BLD20140212_Bui.pdf
CITY OF EDMONDS
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121 5Avenue North, Edmonds WA 98020
Phone: 425.771.0220 • Fax: 425.771.0221 • Web: www.EdmondsWA.gov
DEVELOPMENT SERVICESDEPARTMENT•PLANNING DIVISION
March 18, 2014
TO:
Casey Bui/caseybui@gmail.com
RE:BLD 2014 0212
Planning Division comments for building permit file »Bui Remodel / ADU
Greetings,
basement remodel540 Fir PlaceRS-6
Thank you for submitting a building permit application for at in the
zone. I have reviewed the above building permit application for the Planning Division and it was found that the
following information, corrections, or clarifications will need to be addressed before the Planning Division
review can continue.
1.Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU):
It appears that you would like to remodel your basement to function as an
ADU. That is fantastic, but we’ll need you to go through the appropriate land use process prior to approval.
Please review the attached handout and submit an application for a Type II land use permit along with the
$820 review fee ($795 + $25 city surcharge) at your convenience. If you have any questions about the ADU
process, I’d be happy to elaborate. The ADU process is further explained in Edmonds Community
Development Code (ECDC) Chapter 20.21. The purpose of this code is to:
… regulate the establishment of accessory dwelling units within or in conjunction with single-
family dwellings while preserving the character of single-family neighborhoods. The primary
purpose of this chapter shall be to permit establishment of additional living quarters within
single-family residential neighborhoods in order to (1) make it possible for adult children to
provide care and support to a parent or other relatives in need of assistance, or (2) provide
increased security and companionship for homeowners, or (3) provide the opportunity for
homeowners to gain the extra income necessary to help meet the rising costs of home ownership,
or (4) to provide for the care of disabled persons within their own homes.
:
Please submit a written response to the above, along with any revised plans to your Permit Coordinator
Kristin Johns. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to working with
you on this project.
Sincerely,
Gina Janicek::
Associate Planner
City of Edmonds Development Services Department
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121 5Avenue North, Edmonds WA 98020
425.771.0220 x 1778 | gina.janicek@edmondswa.gov
cc:BLD 20140212
enc:Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Handout
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Development Services Department –Planning Division | 121 5Avenue North, Edmonds WA 98020 | 425.771.0220
All code citations can be foundonlineat: http://www.mrsc.org/mc/edmonds/Edmondsnt.html.
#P1
City of Edmonds
Development Information
Accessory Dwelling Unit
An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is a structure attached to, or constructed within, a single-
family dwelling, which has living facilities separate from the primary single-family dwelling
including at least, but not limited to:a kitchen, bathroom, one living area (aminimum of 120
square feet)and sleeping quarters.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are generally intended to:
1.
Make it possible for adult children to provide care and support to a parent or other relatives
in need of assistance,
2.
Provide increased security and companionship for homeowners,
3.
Provide the opportunity for homeowners to gain the extra income necessary to help meet
the rising costs of home ownership, or
4.
Provide for the care of disabled persons within their own homes.
The Edmonds Community Development Code (ECDC) allows for ADUs within all single-family
residential zones(except within Planned Residential Developments) as long as a Conditional
Use Permit is obtained. The regulations regarding ADUs are provided within ECDC 20.21, and
applications are processed as Type II decisions.
FEES:
See Fee Sheet (Type II Permit)
Note:Additional fees will apply, including a City surcharge. Additionally,fees will be assessed
for the associated building permit and/or ADUcompliance permit through the Building Division,
andthe County Auditor’s officewill charge a fee atthe time of filingof the ADU covenant.
Criteria for Approval
All ADUs must meet the following criteria in order to be approved:
1.Permit Required.
Anyperson who occupies or allows another person to occupy an ADUas
a place of residence must first obtain a permit.
2.Number.
A single-family dwelling may have no more than one ADUper lot.
3.Size.
AnADU shall not:
a)
belarger than 40 percent of the livable floor area of the principal dwelling, nor
b)
bemore than 800 square feet, nor
c)
have more than 2 bedrooms.
However, if an ADUis completely located on a single floor, the Planning Manager may allow
increased size up to 50 percentof the floor area of theprincipal dwelling in order to
efficiently use all floor area, so long as all other standards set forth in ECDC 20.21 are met.
