SEATTLE'S

COMMERCIAL
ZONES
IMPORTANT NOTE: Some areas have neighborhood-specific regulations that are not
reflected here. Please consult with DPD staff for individual projects.

THIS ZONING CHART IS FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY

General standards are shown. Please refer to the Land Use Code for exceptions and specific regulations. Due to the complexity of the code, zoning questions cannot be answered by phone. If you have
questions about commercial zoning, please visit the Department of Planning and Development, located
on the 20th floor of Seattle Municipal Tower at 700 Fifth Ave.

Regulations common to all

Commercial zones

Parking Quantity

Depends on land use. Required amounts for all

land uses are listed in section 23.54.015 of the
Land Use Code. No parking is required for the first
1,500 square feet of any business. No parking is
required in Urban Centers or in Urban Villages with
light rail station area overlay districts, except for
hospitals. Also, no parking is required in Urban Villages as long as frequent transit service is available
within 1/4 mile.

Green Factor Landscaping

Landscaping is required to achieve a Green Factor

score of 0.30 or higher (functionally equivalent to
landscaping 30% of the lot). Credit is awarded for
planting areas, green roofs, vegetated walls, permeable paving, and other features.

Height Limits

Planting strips and/or screening is required along a

street to screen parking areas from the street and abutting residential lots, and to lessen the impact of blank
facades; street trees are also generally required.

Applied independent of zone designations. Height

limits may be 30', 40', 65', 85', 125', 160' dependent
on locational criteria. Refer to the Zoning Map for
site-specific limits. Changes to height limits require
a rezone.

Residential Amenities

5% of residential floor area, open to the outdoors.

Design Review

Projects that undergo Design Review may be granted departures from certain development standards.

Floor Area Ratio

Applied by height limit and land use mix as per the FAR Chart below. An FAR of 2 allows a building with gross
floor area equal to 2 times the area of a lot. Higher FARs are allowed in Light Rail Station Area Overlay district.

FAR Chart
Type of Development

Height Limit
30

40

65

85

125

160

Maximum FAR
Residential-only or
nonresidential-only

2.25

3.00

4.25

4.50

5.00

5.00

Single use within mixed-use

development

n/a

n/a

4.25

4.50

5.00

5.00

Mix of residential and

nonresidential uses

2.50

3.25

4.75

6.00

6.00

7.00

City of Seattle
Department of Planning
& Development
Diane Sugimura, Director
Michael McGinn, Mayor

August 2012
Printed on 100% recycled paper containing 30% post-consumer waste

NC1

NC3

C1

A small shopping area that provides primarily convenience retail sales and services to
the surrounding residential neighborhood

A larger pedestrian-oriented shopping district serving the surrounding neighborhood

and a larger community, citywide or regional clientele; allowing comparison shopping
among a range of retail businesses

An auto-oriented, primarily retail/service commercial area that serves surrounding

neighborhoods as well as a citywide or regional clientele

Typical Land Uses

Large supermarkets, building supplies and household goods, auto sales and repairs, and apartments.

Neighborhood Commercial 1
Typical Land Uses

Small grocery store, hair salon, coffee shop, and

apartments above.

Building Types

Small commercial structures, multi-story mixed-use

and residential structures. Non-residential uses
typically occupy the street front.

Street-level Uses

Non-residential uses required at street-level on arterial streets. Residential uses are limited to 20% of the facade on
an arterial street, but may occupy 100% of the facade on non-arterial streets.

Neighborhood Commercial 3

Transparency required for 60% of a street-facing facade. Nonresidential uses at street level must have an average
depth of 30, and have a minimum height of 13.

Typical Land Uses

Supermarkets, restaurants, offices, hotels, clothing

shops, business support services, and residences that
are compatible with the areas mixed-use character.

Building Types

Building Types

Street-level Uses

A variety of commercial building types and site layouts including one-story commercial structures with extensive
surface parking, and multi-story office or residential buildings.

Single purpose commercial structures office buildings,

multi-story mixed-use and residential structures. Nonresidential uses typically occupy the street front.

Same as NC1 zone.

Street-level Non-residential Design

Street-level Uses
Same as NC2 zone.

Street-level Non-residential Design

Commercial 1

Illustration: Val Thomas

Street-level Non-residential Design

Street-level Residential Design

Same as NC1 zone.

Street-level Residential Design

Must contain at least one visually prominent pedestrian entry for residential uses. Dwelling units must be at least 4
above, or 10 back, from a sidewalk, unless conversion of a nonresidential space to a residential use is authorized.

