Seattle LR1, LR2 and LR3 zoning: what you can build and what it means for your house

Short answer: LR1, LR2 and LR3 are Seattle’s three lowrise multifamily zones. As amended by Ordinance 127376, a detached or attached dwelling unit (a stand-alone house, or townhouses that share walls) may be 32 feet tall in LR1, 40 feet in LR2 and in LR3 outside urban centers, urban villages and station area overlays, and 50 feet in LR3 inside them, but only 32 feet wherever the zone label has no MHA suffix. FAR runs from 1.0 to 2.3 depending on the same factors. A house on a lowrise lot gets more floor area and a shorter front setback than the same house in a Neighborhood Residential zone, but no smaller side setback.

Piper Cole designs and administers construction; I do not build. The sources for this page were read on 9 November 2026: Ordinance 127376 as passed (clerk.seattle.gov), the January 2026 Centers and Corridors draft ordinance, which prints the current text of the sections it would change, SDCI’s lowrise summary dated February 2023, SDCI’s zoning, research and MHA pages, OPCD’s One Seattle Plan page, its Director’s Report and its January 2026 Neighborhood Residential summary, and RCW 36.70A.635. Seattle’s code on Municode sits behind a bot check and was not bypassed, so the codified text was not read and a later amendment would not appear here. Confirm any number with SDCI.

Which version of the rules applies

Three pieces of legislation matter, and only the first is law.

• In force. Ordinance 127376 (Council Bill 120993) amended SMC Chapter 23.45 and repealed SMC 23.45.512. OPCD’s One Seattle Plan page says it became effective on January 21, 2026. Its title says it modifies development standards in other zones to comply with state laws.
• Pending. OPCD’s Centers and Corridors legislation, transmitted to Council on January 29, 2026, would change lowrise heights and FAR. OPCD says adoption is delayed because of legal appeals of the city’s environmental impact statement.
• Draft. A Neighborhood Residential clean-up ordinance was released in draft on October 26, 2026, and OPCD plans to send it to Council in late 2026.

The adopted numbers below come from Ordinance 127376. The January 2026 draft prints the same figures as its existing, struck-out text, which corroborates them as the current table.

Where lowrise zones sit and how to read your zone label

Look your lot up before you read any table. SDCI’s Research a Project tool returns a Site Characteristics Report with current zoning, and SDCI’s Property Information map has a Zoning layer. The city’s official land use map shows zoning districts geographically.

For LR1, SMC 23.34.014 says the zone is most appropriate outside urban centers, urban villages and station area overlay districts, in a limited area inside them, or on a collector or minor arterial, in areas of generally three stories or less. SDCI’s 2023 summary calls LR2 small-scale multifamily neighborhoods with arterials and LR3 moderate-scale multifamily neighborhoods with good transit. Use it for character, not numbers.

• Suffix (M), (M1) or (M2). SDCI says most rezoned areas carry one, and that it sets the MHA payment or performance amount. Chapter 23.45 prints separate FAR and height values for zones with and without a suffix, so the suffix changes your numbers. This page prints no MHA amounts.
• LR3 location. LR3 numbers differ inside an urban center, urban village or Station Area Overlay District.
• RC. A label such as LR3 RC adds the Residential Commercial designation, and SMC 23.45.504 sends ground-floor commercial uses there to Chapter 23.46.

What the code sorts by

Chapter 23.45 used to give separate numbers for cottages, rowhouses, townhouses and apartments. Ordinance 127376 collapses that into three dwelling unit types, defined in SMC 23.84A.008. Attached units run from ground to roof and share a wall, or have walls with floor area within 2 feet of each other. Detached units run from ground to roof and attach to nothing. Stacked units sit above or below other units, as in apartments and condominiums. A stand-alone house is a detached unit, and townhouses that share walls are attached units.

Allowed uses are set by the table in SMC 23.45.504, whose residential rows were not in the amended text read, so confirm a specific use with SDCI.

Height limits

Heights are in feet, from SMC 23.45.514, Table A and its footnotes 1 and 2. Roof and rooftop allowances in that section are added and are not listed here.

