What does R4 Zoning code means in WA? For a 2+ acre lot.

Question

Friends,

I am planning to buy a 2+ acre lot in Washington state King County. It said R4 zoning code with 1 current house on it, what does it mean? What else do I need to pay attention on if divided the lot to build different houses if I buy this?

Thanks,Ken

Nik Moushon · Answer

First you need to find out if your lot is located in a city or in the county. Then you will need to look up the corresponding code (specific city or king county). You can just google this. Once you find the code then you need to find the section for zoning. Most online codes will have a search bar so this should make it easy. Once you find the zoning section of the code you will want to look for the description of R4. There will probably be plenty of references to other section of the code as not every piece of detailed information you need is in one place. So be prepaired for some searching.

If you still cant find what you are looking for just call or go into your local planning department and they can help you out. I would suggest trying to go through the code yourself and look for it because it is a useful skill to know how to navigate governing code to figure out what each property you are looking for needs.

Jim L. · Answer

At the King County level, it means Residential - 4 dwelling units per acre. There are other restrictions that go with the zoning, which will require some sifting through Title 21A of the county code, or you could shortcut that search by talking with the local planning department as noted above.

As Nik notes above, individual cities may have their own zoning codes.  For example, Redmond's zoning code describes R-4 here. (It's basically the same as the county, with some additional restrictions and/or provisions; e.g., setbacks, maximum heights, etc.).

Naturally, you can try and get the property re-zoned if the current zoning does not appeal to you, but this can take awhile.  Some municipalities have growth plans that may facilitate such a re-zoning.