundations inside Skykomish town limits.

  • Mobile homes are conditional uses in R-10,000 and R-5,000 districts and prohibited in the other listed districts.
  • The table states that single-family detached dwellings include manufactured homes on a permanent foundation.

  “Single-family detached dwelling (1) | P | P | X | C | C | X | X [...] Mobile home | C | C | X | X | X | X | X [...] These include "stick built" or "site built" and manufactured homes on a permanent foundation.”

• Septic inspectionLimited

  A prospective short-term rental on a septic system inside Skykomish town limits.

  • The prospective STR must be inspected before receiving a new STR license.
  • Maximum occupancy for a property on septic is based on septic capacity determined by the certified septic inspection.

  “Prior to receiving a license for a new STR, the applicant shall be required to have the prospective STR inspected by the appropriate departments of the town and to ensure compliance with building, fire, municipal and health codes including but not limited to: [...] Certified septic inspection; [...] For properties on septic systems, the maximum occupancy of each STR license shall be based on septic capacity as determined by a certified septic inspection.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals inside Skykomish town limits.

  • STRs must be inspected and licensed before being offered for rent.
  • STRs are allowed in R-10,000, R-5,000, Commercial, and Historic Commercial zones.
  • The townwide concurrent STR cap is 18, subject to individual district capacity limits; capacity limits do not apply in Commercial and Historic Commercial zones.
  • No person may advertise or operate an STR without first obtaining a Town STR license.

  townwide concurrent STR cap: <= 18 licenses (Capacity limits do not apply within commercial and historic commercial zones.)

  “The town is further subdivided into seven districts with individual capacity limits on the number of short-term rentals permitted to operate concurrently, not to exceed a total cap of 18, as determined by the short-term rental district capacity map which shall be formally adopted and display the adoption date and ordinance number. The capacity limits do not apply within the commercial and historic commercial zones.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Skykomish town limits.

  • Plan review fees apply when plans or other data are required under the cited codes.
  • Additional review fees apply to incomplete or changed plans.
  • Actual cost plus a 15% administration fee is due if actual cost exceeds suggested fees.

  plan review fee: 65 percent of building permit fee (When a plan or other data is required to be submitted for review.) · renewal fee: 50 percent of new-permit fee (May be waived by the building official after written request and showing of circumstances beyond applicant control.)

  “Plan Review Fees. When a plan or other data is required to be submitted by Section 106 of the 2006 International Building Code or Section R106 of the 2006 International Residential Code, a plan review fee shall be paid at the time of submitting plans and specifications for review. Said plan review fee shall be 65 percent of the building permit fee as shown in Table I-A of the 1997 Uniform Building Code.”

• Permit processPartial

  Short-term-rental licensing inside Skykomish town limits.

  • Applicant must apply for a license and be the property owner.
  • Town administration issues or renews only when zoning requirements, licensing review criteria, and district caps are satisfied.
  • Approval may include reasonable conditions; denials must state reasons in writing.

  “Town administration shall review the STR license application and if it complies with all zoning requirements and licensing review criteria and district caps have not been met, town administration will issue or renew an STR license. The approval may include reasonable conditions to ensure that the provisions of this chapter are achieved. If denied, the reasons for denial shall be stated in writing.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Skykomish

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

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Property in Skykomish's R-10,000 Low Density Residential District.

  • The stated table standard is subject to the Town's zoning and development regulations.

  minimum lot area: 10000 square feet

  “Minimum lot area (square feet) | 10,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 20,000 | None”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Property in Skykomish's R-5,000 Moderate Density Residential District.

    “Minimum lot area (square feet) | 10,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 20,000 | None”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Property in Skykomish's R-10,000 or R-5,000 residential districts.

  • The table applies the same listed setbacks to R-10,000 and R-5,000 districts.

  front setback: 15 feet · rear setback: 15 feet · side setback: 8 feet · side facing street setback: 15 feet

  “Minimum setbacks Front (feet) | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | See 18.45.030 | 25 | 20 Rear (feet) | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 25 Side (feet) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 Side facing street (feet) | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 10”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Property in Skykomish's R-10,000 or R-5,000 residential districts.

  • The table applies a 50% maximum lot coverage to both residential districts.

  maximum lot coverage: 50 percent

  “Maximum lot coverage | 50% | 50% | 75% | 70% | 75% | 50% | None”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Property in Skykomish's R-10,000 or R-5,000 residential districts.

  • The table applies a 35-foot maximum building height to both residential districts.

  maximum building height: 35 feet

  “Maximum building height (feet) | 35 | 35 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 35”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — General residential construction inside Skykomish town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Skykomish town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential construction inside Skykomish town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Skykomish town limits.
• Living in an RV — Long-term recreational-vehicle occupancy on private land inside Skykomish town 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 Town of Skykomish 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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