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4.Location and Appearance.
ADUsmust be located within or attached to a single-family
dwelling unit. The single family appearance and character of the residence shall be
maintained when viewed from the surrounding neighborhood. The design of the ADUshall
be incorporated into the design of the principal dwelling unit and shall be designed to
maintain the architectural design, style, appearance and character of the main building as a
single family residence using matching materials, colors, window style, and roof design. The
primary entrance to the ADU shall be located in such a manner as to be unobtrusive when
viewed from the street.Whenever possible, new entrances should be placed at the side or
rear of the building. Only one electric meter and one water meter shall be allowed for the
entire building, serving both the primary residence and the ADU. An ADU may not have its
own mailbox, and all garbage must be kept within a screened area in common to the single-
family home.
5.Parking.
Aminimumof three (3) off-street parking spaces are required to be provided on-
site for the single family home and the related ADU. Up to one of required parking spaces
maybe a tandem or “stacked” parking space. All parking spaces, including any tandem
spaces, must be clearly shownonthe site plan.
6.Occupancy.
Either the primary dwelling or the ADUmust be owner-occupied. “Owner-
occupied” is defined as a property owner who makes his or her legal residence at the site,
as evidenced by voter registration, vehicle registration, or similar means, and actually
resides at the site more than six months out of any given year. At no time can the owner
receive rent for the owner-occupied unit andthe owner(s) may not rent any portion of the
owner-occupied residence either during the owner(s)’ occupancy or while the owner is
absent from the owner-occupied unit for any period.
In no event shall the total number of occupants exceed one familyas defined in the
Edmonds Community Development Code:
“Family means individuals consisting of two or more persons related by genetics,
adoption, or marriage, or a group of five or fewer persons who are not related by
genetics, adoption, or marriage and none of whom are wards of the court unless
such wards are related by genetics, adoption, or marriage to all of the members of
such group living in a dwelling unit.” \[ECDC 21.30.010\]
The only exceptions to the “one family” rule isif the ADUis occupied by a nurse or other
caregiver assisting a disabled person who is an occupant of the principal residence, or if the
principal residence is occupied by a nurse/caregiver and the ADUis occupied by a disabled
person under the nurse’s care. In either of these two circumstances, the occupancy limit of
one family may be increased by one additional unrelated person. The limit would then be a
total of one family related by genetics, adoption or marriage plus one unrelated person, or a
total of six unrelated persons.
7.Building Compliance Permit and Inspection Approval for Minimum BuildingCode and
Life-Safety Criteria.
ADUsshall comply with all applicable requirements of the Uniform
Housing Code and the International Residential Code(IRC) adopted by Title 19 of the
ECDC. Specific inspection criteria are attached with this handout. No permit for an ADUwill
be issued to a nonconforming structure unless that structure, or portion thereof,is brought
into conformance with the current provisions of the ECDC and IRC.
Permit Conditions
In addition to any conditions imposed during the permit approval process, a permit for an ADU
shall expire automatically whenever:
1.The ADUis substantially altered and thus is no longer in conformance withthe plans and
drawings reviewed and approved by the permitting authority and Building Official.
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2.The subject site ceases to maintain the required number of parking spaces.
3.The property owner ceases to reside in either the primary residence or the ADU, the owner-
occupied unit is rented, or the current owner fails to file the affidavit required under ECDC
20.21.025.A.1.
ApplicationChecklist
Pursuant toECDC 20.01, an ADU is a Type II permit. The following materials must be
submitted for a complete application (ECDC 20.02):
Land Use Application form, completed and signed;
Adjacent Property Owners List (refer toHandout #P2);
One 11” x 17”(maximum size)site plan, scaled at 1”-20’, showing the house, driveway,
screened garbage areaand on-site parking spaces.All access to both the single family
residence and the ADU must be shown.
Building elevations,¼”-1’ scale(only if exterior building modifications are neededin order to
create the ADU).
An affidavit(provided by the City), signed and notarized,affirming that the owner occupies
either the main building or the ADUfor more than six months of the year. This affidavit is
required to be signed by the current owner of the property; a change of ownership will
require that a new affidavit be filed if the ADU is to be continued by the new owner.
