This code update removes residential occupancy limits for unrelated people in the Edmonds Community Development Code (ECDC), per state law.
Part of this process will be strengthening regulations that ensure single-family zoning and single-family dwellings remains intact.
Background
In 2021, the Washington State Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 5235. This law prohibits cities from limiting how many people can live in a house, other than size limits in the Building Code.
Currently, several of the City's regulations limit the number of unrelated people that can be considered a family for purposes of single-family zoning and dwelling sizes.
What is Changing?
The City will need to remove these occupancy limits in several regulations and definitions of the ECDC.
The draft code (see Project Documents tab) focuses on ensuring single-family zoning and usage remain by focusing on the structure itself. This includes adding wording to the single-family dwelling (unit) definition that limits it to one mailbox, gas meter, and water meter. It will also require common access to all living, kitchen, and eating areas to make sure the unit isn't partitioned without proper permits.
What is Not Changing?
This will not remove single-family zoning or single-family uses from the ECDC.