Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Tekoa, Washington

Tekoa’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building construction, alteration or removal inside Tekoa city limits

  • Application made to the city clerk on city forms

  “it shall be unlawful to build, construct, re-construct, repair, remodel, alter, raise, lower, improve or remove any building within the corporate limits of the city of tekoa, without first obtaining from the city a permit for that purpose.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Tekoa city limits

  • Adopted as it now exists and as hereafter amended

  “the washington state building code, rcw 19.27.031, as it now exists and as it may hereafter be amended, is hereby adopted by this reference”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Tekoa city limits

  • Administered by a selected planning commission member as administrative official; conditional uses go to the board of adjustment

  “the city is divided into several zones or use districts as shown on the official map which, together with all explanatory matter thereon, is adopted by reference and declared a part of this zoning ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Tekoa city zoning districts

  • Official map is kept at city hall and is the final authority on zoning status

  districts: RR rural residential; UR urban residential; C commercial; I industrial; FP flood plain overlay; MHP mobile home park overlay

  “r.r - rural residential u.r. - urban residential c - commercial i - industrial f.p. - flood plain overlay mhp - mobile home park overlay”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Rural Residential (RR) district inside Tekoa city, single-family dwellings

  • Conditional uses in RR need at least 12,000 sq ft with 75 ft minimum boundary on any one side

  building site area: >= 10000 sq ft · minimum boundary: >= 100 ft (on any side)

  “(1) building site area required: not less than 10,000 sq. ft. with a minimum boundary of 100 feet on any side for single-family dwellings;”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Urban Residential (UR) district inside Tekoa city, one-family dwellings

    “(1) building site area required: not less than 5,000 sq. ft. with a minimum boundary of 50 ft. on any side for one-family dwellings;”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Rural Residential (RR) district inside Tekoa city

  • Animal sheds, barns and stables must be 20 ft from any lot line

  front and rear yard: >= 20 ft · side yard: >= 5 ft (10 ft along flanking streets or corner lot)

  “(3) setback required: the minimum setback for dwellings and accessory buildings from property boundaries shall be 20 feet for front and rear yards and 5 ft. for side yards, except 10 feet for side yards along flanking streets or corner lot;”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Urban Residential (UR) district inside Tekoa city

    “(3) setback required: the minimum setback for dwellings and accessory buildings from property boundaries shall be 20 feet for front and rear yards and 5 feet for side yards, except 10 feet for side yards along flanking street or corner lot, providing accessory buildings only may be placed within 5 feet of the rear lot line when there is an adjacent alleyway of at least 16 feet in width;”

• Building heightSpecified

  Rural Residential (RR) district inside Tekoa city

  • Grain storage facilities excepted

  maximum height: <= 35 ft (or two stories; grain storage facilities excepted)

  “(4) height limit: no building shall exceed a height limit of 35 feet or two stories, except grain storage facilities;”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Mobile homes as one-family dwellings in the Rural Residential (RR) district inside Tekoa city

  • Mobile homes must be skirted within 60 days after placement
  • Chapter 7.16 mobile homes also applies and was not reviewed

  skirting deadline: <= 60 days (skirting may be temporarily removed for repairs)

  “(6) all mobile homes shall be skirted within 60 days after their placement within this district. skirting may be temporarily removed for repairs;”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permits inside Tekoa city

  • Application contents beyond those quoted not reviewed

  “application for such permit shall be made to the city clerk upon forms provided for that purpose”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Tekoa city
• Inspections — Inspections inside Tekoa city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Tekoa city
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Tekoa city
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Tekoa city

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.