Overview
Worth knowing
- Chapter 17C.110 marked 'REPEALED' for multiple section numbers in the SMC; city still lists these districts as operative on official resources page. Exact current status requires direct verification against SMC.
- RSF-C (Single-Family Compact) is unusual — applied specifically near transit centers (1/4 mile from CC Core designation) or adjacent to higher-density zones; same density as RSF (4-10 du/ac) but with additional design standards to facilitate compact development.
- RMF adjacency rule (30 ft wall height cap within 40 ft of RSF zone) creates graduated height transition; wall height cap applies only within 40 ft of RSF boundary, not uniformly across entire RMF parcel.
+ 4 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
mu 3res_sf 2res_mf 2ind 2ag 1res_th 1cbd 1spec 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RA | Rural/Agricultural | ag | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| RSF | Single-Family | res_sf | — | 35 ft | — | — | 6.96 | — | — / — / — |
| RSF-C | Single-Family Compact | res_sf | — | 35 ft | — | — | 6.96 | — | — / — / — |
| RTF | Two-Family | res_th | — | 35 ft | — | — | 13.9 | — | — / — / — |
| RMF | Multi-Family | res_mf | — | 35 ft | — | — | 20.7 | — | — / — / — |
| RHD | High Density | res_mf | — | — | — | — | 43.5[1] | — | — / — / — |
| CC-1 | Centers and Corridors 1 | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| CC-1-EC | Centers and Corridors 1 - Employment Center | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| CC-2 | Centers and Corridors 2 | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| DT-series | Downtown Zones | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| LI | Light Industrial | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| HI | Heavy Industrial | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| PI | Public/Institutional Industrial | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
SHO
Special Height Overlay Districts
HSAreas where height control needed for view preservation, airport approaches, protection; applied to defined geographic areas including Downtown West End.
| downtown_west_end | {"area": "West of Monroe Street, east of Cedar Street, between Main Avenue and Riverside Avenue", "height_near_street": {"v": 35, "c": "c§17C.124.220-1", "note": "ft max within 50 ft depth of ROW/property line"}, "height_beyond": {"v": 70, "c": "c§17C.124.220-1", "note": "ft max from Cedar/Main street grade beyond 50 ft depth zone"}} |
|---|
MIA
Fairchild Overlay Zones
MILAreas around Fairchild Air Force Base (west of Spokane city limits but extending into city territory); based on AICUZ (Air Installation Compatible Use Zone) program; includes Accident Potential Zones (APZ) and noise zones.
| mia_subzones | MIA 3/4 sub-zones with use restrictions and exemptions per §17C.182.250 |
|---|---|
| height_restrictions | note: Height restrictions per zone classification |
| incompatible_uses | note: Use restrictions per AICUZ zone classification |
APZ
Airport Overlay Zones
APAreas around Spokane International Airport (GEG), located southwest of the city.
| height_limits | note: Per FAA/airport compatibility standards |
|---|---|
| incompatible_uses | note: Per FAA/airport compatibility standards |
CC-3
CC-3 Overlay — Centers and Corridors Opt-In
TODSpecific areas mapped for opt-in CC-3 designation; example: North Foothills area (N Foothills & Hamilton Streets) — Employment Center designation on Land Use Plan Map.
| optin_mechanism | Property in CC-3 overlay may 'opt in' and use CC-1 or CC-2 standards |
|---|---|
| effect | Allows more flexible use standards on parcels otherwise zoned CC-1-EC or LI |
ENV
Environmental Overlay Standards
ENVMapped per respective hazard or resource type; Spokane River shoreline regulations particularly significant for development near river corridor.
| floodplain | §17E.030 — FEMA floodplain standards |
|---|---|
| hazard_areas | §17E.040 — Geologically hazardous areas development standards |
| sepa | §17E.050 — Environmental review |
| shoreline | §17E.060 — Spokane River shoreline corridor regulations |
| wetlands | §17E.070 — Wetlands protection requirements |
Adopted building codes
Statewide; update sched May 2026
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- Chapter 17C.110 marked 'REPEALED' for multiple section numbers in the SMC; city still lists these districts as operative on official resources page. Exact current status requires direct verification against SMC.
- RSF-C (Single-Family Compact) is unusual — applied specifically near transit centers (1/4 mile from CC Core designation) or adjacent to higher-density zones; same density as RSF (4-10 du/ac) but with additional design standards to facilitate compact development.
- RMF adjacency rule (30 ft wall height cap within 40 ft of RSF zone) creates graduated height transition; wall height cap applies only within 40 ft of RSF boundary, not uniformly across entire RMF parcel.
- Two airfield overlays coexist: Spokane International Airport (civilian, Chapter 17C.170 or separate) and Fairchild AFB (military, Chapter 17C.182) both have overlays affecting properties in/near city. Fairchild AICUZ extends well west of city limits.
- HB 1110 Middle Housing (signed May 2023, effective July 2023) has significant impact: Spokane is Tier 1 city (population >75,000). Spokane had implementation challenges; city moved toward adoption in late 2023. Prior July 2022 ordinance allowed duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes under Chapter 17C.400 (Interim Housing Regulations).
- CC-3 opt-in mechanism is unusual — allows property owners or city to voluntarily apply more permissive standards from higher-intensity zone without full rezoning, providing flexibility in mixed-ownership areas.
- Parking reductions: MF and HD zones allow 30% parking reduction for attached housing; 50% reduction near centers and corridors per ordinance.
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Measured from ground grade to highest point of roof structure or equipment; overlay height limits supersede base zone limits where more restrictive.
- lot_coverage
- Building footprint area divided by total lot area.
- setback
- Perpendicular distance from property line to building exterior.
- du_ac
- Dwelling units per acre; calculated from base zone minimum lot size where applicable.
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
Sort by
Max height
— ft
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Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
— sf
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Citations
- [1] i
Research status
Data quality
25%completeness12 confirmed8 partial2 inferred
Documented gaps
- Full dimensional tables (setbacks, lot coverage, FAR, exact height limits per sub-district) require direct SMC extraction
- Specific downtown sub-district names within Chapter 17C.124 not extracted
- Airport Overlay chapter number/ordinance reference not specified
- CC-1 and CC-2 detailed parameters not extracted
- Environmental Title 17E specific parameters not provided
Known issues
schema:v1-legacypriority:lowdata:gaps-present
Other cities in this state
Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.