Zone	MHA suffix: attached and detached	MHA suffix: stacked	No suffix: attached and detached	No suffix: stacked
LR1	32	32	32	32
LR2	40	40	32	32
LR3 outside urban centers, villages and station areas	40	40	32	32
LR3 inside urban centers, villages and station areas	50	50	32	40

For stacked units, SMC 23.45.514.F adds 4 feet for a partially below-grade story, with conditions, and not within 50 feet of a Neighborhood Residential boundary. Most accessory structures other than ADUs in required setbacks are limited to 12 feet (23.45.514.C).

The same ordinance added SMC 23.45.560, which lets a development with at least 25 percent income-restricted units elect different floor area and height standards. This page does not cover it.

Floor area ratio

The limit applies to the total chargeable floor area of all structures on the lot (SMC 23.45.510.B). Multiply the ratio by your lot size and you have your cap. Values are from SMC 23.45.510, Table A and its footnote.

Zone	MHA suffix: attached and detached	MHA suffix: stacked	No suffix: attached and detached	No suffix: stacked
LR1	1.3	1.5	1.0	1.0
LR2	1.4	1.6, or 1.8 with the amenity conditions below	1.1	1.1
LR3 outside urban centers and villages	1.8	1.8	1.2	1.3
LR3 inside urban centers and villages	2.3	2.3	1.2	1.5

The LR2 footnote gives stacked units 1.8 if outdoor amenity area is at least 35 percent of the lot, at least 20 feet in width and depth, and at or within 4 feet of grade.

Three exemptions in SMC 23.45.510.D matter to an owner:

• Underground. All stories, or portions of stories, that are underground (D.1).
• Older houses. Floor area in a structure built before January 1, 1982 as a detached dwelling unit that stays residential, if no other principal structure sits between it and the street on one frontage. Only the area that existed on that date is exempt, not later additions (D.3).
• Raised floors. Portions of a story no more than 4 feet above grade for stacked units, and for attached and detached units when all parking is at the rear or in garages entered from the rear facade (D.4).

Setbacks, separation and amenity area

Standard	Requirement (LR zones)	Code section
Front setback	7 feet average, 5 feet minimum (larger on Queen Anne Boulevard)	SMC 23.45.518, Table A
Side setback	5 feet	SMC 23.45.518, Table A
Rear setback	0 feet if the rear lot line abuts an alley; otherwise 7 feet average, 5 feet minimum	SMC 23.45.518, Table A
Separation between structures with floor area	5 feet, or more where a driveway or parking aisle runs between them	SMC 23.45.519.A
Upper-level setback, LR2 and LR3	12 feet from the front lot line above 44 feet where the limit is 40, and above 54 feet where it is 50; 12 feet from side and rear lot lines abutting a Neighborhood Residential lot above 34 feet	SMC 23.45.518.A.2
Amenity area	20 percent of lot area; each common area at least 250 square feet and 10 feet in width and depth	SMC 23.45.522.A.1 and D.2

Parking rules sit in Chapter 23.54, trees in Chapter 25.11 and critical areas in Chapter 25.09, none covered here. See the tree ordinance guide and critical areas. SDCI’s 2023 summary adds that landscaping must reach a Green Factor score of 0.60 when more than one new dwelling unit is proposed, and that larger projects go through design review (see our design review guide).

A house in a lowrise zone compared with a Neighborhood Residential zone

If you own an ordinary house on a lowrise lot, the rules that govern a remodel or addition differ from those on a Neighborhood Residential (NR) lot. The NR column is OPCD’s January 2026 summary of SMC Chapter 23.44, for one house with no accessory unit.

