Washington House Passes Lot Splitting Bill

The Washington State House of Representatives voted to allow residential property owners to split their lots as part of the broader effort to increase housing production.

As Laurel Demkovich explains in Governing, House Bill 1245 would bar cities from restricting lot splitting, with certain limitations. “The new lots would need to be no smaller than 2,000 square feet, at least 40% of the size of the original lot and could not require the demolition or alteration of any affordable housing.” The law also prevents cities from requiring more than one parking space per lot or frontages wider than 20 feet.

The legislature will be hearing other housing and zoning-related bills this session. “There are pending bills to improve tenant protections and stabilize rent, allow for co-living homes – independently rented, small apartments with kitchens shared among building residents, and create denser housing construction near transit stops.”