Redmond zoning explained: what the Zoning Code lets you build on your lot

Short answer: on most Redmond house lots, now zoned Neighborhood Residential (NR), the Zoning Code lets you build a house up to 38 feet tall, covering half the lot, 10 feet back from the street and 3 feet from each side lot line. The rule that usually decides the design is a size cap: with one dwelling unit, all structures on the lot together may total 4,500 square feet, garage and basement included. On Lake Sammamish, among big trees or on a teardown, more rules and a fee apply on top.

For how I work in the city, see the Redmond architect page, and for the neighbors, my Kirkland zoning guide. The figures below come from the Redmond Zoning Code (RZC, Title 21 of the city code) as adopted by Ordinance 3220 on June 17, 2025 and amended by Ordinance 3261 on June 2, 2026, and from city guidance pages, as of September 2026. Confirm any number with the city before relying on it.

Redmond’s residential zones since 2025

As part of Redmond 2050, the city’s long-range plan, one Neighborhood Residential zone and one Neighborhood Multifamily zone replaced eleven residential zones as of January 1, 2025. Then Ordinance 3220 repealed and replaced chapter 21.08, effective June 28, 2025. The NR standards now sit in RZC 21.08.200 (Table 21.08.200.B for height and coverage, Table 21.08.200.C for size) and RZC 21.08.300 (Table 21.08.300.A for setbacks). If a search sends you to RZC 21.08.143 or 21.08.170, those are the old section numbers.

Zone	Replaced	Base height	Lot coverage	Impervious
NR, Neighborhood Residential	R-1, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, R-8, RIN	38 ft	50%	70%
NMF, Neighborhood Multifamily	R-12, R-18, R-20, R-30, NDD1, BCDD1	60 ft	60%	75%
NMU, Neighborhood Mixed-Use	New zone	38 ft	60%	70%

Source: Table 21.08.200.B as amended by Ordinance 3261; zone mapping from the city’s Zoning District Consolidation page. Inside Overlake Center some former R zones became OUMF instead.

The RA-5 semirural zone saw few or no changes and has its own chapter, RZC 21.15. The rest of this guide covers NR.

Finding your zone on the Redmond zoning map

The city’s interactive property viewer at gis.redmond.gov/pv shows the zone for any parcel. The Zoning District Consolidation page on redmond.gov links a large format zoning map effective June 28, 2025, and a table translating old zones into new ones. Older plats and listings still say R-4 or R-6; those lots are NR now. For a question the map cannot answer, Redmond’s Planner On Call line is 425-556-2494.

Setbacks in the NR zone

Setback	NR minimum
Front	10 ft
Side, street	10 ft
Side, interior	3 ft
Rear	5 ft
Alley	2 ft
Lake Sammamish	35 ft
Separation between buildings	5 ft

Source: Table 21.08.300.A as amended by Ordinance 3261. Zero lot line developments may vary the side setbacks (RZC 21.16.200.D). RZC 21.16.200.C.3.f sets 4 feet from an alley used for vehicle access; confirm which governs.

Setbacks are measured from the property line (RZC 21.16.200.C). A corner lot has only one front setback, and the side facing the other street takes the 10 foot side street setback. On a 60 foot wide interior lot, 3 feet each side leaves 54 feet of width (60 minus 6). The Administrator can allow setback flexibility for site conditions such as topography or easements (RZC 21.08.300.A.3). Administrative design flexibility can also reduce front, side and rear setbacks by up to 20 percent, though never the Lake Sammamish setback (RZC 21.76.070.C.5.a).

What can sit inside a setback

• Chimneys, porches, bay windows, roof structures, eaves, ground mounted mechanical equipment and similar building extremities may reach up to 5 feet into the front, rear and side street setbacks, but never closer than 3 feet to a property line (RZC 21.16.200.C.4). A porch can come to 5 feet from the front line (10 minus 5). In the 5 foot rear setback an eave can project only 2 feet (5 minus 3).
• The list leaves out the 3 foot interior side setback, so I plan on nothing projecting into it.
• Decks, patios, walks and driveways under 30 inches above grade, fences, landscaping and slope stability structures are allowed in setbacks. No other structures are, including sheds and detached garages (RZC 21.08.300.A.2).
• The exception is a detached ADU, which may sit right on a lot line that abuts a public alley or right of way (RZC 21.04.1110.C.2.b).