Standard	Lowrise zone (Chapter 23.45)	NR zone (Chapter 23.44)	Code sections
Floor area	FAR 1.0 to 2.3, by zone and suffix	FAR 0.6 for density below 1 unit per 4,000 sq ft	23.45.510; 23.44.050
Lot coverage	No percentage in the sections read	50 percent	23.44.080
Height	32 to 50 feet, by zone and suffix	32 feet plus pitched-roof allowances; 42 feet if a listed tree, Green Factor or setback condition is met	23.45.514; 23.44.070
Front setback	7 average, 5 minimum	15 feet with one or two units	23.45.518; 23.44.090
Side setback	5 feet	5 feet average, 3 feet minimum	23.45.518; 23.44.090
Rear setback	0 at an alley; otherwise 7 average, 5 minimum	0 at an alley; 15 feet without one, with one or two units	23.45.518; 23.44.090

If your house does not meet today’s setbacks or FAR, ask SDCI how its nonconforming structure rules in Chapter 23.42 apply; they were not read for this page. For a second floor, see our Seattle second story guide.

One worked lot

Assume a lot 45 feet wide and 120 feet deep, 45 x 120 = 5,400 square feet, with a rear alley, zoned LR2 (M1). The house is a 1,700 square foot detached house built in 1958, with no other building between it and the street.

1. Floor area cap (23.45.510). Attached or detached units: 5,400 x 1.4 = 7,560 square feet. Stacked units: 5,400 x 1.6 = 8,640, or 5,400 x 1.8 = 9,720 with amenity area of at least 5,400 x 0.35 = 1,890 square feet. With no suffix the cap is 5,400 x 1.1 = 5,940.
2. A 600 square foot addition. The house predates 1982, so its 1,700 square feet are exempt (23.45.510.D.3) and only the addition is chargeable: 600 against 7,560. Had it been built in 1990, the total 1,700 + 600 = 2,300 would still be under the cap.
3. Buildable width and depth (23.45.518). Side setbacks of 5 feet leave 45 to 5, 5 = 35 feet. With a straight front wall at the 7 foot average and a 0 foot alley setback, depth is 120 to 7, 0 = 113 feet. The envelope is 35 x 113 = 3,955 square feet before other rules.
4. Height (23.45.514). A detached house may be 40 feet in LR2 with a suffix, 32 without.
5. If one side lot line abuts an NR lot (23.45.518.A.2). Above 34 feet the structure steps back 12 feet from that line, so the top 40 to 34 = 6 feet is at most 45 to 12, 5 = 28 feet wide.
6. Amenity area (23.45.522). New development needs 5,400 x 0.20 = 1,080 square feet. Ask SDCI whether an addition triggers it.

In an NR zone the same lot with one house has a base FAR cap of 5,400 x 0.6 = 3,240 square feet and a coverage cap of 5,400 x 0.50 = 2,700 (OPCD summary of 23.44.050 and 23.44.080), before that chapter’s exemptions. See lot coverage, setbacks and FAR explained for the NR method.

HB 1110 and the units-per-lot question

RCW 36.70A.635 requires a city of at least 75,000 people to allow at least four units per lot on lots zoned predominantly for residential use, and at least six near a major transit stop or where at least two units are affordable. OPCD says its Phase One legislation changed Lowrise and Midrise zones to comply with House Bill 1110, and applies the 4 and 6 unit figures to Neighborhood Residential lots in SMC 23.44.060.

In the lowrise chapter, SMC 23.45.512 was repealed. It had set density limits by lot area and an LR1 family-sized unit rule. The sections read contain no replacement per-area cap, so FAR, height, setbacks, separation and the building code bound the unit count. Confirm with SDCI. See our HB 1110 guide and duplex design.

What is only a proposal

OPCD’s January 2026 draft would amend SMC 23.45.510 and 23.45.514. It is not law, and the final text may differ. As drafted:

Item	Adopted today	Proposed in the January 2026 draft
LR1 height, stacked units in buildings with six or more principal units	32 feet	42 feet
LR2 height	40 feet, or 32 without a suffix	42 feet, or 32 without a suffix
LR3 height	40 or 50 feet by location, or 32 without a suffix (40 for stacked units inside centers)	52 feet for all locations with a suffix; without a suffix, 42 for stacked units in buildings of six or more and 32 for other units
FAR with a suffix for LR1 and LR2 stacked units in buildings of six or more principal units	1.5 (LR1) and 1.6 (LR2)	2.0
LR3 FAR with a suffix	1.8 outside centers, 2.3 inside	2.5

These come from the draft ordinance text and OPCD’s Director’s Report. None of it applies to a permit application unless Council adopts it.

