What are Seattle's current Neighborhood Residential setbacks?

Under the current 2026 code, 1–2 dwelling units generally use a 15 ft front setback, 5 ft average / 3 ft minimum side setback, and 15 ft rear setback where there is no alley. Projects with 3+ units generally use 10 ft front and 10 ft rear setbacks; additional small-lot and alley rules apply.

What is the current Neighborhood Residential height limit?

The ordinary maximum structure height is 32 ft, with 42 ft allowed for specified qualifying development under the current code. Roof forms, grade, ECA rules, and other exceptions can affect the result.

What is the current lot-coverage limit?

Current Neighborhood Residential rules generally allow 50% lot coverage, with 60% available for specified stacked-unit or common-green-space development in qualifying circumstances.

Seattle Setbacks & Height Limits — Residential Zones

Fact-checked against the current Seattle Neighborhood Residential code implementing Ordinance 127376, effective January 21, 2026.

Seattle's Neighborhood Residential (NR) rules changed substantially in 2025–2026 to implement state middle-housing law and the One Seattle Plan. Older summaries based on the former single-family / early NR rules are now stale.

Current Neighborhood Residential Setbacks

Current SMC §23.44.090 uses the number of dwelling units and, in some cases, transit/alley conditions:

Condition	Front	Side	Rear
1–2 dwelling units	15 ft	5 ft average / 3 ft minimum	15 ft if no alley
3+ dwelling units	10 ft	5 ft average / 3 ft minimum	10 ft if no alley
Lot under 5,000 sq ft in a frequent-transit service area	Based on unit count	3 ft	5 ft
Rear lot line abutting an alley	Based on unit count	As applicable	0 ft

The previous page used a generic 20-ft front / 5-ft side / roughly 20–25-ft rear pattern. That no longer reflects the current code.

For ADUs specifically, the current table uses a 5-ft rear setback, or 0 ft where the rear lot line abuts an alley.

Current Height

Current SMC §23.44.070 establishes:

32 ft as the ordinary maximum structure height;
42 ft for specified qualifying development, including certain projects with three or more principal dwelling units, qualifying stacked units, or qualifying tree-retention/canopy conditions.

The previous page's 30-ft base height is stale.

Height still interacts with roof forms, grade, Environmentally Critical Areas, and the detailed exceptions in §23.44.070.

Lot Coverage

The 2026 middle-housing rules also changed building coverage. Current standards generally allow 50% lot coverage, with 60% permitted for stacked dwelling units and certain qualifying common-green-space development in frequent-transit areas.

This replaces the old page's generalized 35% Neighborhood Residential coverage description.

Density and Middle Housing

Seattle's 2025 legislation changed the practical meaning of Neighborhood Residential zoning:

most NR lots can accommodate up to four dwelling units under the current framework;
qualifying lots can accommodate up to six;
attached, detached, and stacked housing forms are now part of the NR framework.

A parcel should therefore not be analyzed as if NR zoning were still simply a renamed one-house-per-lot zone.

Older SDCI Tips Can Be Stale

SDCI currently warns that older Tips and Director's Rules may not reflect the newest regulations adopted to implement state legislation.

Use current SMC Chapter 23.44 first, and treat an older tip sheet only as secondary guidance if it conflicts with the current code.

How to Check a Property

Confirm the current zoning and any overlay in Seattle's zoning tools.
Use current Chapter 23.44 rather than pre-2026 NR summaries.
Count the proposed principal dwelling units before selecting the front/rear setback row.
Check whether the parcel qualifies as a frequent-transit lot or abuts an alley.
Check ECA, shoreline, tree, historic, and other special controls.
Confirm unusual conditions with SDCI before relying on a design dimension.

Official Sources

This guide is informational only. The current Seattle Municipal Code, overlays, state-law implementation, and parcel-specific conditions control.