Height limit and how Redmond measures it

The base maximum height in NR is 38 feet (Table 21.08.200.B). To measure it, the city draws the smallest rectangle around the building, takes the finished grade at the midpoint of each of the four sides, averages those four elevations and subtracts the result from the building’s highest point (RZC 21.16.200.A).

The measure uses finished grade, so the grading plan moves the number. On a slope the downhill face can stand well above 38 feet: if the downhill midpoint sits 8 feet below the average, the ridge stands 46 feet above that side (38 plus 8).

Parapets and rooftop railings may extend 4 feet above the limit, and chimneys and solar panels up to 15 feet above the structure’s highest point. Inside shoreline jurisdiction a lower limit applies.

Lot coverage, impervious surface and open space

NR standard	Limit
Lot coverage by structures	50% (60% on lots of 18,000 sq ft or less with 3 or more units)
Impervious surface	70%
Minimum open space	20% of total lot area
Average minimum lot size (new lots)	3,000 sq ft
Minimum lot frontage	20 ft

Source: Table 21.08.200.B and Note 8 as amended by Ordinance 3261; measurement rules in RZC 21.16.500.

Lot coverage adds up every structure’s footprint, plus decks more than 30 inches above grade and any roofed deck, patio or porch. Impervious surface counts every hard surface. The table warns that critical areas, stormwater and easements may leave you less than the maximum.

On a 7,200 square foot lot that is a footprint of up to 3,600 square feet (50 percent), 5,040 square feet of impervious surface (70 percent) and at least 1,440 square feet of open space (20 percent). A full footprint leaves 1,440 square feet for driveway and patios (5,040 minus 3,600).

How big a house: the floor area cap

This is the rule that shapes a Redmond custom home. Table 21.08.200.C caps the total gross floor area of all structures on an NR lot by the number of dwelling units, and lot size does not enter into it.

Dwelling units on the lot	Maximum total floor area
1	4,500 sq ft
2	6,000 sq ft
3	7,500 sq ft
4	9,000 sq ft
6	12,000 sq ft
8	15,000 sq ft

Source: Table 21.08.200.C, Ordinances 3220 and 3261. Each additional unit adds 1,500 sq ft.

What counts (RZC 21.16.200.E): the area inside the finished interior face of the exterior walls, including garages and below grade floors. What does not: vent and elevator shafts, stairwells, courts, second story atriums, lobbies, unroofed areas, roofed areas open on two or more sides, and accessory structures under 200 square feet.

Say you want 4,000 square feet of house with a 650 square foot three car garage on a 12,000 square foot lot. That totals 4,650 square feet, 150 over the one-unit cap, even though coverage alone would allow a 6,000 square foot footprint (12,000 x 0.50). A basement counts too, finished or not; the levers are the exclusions and the unit count.

Neighboring cities differ here. In my Bellevue zoning guide the allowance grows with lot area; in Redmond a bigger lot buys more yard and no more house.

Allowed density in NR is counted in dwelling units per lot, inclusive of ADUs (RZC 21.16.300.B.2). As I read the two tables together, a house plus one ADU is two units, which lifts the cap for everything on the lot to 6,000 square feet, with the ADU itself held to 1,000 square feet. Confirm that reading with the city before designing around it.

The affordable housing fee on new square footage

This one surprises owners. Since June 28, 2025, development in NR with seven or fewer dwelling units owes an affordable housing payment in lieu under RZC 21.20.060.A.1.b, unless it includes an on-site affordable unit. The code applies it where one detached house is redeveloped into another, and city guidance says additions, garages and ADUs trigger it too. It is charged on net new square footage, measured as for the size cap.

Calendar year	Rate per net new sq ft
2025	$7.50
2026	$15
2027 and later	$30

Source: City of Redmond Affordable Housing Payment-In-Lieu Schedule for the Neighborhood Residential Zone, effective June 28, 2025 (a $30 baseline, discounted 75 percent in 2025 and 50 percent in 2026).