Where I would start

1. Pull your Site Characteristics Report and read the full zone label, including any suffix and RC.
2. Total your existing floor area, mark any part built before 1982, and any underground floor.
3. Draw the setbacks from the survey, then the height line, then compare the result with the FAR cap.
4. Check trees and critical areas before the design hardens.

I have been an architect since 1996, an AIA member since 1992 and an NCARB member since 1996.

Questions

What is the difference between LR1, LR2 and LR3 zoning in Seattle?

They differ mainly in height and floor area. As adopted in SMC 23.45.514 and 23.45.510, an attached or detached unit may be 32 feet in LR1, 40 feet in LR2 and in LR3 outside urban centers, urban villages and station areas, and 50 feet in LR3 inside them, or 32 feet where the zone label has no MHA suffix. FAR with a suffix is 1.3 in LR1, 1.4 in LR2 and 1.8 or 2.3 in LR3.

What can I build in an LR1 zone in Seattle?

SMC Chapter 23.45 sets LR1 standards for attached, detached and stacked dwelling units: height 32 feet, FAR 1.3 with an MHA suffix (1.5 for stacked units) or 1.0 without, front setback 7 feet average and 5 minimum, side setbacks 5 feet, and structure width up to 90 feet. Which uses are permitted is set by the use table in SMC 23.45.504, so confirm a specific use with SDCI.

How tall can a building be in LR2 and LR3?

In LR2 the limit is 40 feet with an MHA suffix and 32 feet without. In LR3 it is 40 feet outside urban centers, urban villages and station area overlay districts, and 50 feet inside them, with 32 feet for attached and detached units without a suffix and 40 feet for stacked units in the inside zone (SMC 23.45.514, Table A). Roof and rooftop allowances are added.

What do the (M), (M1) and (M2) after a lowrise zone mean?

They are Mandatory Housing Affordability suffixes. SDCI says they determine the MHA payment or performance amount for new construction, and Chapter 23.45 prints higher FAR and, in LR2 and LR3, taller height limits for zones with a suffix than for zones without one. Look at the full label on SDCI’s map, because the suffix changes your zoning numbers.

Does Seattle still have a density limit in lowrise zones?

SMC 23.45.512, which set the per-lot-area density limits and the LR1 family-sized unit rule, was repealed by Ordinance 127376, effective January 21, 2026. The sections read for this page contain no replacement per-area cap, so FAR, height, setbacks and the building code bound the unit count. Confirm a unit count for your lot with SDCI.

Does floor area ratio count my basement or an older part of my house?

Underground stories are exempt from FAR in SMC 23.45.510.D.1. Floor area in a structure built before January 1, 1982 as a detached dwelling unit is also exempt if no other principal structure sits between it and the street along at least one frontage, but only the area that existed on that date, not later additions (D.3).

Can I add a second story to my house in a lowrise zone?

The height limit may allow it: 32 feet in LR1, 40 feet in LR2, and 40 or 50 feet in LR3 where the zone has an MHA suffix, against 32 feet in an NR zone before its pitched roof allowances. The setbacks, any NR boundary stepback, the FAR cap and whether the existing structure can carry the load all still apply. Height is only the first test, and SDCI confirms how it measures it on your plans.

Did the One Seattle Plan change lowrise zoning?

Phase One did. Ordinance 127376 amended Chapter 23.45 and took effect January 21, 2026, according to OPCD. Phase Two, the Centers and Corridors legislation transmitted on January 29, 2026, would change lowrise heights and FAR again. OPCD says it has not been adopted and that adoption is delayed by appeals of the city’s environmental impact statement.

Are lowrise setbacks different from single family setbacks?

Yes. Lowrise zones require a front setback of 7 feet average and 5 minimum, side setbacks of 5 feet, and a rear setback of 0 at an alley or 7 average and 5 minimum otherwise (SMC 23.45.518). OPCD’s summary of Neighborhood Residential zones gives a 15 foot front setback and a 5 average, 3 minimum side setback for lots with one or two units.