Chapter 18.59
ACCESSORY USES AND STRUCTURES
Sections:
18.59.020 Residential garage, carport, shop, covered areas, and similar accessory structures.
18.59.030 Incidental food service.
18.59.010 General provisions.
A. All accessory uses and structures shall meet the following requirements:
1. Be an allowed use in the zoning classification in which they are located;
2. Be operated and maintained under the same ownership and use as the primary use or structure except as provided herein;
3. Be located on the same lot as the related primary use;
4. Not be erected prior to the occupancy of the primary use or structure; and
5. Not be located in a required yard except as provided herein.
B. All residential accessory uses attached to or part of the main structure must meet all minimum requirements established by Chapter 18.44 SMC. (Ord. 2013-002 § 1)
18.59.020 Residential garage, carport, shop, covered areas, and similar accessory structures.
A. The dimensional standards below rather than the standards in SMC 18.44.020 will apply to structures such as garages, storage sheds, or tool sheds that are accessory to detached single-family residential uses in R zones, exclusive of accessory dwelling units as provided in Chapter 18.66 SMC:
1. Setbacks. Detached accessory structures must be a minimum of five feet from side and rear property lines, 10 feet from any street right-of-way or alley, and no closer to the front property line than the distance to the primary residence facade element furthest from the street. The minimum setback from any alley 16 feet or greater in width is five feet. Attached accessory structures are subject to the same setbacks as the primary residence;
2. Maximum Structure Coverage. Site coverage for any individual accessory structure, attached or detached, must not exceed 1,000 square feet, except for lots of one acre or larger the maximum coverage is 3,000 square feet. The total coverage of all attached accessory structures including garages must not exceed the coverage of the gross living area of the primary residence;
3. Maximum Site Coverage. Site coverage for all detached accessory structures combined is 1,200 square feet or 80 percent of the primary structure lot coverage, whichever is less, and 1,400 square feet if a ground level accessory dwelling unit is included. For lots of one acre or greater the maximum site coverage for all accessory structures combined is subject to the 40 percent maximum coverage for all structures on the site per SMC 18.44.020;
4. Maximum Structure Height. The height of any accessory structure must not exceed the lesser of the elevation of the roof of the primary residence or 18 feet. For lots of one acre or greater the maximum permitted height may be increased by one foot of height over the 18-foot maximum for every four feet of additional setback from side and rear property lines to a maximum height of 35 feet; and
5. Maximum Structure Width. The combined width as measured parallel to the rear property line of all detached accessory structures over 10 feet in elevation must not exceed 40 percent of the lot width.
B. Design. Any accessory structure greater than 200 square feet must be designed so that it is visually consistent with the character of a residential neighborhood including the following:
1. Constructed of similar materials as the primary structure;
2. Presenting a roof of equal or greater pitch as the primary structure; and
3. Presenting exterior colors that match or harmonize with the color(s) of the primary structure.
C. Only accessory storage buildings defined in this chapter are permitted as accessory storage containers on property in any residential zone of the city, or on any property within the city where the primary use is residential. Cargo containers, railroad cars, truck vans, converted mobile homes, travel trailers, recreational vehicles, bus bodies, vehicles, and similar prefabricated items and structures originally built for purposes other than the storage of goods and materials are not considered to be accessory structures or buildings.
D. Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in subsection C of this section, the temporary placement of transport containers and/or portable site storage containers on residentially zoned properties, or on properties where the primary use of which is residential, for the limited purpose of loading and unloading household contents is permitted for a period of time not exceeding 30 days in any one calendar year.
E. Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in subsection C of this section, licensed and bonded contractors may use cargo containers for the temporary location of an office, equipment, and/or materials storage structure during construction which is taking place on the property where the cargo container is located, if the use of the cargo container is authorized pursuant to a city building permit. (Ord. 2024-013 § 1 (Exh. B); Ord. 2018-006 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. 2016-007 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. 2013-008 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. 2013-002 § 1)
18.59.030 Incidental food service.
A. Incidental food service is allowed as an accessory use to a primary use only under the following conditions and limits:
1. The primary use must occupy a gross floor area of not less than 50,000 square feet;
2. The primary use is located within a zone that permits retail use;
3. The total enclosed vendor space for an outdoor incidental food service shall not exceed 200 square feet in area;
4. If the incidental food service is outside the primary use structure, it shall be immediately adjacent to it;
5. The signing for any outdoor incidental food service shall not exceed 20 square feet of wall signs of which none shall be larger than 10 square feet and one portable sign not exceeding six square feet; and
6. The incidental food service shall not occupy required parking spaces or designated circulation lanes. (Ord. 2013-002 § 1)