Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Colfax, Washington

Colfax’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction, alteration, removal, demolition, equipment, use, occupancy, location, and maintenance of buildings and structures inside Colfax city limits.

  • The city adopts the listed codes as amended by the Washington State Building Code Council.
  • The code lists the 2021 IBC, IRC, IMC, IFC, Uniform Plumbing Code, energy code, existing-building code, 2020 NEC, wildland-urban-interface code, and accessibility standards.

  “The city of Colfax hereby adopts the following codes”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Colfax city limits.

  • Land use is subject to City of Colfax Title 17 zoning districts and regulations.

  “Title 17 Zoning (§ 17.04.010 – § 17.40.080)”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Colfax city limits.

  • The zoning-map boundaries are part of Title 17 and the map is on file with the city clerk.

  “The boundaries of the designated zoning districts as shown upon the map made a part of this title, which map is designated as the zoning map of the city. The zoning map is made part of this title and is on file in the office of the city clerk.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes installed or located inside Colfax city limits.

  • The home must bear a state or federal regulatory-agency insignia showing compliance with the 1976 HUD construction standards.
  • Placement is addressed by Chapter 17.20.

  “All manufactured homes installed or located in the city must bear an insignia issued by a state or federal regulatory agency”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  Accessory dwelling units on residential lots in the R-1, R-2, and rural residential zones inside Colfax city limits.

  • The ADU must meet Chapter 17.10 requirements.
  • No more than one ADU per legal lot is permitted and it must be accessory to a single-family residence.

  ADUs per legal lot: <= 1 (Must be accessory to a single-family residence.)

  “No more than one accessory dwelling unit per legal lot is permitted and it must be accessory to a single-family residence.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Development applications inside Colfax city limits.

  • Completed application, applicable materials, and City Council annual-fee-schedule fees are submitted to the BCDA.
  • Within 20 days of receiving a date-stamped application, the BCDA provides a completeness determination.
  • Pre-application contact is encouraged, not stated as mandatory.

  completeness review: <= 20 days (Measured from receipt of a date-stamped application.)

  “Within twenty days of receiving a date-stamped application, the BCDA shall review the application for completeness”

Rules another office applies inside Colfax

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in Colfax R-2 zone.

  • Basements, garages, and porches are excluded from gross floor area.

  minimum gross floor area: >= 1000 square feet (Exclusive of basements, garages and porches.)

  “not less than one thousand square feet, exclusive of basements, garages and porches;”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Dwellings in Colfax R-2 zone.

  • The requirement is per dwelling unit.

  minimum lot size: >= 1500 square feet (Per each dwelling unit.)

  “one thousand five hundred square feet per each dwelling unit;”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential development in Colfax R-2 zone.

  • A residence may align its front or rear wall with existing buildings despite a smaller yard, but no dwelling may be closer than five feet to the respective front or rear lot line.
  • Side yards are five feet.

  front yard: >= 20 feet (Existing-building alignment allowed; never below 5 feet from front lot line.) · rear yard: >= 15 feet (Existing-building alignment allowed; never below 5 feet from rear lot line.) · side yard: >= 5 feet

  “Minimum front yards shall be twenty feet;”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Colfax city limits.
• Inspections — Residential construction inside Colfax city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential occupancy inside Colfax city limits.
• Lot coverage — Land inside Colfax city limits.
• Building height — Land inside Colfax 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 Colfax 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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