A covenant (provided by the City) suitable for recording with the County Auditor which
provides notice to future owners or long term lessors of the subject site that the existence of
the ADUis predicated upon theoccupancy of either the ADUor the primary dwelling by the
person to whom the ADUpermit has been issued. The covenant shall also require any
owner of the property to notify a prospective buyer of the limitations of ECDC Chapter20.21
and to provide for the removal of improvements added to convert the premises to an ADU
and the restoration of the site to a single-family dwelling in the event that any condition of
approval is violated.
A scaled floor plan ¼”-1’showing all rooms and spaceswithin the home.All ADU windows
and doors shall be dimensioned including the sill height of all sleeping room windows. The
floor plan must show smoke alarms(smoke detectors)in all sleeping rooms and one in the
outside halland one on each floor.
If the ADU is approved by the Planning Division, the Building Division compliance portion of the
project can occur (see pages 4 through 6 of this handout).
Note:This information should not be used as a substitute for City codes and
regulations. The Edmonds Community Development Code (ECDC) may be viewed
atwww.edmondswa.gov.The applicant is responsible for ensuring compliance
with the fees and regulations that are applicable at the time of submittal. If you
have a specific question about a certain aspect of your project, please contact the
Planning Division at 121 Fifth Avenue North, (425) 771-0220. Please note that
other local, state, and/or federal permits or approvals may be required.
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Building Division and International Residential
Building Code ADU Requirements
A SEPARATE BUILDING COMPLIANCE PERMIT IS REQUIRED FOR ALL ADU’S
*ADU’S MUST COMPLY WITH ADOPTED BUILDING CODE PROVISIONS FOR A
SEPARATE DWELLING UNIT. SHOW CODE COMPLIANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING
ITEMS ON THE FLOOR PLAN TO BE SUBMITTED WITH THE BUILDING PERMIT
APPLICATION. (See form “A”)—SEPARATE FEE AND APPROVAL REQUIRED*
1)DWELLING UNIT SEPARATION:
The ADU must be separated from the main portion of the house by wall and/or floor/ceiling
assemblies having not less than 1-hour fire-resistance rating.
2)MINIMUM ROOM SIZE/CEILING HEIGHT/EXITING/STAIR AND GUARDS:
The ADU unit must contain permanent provisions for sleeping, eating, cooking, and have a
separatebathroom. The floor area of the unit must meet thefollowing minimum requirements:
a)The main living area shall have a minimum floor area of 120 square feet
b)Habitable rooms shall have a floor area of not less than 70 square feet (not including
kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and storage)
c)Habitable rooms shallhave a minimum width of 7’-0” in any dimension (not including
kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and storage)
d)Habitable rooms shall have a minimum ceiling height of 7’-0”.
e)For sloped ceilings, not more than 50% of the required floor area of a room or space is
permitted to have a sloped ceiling less than 7 feet, with no portion of the required floor
area less than 5’ feet.
f)One main exit door is required from each unit to the exterior without requiring travel
through a garage, 3’x 6’8” minimum, side-hinged with a code compliant landing.
g)The bathroom shall have a toilet, sink, bathtub or shower with hot and cold running
water. Toilets shall be located in a space where there are no obstructions less that 15”
inches measured from the centerline of the toilet to theobstruction, and a minimum clear
space in front of the toilet of 21” inches. Shower stalls shall be a minimum of 30”x 30”
(outside dimensions).
h)One kitchen sink required with hot and cold running water.
i)Stairway handrails shall meet the following requirements:
Top of handrail 34” to 38” above the stair tread nosing;
Handrail grip size shall be 1¼”-2”.
j)Guards are required to protect falls greater than 30” (i.e., stair landings, balconies, etc);
guards shall be 36” minimum in height with no openings greater than a 4 inch sphere.
Open stairs with a total rise of more than 30” shall have guards no less than 34”.
k)Hallway width 36” minimum.
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3)SMOKE ALARMS (Smoke Detectors):
When no remodeling work is performed, battery operated smoke alarms are required throughout
both unitsin the following locations:
a)Each sleeping room.
b)Centrally located in hallways or areas accessing sleeping rooms.
c)Minimum of one smoke alarm installed on each floor, including basement.
