On Aug. 15, 2006, Mayor Greg Nickels signed Ordinance 122190 (effective Sept. 14, 2006) that allows backyard cottages (detached accessory dwelling units) in single-family zones in Southeast Seattle. A recent community-led task force in SE Seattle developed an Action Agenda that recommends backyard cottages as a way to help housing affordability and to help existing homeowners stay in SE Seattle. See the August 7, 2006 news advisory.
Eligible lots must have at least 4,000 square feet of area. The backyard cottage standards maintain existing restrictions on lot coverage and rear yard lot coverage currently in single family zoning. As with existing accessory dwelling unit rules, owner occupancy and an off-street parking space are required, and there are limits on the size of the units. Both the overall size and height of the structure are limited based on the size of the lot.
Details on this legislation are available below in Acrobat PDF format:
