Why Can the City Regulate How I Use My Property?

What Is It?

Our codes promote public health and safety and protect and preserve our quality of life.

• The Land Use Code regulates how you use land and buildings in the City of Seattle to ensure that a property is used in a way that is appropriate to the zone
• Seattle is divided into residential, commercial, and industrial zones to reflect the historical use of those areas and to ensure new development is compatible with the existing uses
• The Shoreline Master Program helps preserve our maritime history and public use and enjoyment of our waters, and protects our shorelines from inappropriate development
• The Housing and Building Maintenance Code sets standards to keep buildings safe and livable, regulates maintenance for vacant buildings, and focuses on rental housing, including rules for when a landlord or tenant can end a rental agreement
• Technical codes such as the Building Code, Electrical Code, Mechanical Code, and Side Sewer Code provide safety standards for structures
• Codes relating to grading, stormwater, and environmentally critical areas protect both the built and natural environment from deterioration and inappropriate development

Rules to Follow

Our codes require that you:

• Build only in a zone that is appropriate to your project
• Obtain all permits required for your work
• Build according to established code standards

Read the Code

View our complete list of codes.