When remodeling work is performed, the following is required:
a)Newly created sleeping room(s) shall have hard wired smoke alarms with battery backup.
When more than one smoke alarm is requiredto be installed within an individual dwelling unit
the alarm devices shall be interconnected in such a manner that the actuation of one alarm will
activate all of the alarms in the individual unit. The alarm shall be clearly audible in all sleeping
rooms over background noise levels with all intervening doors closed.
4)CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS:
An approved carbon monoxide alarm shall be installed outside of each separate sleeping area in
the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms with at least oneon each level of the dwelling.Single
station carbon monoxide alarms shall be listed as complying with UL 2034 and shall be installed
in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions.
5)EMERGENCY ESCAPEAND RESCUE OPENINGS:
One openable emergency escape window or door is required in every sleeping room and
basement and windows shall meet all of the following requirements:
a)Openable area of not less than 5.7 square feet (Exception: Grade floor openings shall
have a minimum net clear opening of 5 square feet).
b)Minimum clear opening height of 24”
c)Minimum clear opening width of 20”
d)Finished sill height of not more than 44” above the finished floor
e)Emergency escape windows with a finished sill height below adjacent ground elevation
shall have a window well meeting the following requirements:
Window wells shall be a minimum of 9 square feet with a minimum horizontal
projectionand width of 36”, and the window must able to fully open within this
space.
Window wells with a vertical depth greater than 44” shall have a permanently
affixed ladder or stairs that do not obstruct the window in the open position. The
ladder or stairs cannot encroach into the minimum window well size requirements
by more than 6”.
6)NATURAL LIGHT:
All habitable rooms shall be provided with aggregate glazing area of not less than 8 percent of
the floor of such rooms (not including kitchen, bathroom, hallways or storage). See exception
for artificial light. R303.1(2).
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7)VENTILATION:
a)Natural ventilation of habitable rooms shall be through windows, doors, louvers or other
approved openings to the outdoor air. Such openings shall be provided with ready access
or shall otherwise be readily controllable by the building occupants. The minimum
openable area to the outdoors shall be 4 percent of the floor area being ventilated. (See
R303.1 Exceptions for mechanical ventilation alternatives).
b)Bathrooms and laundry rooms shall be provided with an openable window area of not
less than 3 square feet half of which must be openable for ventilation. In lieu of such
glazed area, mechanical ventilation may be provided at 50 cfm minimum.
c)Kitchens shall be provided with a minimum 100 cfm exhaust fan.
8)HEATING:
o
Heating facilities shall be capable of maintaining a room temperature of 68F at a point 3 feet
above the floor and 2 feet from exterior walls in all habitable rooms. Each separate dwelling unit
shall be provided with isolated thermostats to control heat.
NOTE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS HANDOUT IS TO ASSIST THE PUBLIC IN COMPLYING WITH
DETAILED PERMIT SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS. IT IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST OF PERMIT OR
CODE REQUIREMENTS AND SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FORAPPLICABLE LAWS
AND REGULATIONS. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OWNER/DESIGN PROFESSIONAL TO
REVIEW THE SUBMITTAL FOR COMPLETENESS. ONLY COMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE
ACCEPTED BY THE CITY FOR REVIEW.
BUILDING INSPECTION PROCEDURES
AFTER THE BUILDINGPERMIT IS ISSUED, A 24 HOUR NOTICE IS REQUIRED TO
SCHEDULE FOR A BUILDING INSPECTION. CALL (425) 771-0220 EXT. 1333 FOR A
VOICE RECORDED HOTLINE.
The following must be identified on your voicemail message to guarantee an inspection:
1.PERMIT NUMBER
2.ADDRESS OF ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT
3.LAST NAME OF OWNER
4.TYPE OF INSPECTION NEEDED
5.DAY AND DATE THE INSPECTION IS NEEDED—YOU MAY PREFERENCE
MORNING OR AFTERNOON
6.IF SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE
INSPECTOR LEAVE A BRIEF MESSAGE
Ifdeficiencies are noted during inspection, a Correction Notice will be posted at the site.
Corrections shall be made within 30 days unless special circumstances prevent the owner from
making such corrections. Re-inspection fees shall be assessed when work is not ready for
inspection.
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