• A teardown of a 2,000 square foot house replaced by a 4,500 square foot house adds 2,500 net square feet: $37,500 at the 2026 rate (2,500 x $15) or $75,000 at the 2027 rate (2,500 x $30).
• A 600 square foot addition at the 2026 rate is $9,000 (600 x $15).
• A remodel that adds no square footage owes nothing.
• Small additions count: the city’s schedule charges a 300 square foot addition on all 300 feet.

The rate year is fixed by the date the city receives a complete application, provided the building permit is issued within one year. The amount is calculated before permit issuance and must be paid before the sheetrock inspection can be scheduled. With the rate doubling on January 1, 2027, an application date near the turn of the year is worth planning around.

ADUs and middle housing

NR allows up to six dwelling units per lot, or eight if one is an on-site affordable unit at 80 percent of area median income. Two ADUs or tiny homes are allowed on each residential lot. An ADU may be up to 1,000 square feet and a tiny home up to 400; the Administrator may allow a larger ADU that fills a whole floor of the house, or on a site over 10,000 square feet where the ADU is affordable or provides a public benefit (RZC 21.04.1110). A detached ADU meets the same coverage standards as a house.

For one house, this matters in two ways: the lot next door may carry six units, and a teardown lot has room for a second unit for a parent. More in my notes on Washington ADU laws and middle housing on the Eastside.

Lake Sammamish lots

Lots on Lake Sammamish add the Shoreline Master Program, RZC 21.68, on top of NR.

• Setback. The waterfront building setback is 35 feet from the ordinary high water mark for new development and teardowns. It can drop to 20 feet if the setback area is replanted mainly with native vegetation and documentation is recorded on title; only waterfront access and docks may be built within the 20 feet (RZC 21.68.060.B).
• Planting. A new house that keeps the full 35 feet, or reconstruction worth more than 50 percent of the existing improvements, must plant half of the 20 foot area with native vegetation.
• No encroachments. Eaves, porches and the like may not project into the Lake Sammamish setback (RZC 21.16.200.C.4.b).
• Height. Redmond’s shoreline table sets 30 feet for houses in the Shoreline Residential environment, most of which lies along Lake Sammamish, for the part of the building inside shoreline jurisdiction. That is 8 feet under the NR limit (38 minus 30).

Whether the work needs a shoreline permit or qualifies for the single-family exemption is its own question; see my guide to the shoreline exemption for a single-family home.

Trees and critical areas

Redmond adopted its tree rules in 1998 and is rewriting them. A draft is out for comment, a public hearing is set for October 14, 2026, and the city expects Council adoption in the first quarter of 2027. Until then the current RZC 21.72 applies:

• New development must keep at least 35 percent of the significant trees on site (RZC 21.72.060.A.1).
• A significant tree is a healthy tree 6 inches in diameter at breast height, or 4 inches where its age, height, value or function makes it significant. A landmark tree is a healthy tree over 30 inches (RZC 21.78).
• Going below 35 percent takes an exception under RZC 21.72.090, and the replacement is at least three trees for each significant tree removed.

On a wooded lot the retained trees can decide where the house goes. More in my guide to building around trees.

Critical areas (RZC 21.64), such as streams, wetlands and landslide hazard areas, carry their own buffers. In the critical aquifer recharge area, the zoning table notes, foundation methods are limited to those that can meet the construction dewatering rules in RMC 13.25, which matters for a deep basement.

How zoning feeds the permit

The city checks zoning when it reviews the building permit, so every number above has to show on the site plan: setbacks, coverage, impervious surface, open space, the floor area tally and, for a teardown or addition, the net new square footage behind the fee. For street frontage and driveways, RZC Appendix 2, the Construction Specification and Design Standards for Streets and Access, was amended to implement middle housing, effective July 9, 2025. The permit steps are in my Redmond building permit guide.

For planning I use Seattle’s permit times as a benchmark, 6 to 10 months for a new house and about 2 to 3 months for a remodel, and 18 to 30 months from design start to move-in, with construction at $400 to $900 per square foot and demolition on a teardown typically $20,000 to $50,000. These are planning ranges; see the custom home timeline and what it costs to build a house.

