Home Remodeling in
Fircrest, WA

In Fircrest, an ADU is approved by the city director subject to administrative design review under Chapter 22.66 of the Fircrest code. There is no ADU permit without that review.

An ADU must meet the design standards that apply to the main house. If an attached ADU extends beyond the existing footprint or height, or changes the outside of the building, it has to match the existing facade, roof pitch, siding, windows and finish materials. A detached ADU should use the same design vocabulary as the house where feasible.

In practice that means choosing siding, roofing and window styles to match from the first sketch, and budgeting for them, rather than discovering the requirement at submittal.

Fircrest allows up to two ADUs per home: one attached and one detached, two attached, or two detached. Each can be up to 1,000 square feet, and a garage built as part of a detached ADU does not count toward that limit.

Detached ADUs can be up to 24 feet tall. A detached unit can sit right on the lot line where the lot backs onto a public alley, unless the alley is routinely plowed for snow, in which case the normal rear setback applies.

The city updated these rules twice in 2025, in June and December.

No extra off-street parking is required for an ADU unless the city finds on-street parking will fall short once the unit is occupied. If parking is added, it should go to the side or rear of the house and be screened, and the code encourages porous paving over asphalt or concrete.

Existing structures, including detached garages, can be converted into ADUs even if they do not meet current setback or lot coverage rules. The converted building cannot be expanded beyond its existing footprint.