Land Use Codes for Parking

Seattle Municipal Code

There are many parts of the Seattle Municipal Code relating to Land Use. The Land Use portion of the Seattle Municipal Code in its entirety includes Sections 23.02.010 to 23.91.026. Below are a few highlights:

Parking Requirements (Section 23.54)
Minimum Parking Requirements (Section 23.54.015)

Each of the following commonly-used sections also has Parking Location and Access, or Parking Requirements.

Single Family (Chapter 23.44)
Multifamily (Chapter 23.45)
Commercial (Chapter 23.47)
Downtown (Section 23.49.016)
Industrial (Chapter 23.50)

Neighborhood-specific parking requirements may also exist such as for Cascade (Chapter 23.48) and Northgate (Chapter 23.71).

The Environmental Policies and Procedures portion of the Seattle Municipal Code in its entirety includes Sections 25.05.010 to 25.05.990, and also addresses parking.

State Environmental Policy Act Parking Requirements (Section 25.05.675 M)

Client Assistance Memos

Client Assistance Memos (CAMs) are a source of explanations of parking and other issues. Below are some of the CAMS about parking and access (you will need Acrobat PDF Reader to view these):

CAM 112: When and How to Report a Code Violation.
CAM 117: Parking Waivers for Accessory Dwelling Units.
CAM 119: Regulations for Barrier-Free Accessibilty.
CAM 221: Single-Family Side Yard Agreements and Accessory Structure Agreements (for garages).
CAM 230: Multifamily Residential Off-Street Requirements.
CAM 241: Calculating Required Parking for Commercial Projects.

If you have questions about CAMs that are not currently available, or would like to make suggestions for improving these public information documents, please call Community Relations at (206) 233-3881.

Department of Planning and Development (DPD)

The Applicant Services Center in the Department of Planning and Development can help with many types of questions. It is located on the 20th floor of Key Tower at 700 Fifth Avenue in downtown Seattle, or call (206) 684-8850.

Search the Director's Rules for clarifications of technical details about parking.

To report a possible Code Violation for parking on private property, call (206) 684-7899 or click here to use the online form.

Information on light rail planning and the Department of Development and Planning (DPD).

Information on monorail planning and the Department of Development and Planning (DPD).

Use DPD's online Geographic Information System (GIS) to find out many types of useful information (such as zoning at a particular location, review aerial photographs, identify urban village boundaries, locate environmentally critical areas and more).