I put every rule above on one site plan before design starts. Piper Cole designs houses and administers construction on your behalf; it does not build them.

Questions

What is the zoning code in Redmond, WA?

Redmond’s zoning code is the Redmond Zoning Code (RZC), Title 21 of the Redmond Municipal Code. House lots are mostly in the Neighborhood Residential (NR) zone, whose standards are in RZC 21.08.200 (height, coverage and a floor area cap) and RZC 21.08.300 (setbacks). Ordinance 3220 rewrote chapter 21.08 effective June 28, 2025, and Ordinance 3261 amended it on June 2, 2026. Confirm current rules with the city.

What does NR zoning mean in Redmond?

NR is Neighborhood Residential, the zone that replaced Redmond’s R-1, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, R-8 and RIN zones as of January 1, 2025. It allows detached houses and middle housing: up to six dwelling units per lot, or eight with one on-site affordable unit. A house may be 38 feet tall with 50 percent lot coverage and 70 percent impervious surface, and one dwelling unit caps all structures on the lot at 4,500 square feet.

What are the setback requirements in Redmond?

In the Neighborhood Residential zone the minimum setbacks are 10 feet at the front, 10 feet on a street side, 3 feet on each interior side, 5 feet at the rear and 2 feet from an alley (a separate rule sets 4 feet where a lot takes vehicle access from the alley, so confirm which applies), with 5 feet between buildings and 35 feet from Lake Sammamish. Chimneys, porches, eaves and bay windows may reach up to 5 feet into front, rear and street side setbacks, but no closer than 3 feet to a property line, as of September 2026.

How big a house can I build in Redmond?

In the Neighborhood Residential zone the total gross floor area of all structures on a lot is capped by the number of dwelling units: 4,500 square feet for one unit, 6,000 for two, and 1,500 more for each added unit up to 15,000 for eight. Garages and below grade floors count; stairwells, unroofed areas and roofed areas open on two or more sides do not. Lot size does not change the cap. Confirm with the city.

What is the height limit for a house in Redmond?

The base maximum height in Redmond’s Neighborhood Residential zone is 38 feet. It is measured from the average of the finished grade at the midpoints of the four sides of the smallest rectangle drawn around the building, up to the highest point. Parapets and rooftop railings may extend 4 feet higher. Within shoreline jurisdiction on Lake Sammamish, the shoreline table sets 30 feet for houses in the Shoreline Residential environment.

Where can I find the Redmond zoning map?

The City of Redmond’s interactive property viewer at gis.redmond.gov/pv shows the zone for any parcel. The city’s Zoning District Consolidation page links a large format zoning map effective June 28, 2025, along with a table translating the old zones into the new ones; for example, former R-4, R-6 and R-8 lots are now Neighborhood Residential. For questions, the Planner On Call line is 425-556-2494.

What is Redmond zoning code Appendix 2?

RZC Appendix 2 is Redmond’s Construction Specification and Design Standards for Streets and Access. It sets the city’s standards for street frontage and access work that comes with development. It was amended as part of the city’s middle housing implementation, effective July 9, 2025, so a new house, teardown or middle housing project should be checked against the current version for frontage and driveway requirements.

Does building a new house in Redmond trigger an affordable housing fee?

Yes, in the Neighborhood Residential zone. Since June 28, 2025, developments of seven or fewer units owe an affordable housing payment in lieu on net new square footage unless an on-site affordable unit is provided, and the city applies it to one-for-one house rebuilds, additions, garages and ADUs. The rate is $15 per net new square foot in 2026 and $30 from 2027, paid before the sheetrock inspection.

How close to Lake Sammamish can I build in Redmond?

The waterfront building setback on Lake Sammamish is 35 feet from the ordinary high water mark for new houses and teardowns. It can be reduced to 20 feet if the setback area is replanted mainly with native vegetation and documentation is recorded on title, and only waterfront access and docks may be built within the 20 feet. No eaves or other encroachments may project into this setback. Confirm the rules for your lot with the city.

Authoritative sources

Regulatory requirements referenced in this guide are set by the official agencies below. Rules change, always confirm current requirements with the source:

• Seattle Dept. of Construction & Inspections (SDCI)