Bothell residential zoning
Bothell residential zoning and setbacks by zone
Bothell adopted a new residential zoning system in 2025. Use the current R-C, R-L, or R-M map designation instead of an older zone shown in a prior permit, listing, or saved report.
On this page4 sections
Official starting point: Bothell residential dimensional standards. Verify the parcel zone, current code, and every applicable footnote before fixing the design.
Bothell residential base-zone table
| Zone | Height | Front | Rear | Side | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RC / Residential Conservation (R-C) | 35 ft | 15 ft | 35 ft | 5 ft | 35% hard surface |
| RL1 / Residential Low 1 (R-L1) | 35 ft | 15 ft | 15 ft | 5 ft | 55% hard surface |
| RL2 / Residential Low 2 (R-L2) | 35 ft | 15 ft | 15 ft | 5 ft | 60% hard surface |
| RM1 / Residential Medium 1 (R-M1) | 35 ft | 10 ft | 10 ft | 5 ft | 70% hard surface |
| RM2 / Residential Medium 2 (R-M2) | 35 ft | 10 ft | 10 ft | 5 ft | 75% hard surface |
| RM3 / Residential Medium 3 (R-M3) | 45 ft | 10 ft | 10 ft | 5 ft | 80% hard surface |
| RM4 / Residential Medium 4 (R-M4) | 55 ft | 10 ft | 10 ft | 5 ft | 90% hard surface |
Other rules to check
Other rules that can change the answer
These items link to the city rules behind the guide. They are useful starting points, but they do not replace a property-specific review or a search for private covenants and easements.
| Topic | What it means | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| FAR | The current base residential table does not use FAR and does not publish a separate building-coverage percentage. The feasibility engine therefore does not invent either limit. | BMC 12.14.030 ↗ |
| Setbacks | R-C/R-L1/R-L2 use a 15-ft front yard; R-M1 through R-M4 use 10 ft. Rear is 35 ft in R-C, 15 ft in R-L1/R-L2, and 10 ft in R-M zones; sides are 5 ft. Street-facing garages need 20 ft and alley conditions differ. | BMC 12.14.030 ↗ |
| Lot coverage | No separate residential building-footprint percentage appears in the current table. Building area is constrained by setbacks and the broader hard-surface cap. | BMC 12.14.030 ↗ |
| Impervious / hard surface | Maximum hard surface is 35% in R-C, 55% in R-L1, 60% in R-L2, and 70%/75%/80%/90% in R-M1 through R-M4. Critical areas trigger additional Title 14 impervious rules. | BMC 12.14.030 ↗ |
| Height | Base height is 35 ft in R-C through R-M2, 45 ft in R-M3, and 55 ft in R-M4, with activity-center and transition rules where applicable. | BMC 12.14.030 ↗ |
| Trees | A private-tree permit is generally not required only when every listed exemption is met. Development approvals, retained trees, critical areas, shorelines, and replanting obligations can still control removal. | Bothell Permit Center ↗ |
| Existing private views | No general citywide private-building-view right was identified. Bothell describes otherwise unregulated neighbor vegetation disputes as civil matters; recorded covenants, easements, shoreline, and subarea rules remain separate. | Bothell Permit Center ↗ |
| Wetlands, slopes, and critical areas | Bothell's residential hard-surface percentage is not a guaranteed building footprint. Title 14 wetland, stream, and geologic-hazard rules can impose protected areas, buffers, building setbacks, and stricter impervious-surface conditions that require a site calculation. If a wetland, stream, erosion hazard, landslide hazard, or steep slope may be present, confirm the field boundary and required buffer before using the base-zone setbacks or hard-surface allowance. Bothell may require a critical-area report and separate alteration approval. | Bothell BMC 14.04 critical areas ↗ |
Property-specific checks
What can change the table
- Bothell's current base residential table does not use FAR and does not publish a separate building-coverage percentage. Buildings and garages consume the broader hard-surface allowance, but the feasibility study does not present that allowance as a building-footprint cap.
- A garage facing a street generally needs a 20-foot setback. Alley-loaded garages and other configurations have separate rules.
- The R-M zones allow progressively greater scale. A specific housing type may trigger additional design, parking, landscaping, or frontage standards.
- Critical areas, shorelines, subdivisions, recorded conditions, access easements, and overlays can reduce the base envelope.
- An older Bothell zoning code or former district name should be translated to the current map before use.
How to use this guide
How to use the zoning table for a real property
- 1
Find the parcel on the city's current zoning map and copy the complete zone name.
- 2
Read the full row, table footnotes, and definitions. Do not use only the front setback.
- 3
Check corner-lot yards, access easements, critical areas, shorelines, trees, overlays, and recorded restrictions.
- 4
Use a boundary and topographic survey to place the setbacks against the actual lot.
- 5
Have the city or project team confirm any uncertainty before the design is fixed.
Official resources