Maximum Size of Commercial Use

Street-level Residential Design

Same as NC1 zone.

Same as NC2 zone, except residential use limits explained for NC1
zones apply in some locations, such as Bitter Lake and Lake City
Urban Villages and Northgate Overlay District.

Maximum Size of Commercial Use

Maximum Size of Commercial Use

10,000 square feet for most uses.

No size limits for most uses; 25,000 square feet for wholesaling, light
manufacturing and warehouse uses.

Parking Location

Parking Location

At the rear or side of a building, within a structure, or off-site within 800. Parking between a building and a street is
not allowed. Parking between buildings along the street is limited to 60. Within a structure, street level parking must
be separated from the facade by another permitted use.

Same as NC1 zone.

Parking Access

Same as NC1 zone.

Parking Access

Parking Quantity

Must be from the alley if feasible. Curbcuts are limited.

Same as NC1 zone.

Parking Quantity

Same as NC1 zone for structures containing residential uses, or when

across a street from a residential zone. No requirements for nonresidential structures, or when not across from a residential zone.

No size limits for most uses; 25,000-40,000 square feet for warehouse and wholesale showroom uses; 35,000 square feet or size of
lot, whichever is greater, for office uses.

Parking Location

No restrictions generally. When a development contains residential uses or is across a street from a residential
zone, it must meet NC1 zone standards.

Parking Access

No restrictions generally. When a development contains residential uses or is across a street from a residential
zone, it must meet NC1 zone standards.

Parking Quantity

Depends on land use and location. No minimum parking is required in Urban Centers, and portions of Urban Villages
with frequent transit service within 1/4 mile.

Same as NC1 zone.

NC2

C2

A moderately-sized pedestrian-oriented shopping area that provides a full range of retail

sales and services to the surrounding neighborhood

P designations are applied to NC zones along

pedestrian-oriented commercial streets

Typical Land Uses

Medium-sized grocery store, drug store, coffee shop, customer

service office, or medical/dental facility, and apartments.

The P designation preserves and encourages an intensely pedestrian-oriented, retail shopping district where non-auto modes of
transportation, both to and within the district, are strongly favored.

An auto-oriented, primarily non-retail commercial area, characterized by larger lots,

parking, and a wide range of commercial uses serving community, citywide or regional
markets

Building Types

Street-level Uses

Neighborhood Commercial 2

Single purpose commercial structures, multi-story mixed-use and residential structures. Non-residential uses typically occupy the street front.

Street-level Uses

No limit on mix of residential and nonresidential uses, except where

P zones or other mapped areas limit residential presence at street
level, similar to the NC1 zone.

Street-level Non-residential Design

Same as NC1 zone.

Street-level Residential Design

Same as NC1 zone.

Maximum Size of Commercial Use

25,000 square feet for most uses; 50,000 square feet for
multipurpose retail sales facilities.

Parking Location and Quantity

Same as NC1 zone.

Parking Access

Same as NC1 zone.

Pedestrian-Designated Zones

Commercial 2
Typical Land Uses

Warehouses, wholesale, research and development, and manufacturing uses. Residential use is generally not allowed, but exceptions meeting specific criteria may be considered through a conditional use process.

Limited to pedestrian-oriented nonresidential uses that have the

potential to animate the sidewalk environment, such as retail,
entertainment, restaurants, and personal services. Drive-in or
drive-thru businesses are prohibited.

Building Types

Parking Quantity

Residential uses anywhere in a structure are conditional uses. When conditional use criteria are met, same as
NC1 zone. Otherwise, 100% of street-level space must be in non-residential use.

Depends on land use and location. No parking is required for

the first 4,000 to 5,000 square feet of retail businesses. Or, no
minimum parking may be required in Urban Centers, and portions
of Urban Villages with frequent transit service within 1/4 mile.

Parking Location

In addition to NC zone standards, surface parking is prohibited adjacent to principal pedestrian streets.

Parking Access

Must be from alley or side-street

if feasible, otherwise a two-way
curbcut on the principal pedestrian street is allowed.

A variety of building types and site layouts, including single-story warehouse or manufacturing structures with
extensive surface parking and loading areas, and multi-story buildings containing office or other non-retail uses.

Street-level Uses

Street-level Non-residential Design

Same as C1 zone.

Maximum Size of Commercial Use

No size limits for most uses; 35,000 square feet or size

of lot, whichever is greater, for office uses.

Parking Location
Same as C1 zone.

Parking Access
Same as C1 zone.

Parking Quantity
Same as C1 zone.