Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Brier, Washington

Brier’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings inside Brier city limits.

  • The adoption is subject to exceptions in Chapter 50-51 WAC and BMC Chapter 15.04.
  • The cited code identifies the 2021 International Building Code, International Existing Building Code, and International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.

  “The 2021 Edition of the International Building Code, including Appendix E, the 2021 International Existing Building Code and the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code published by the International Code Council is hereby adopted by reference with the exceptions noted in Chapter 50-51 WAC and this chapter.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Factory-built modular and mobile housing inside Brier city limits.

  • City inspections may include removal of partitions, wall coverings, floor coverings, and other superficial or structural changes where reasonable.
  • Other governmental certification and inspection requirements continue to apply.

  “All factory-built modular and mobile housing as provided for in this chapter shall be subject to inspection by city officials in the same manner and fashion as other single-family residential housing”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Brier city limits.

  • The opened Title 17 index identifies RS 20,000, RS 12,500, neighborhood business, public use, cemetery use, and open-space chapters; RS 20,000 is marked repealed in the opened chapter.

  “Chapter 17.29 SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL – RS 12,500 (§ 17.29.010 – § 17.29.030)”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured, modular, and factory-built houses inside Brier zones permitting a single-family residence.

  • The home must bear state or HUD approval, be permanently affixed, use a lot of the required size, comply with applicable utility regulations, have prescribed foundation fascia, have approved detectors or HUD-conforming products, and be accessible on site to HUD standards.

  “Establishment and use of a manufactured home, modular house, or factory-built house, as defined in this chapter, shall be permitted in any zone permitting installation of a single-family residence”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Lots inside Brier where a new or existing single-family dwelling is allowed.

  • The lot must meet the underlying-zone minimum lot size and width.
  • The ADU must comply with underlying-zone standards, except as modified by code.
  • No more than two ADUs may be created per lot; the lot may contain one single-family dwelling and two ADUs.
  • ADU floor area is limited to 1,000 square feet, excluding garages, porches, storage areas, and unfinished basements.

  maximum ADUs per lot: <= 2 ADUs (Lot may contain one single-family dwelling unit and a maximum of two ADUs.) · maximum ADU floor area: <= 1000 square feet (Exclusive of garages, porches, storage areas, and unfinished basements.)

  “Two ADUs may be created per lot. The lot shall only contain one single-family dwelling unit and a maximum of two ADUs.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Accessory dwelling units inside Brier city limits.

  • An ADU must be served by water and sewer or an approved septic system under Chapter 246-272A WAC and the Snohomish health district.
  • An ADU segregated for ownership must connect to public sewer and may not use on-site septic.

  “Any ADU segregated from the principal unit for ownership purposes shall be connected to public sewer and may not utilize an on-site septic system.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Middle-housing development inside Brier city limits.

  • The dimensional standards apply to driveway approaches measured at the property line.

  total driveway-approach width per frontage: <= 40 feet · individual driveway-approach width: <= 24 feet

  “The total width of all driveway approaches shall not exceed forty feet per frontage, as measured at the property line. Individual driveway approaches shall not exceed twenty-four feet in width.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Brier city limits.

  • Fees are set by a fee resolution adopted and amended from time to time by the city council.

  “Fees shall be set forth in a fee resolution adopted, and from time to time amended, by the city council.”

Rules another office applies inside Brier

Brier 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 sizeSpecified

  RS 12,500 single-family residential district inside Brier city limits.

  • Minimum lot width is 80 feet at the building line and minimum frontage is 45 feet at the street.

  minimum lot area: >= 12500 square feet

  “Minimum lot area: twelve thousand five hundred square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  RS 12,500 single-family residential district inside Brier city limits.

  • Front-yard location for a lot not abutting a public street is designated through platting or by the director for existing legal lots.
  • Setback rules for widened rights-of-way, flag lots, private ingress/egress easements, and corner lots also apply.

  front yard: >= 35 feet (Measured from lot line abutting public right-of-way; other specific conditions apply.) · minimum side yard: >= 7 feet (On one side; combined two side yards must be at least 20 feet.) · rear yard: >= 25 feet

  “Side yard: seven feet minimum on one side. The combined total of the two side yards shall be a minimum of twenty feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  RS 12,500 single-family residential district inside Brier city limits.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 45 percent

  “Maximum lot coverage: forty-five percent.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Brier city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — RS 12,500 single-family residential district inside Brier city limits.
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside Brier city limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Brier city limits.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Brier 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 Brier 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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