A. Legislative Authority. This Code is enacted under the authority of Article XI, Section 11 of the Washington State Constitution and Chapter 35A.63 RCW (Planning and Zoning in Code Cities) and Chapter 36.70A RCW (Growth Management Act – Planning by Selected Counties and Cities).

B. Jurisdiction. This Code is effective within the corporate boundaries of the City of Issaquah, hereinafter “the City.”

C. Compliance. No person may use, occupy, modify, or sell any land or buildings or authorize or permit the use, occupancy, modification, or sale of land or buildings under such person’s control except in accordance with all of the applicable provisions of this Code. (Ord. 3011 § 1 (Exh. A), 2023).

A. Implement Issaquah’s Comprehensive Plan by:

B. Protect the public health, safety, and welfare by:

C. Require consistency, clarity, and enforceability of this Land Use Code by:

D. Meet the intent section of all chapters. (Ord. 3011 § 1 (Exh. A), 2023).

A. Zoning districts for the distribution of land uses which are compatible with neighboring land uses and environmental constraints;

B. A zoning map delineating the zoning districts of the City;

C. Definitions of key terminology to ensure consistent interpretations and decisions;

D. A development review process for making land use decisions;

E. Administrative provisions delineating the specific implementation responsibilities of this Code; and

F. Development standards which implement the City’s Comprehensive Plan. (Ord. 3011 § 1 (Exh. A), 2023).

A. Implementation. It is the intention of the Issaquah City Council that this Code implement the City’s land use policies adopted in the City’s Comprehensive Plan including any adopted amendments, in compliance with the State Growth Management Act (GMA).

B. Conflict of Provisions. If any conflict arises between this Code and another rule, regulation, resolution, ordinance, or statute which has been adopted by the City, the most restrictive provision governs. If any conflict arises between the text, map, and any tables of this Code, the text governs unless otherwise stated. (Ord. 3011 § 1 (Exh. A), 2023).

A. Within this title, all words used have their normal and customary meanings, unless specifically defined otherwise in this title.

B. Distances are measured horizontally unless otherwise specified.

C. Interpretations of this Code must be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

D. In the case of a question as to the inclusion or exclusion of a particular proposed use in a particular use category or zoning district, the Director has the authority to make the final determination. The Director must make the determination according to the characteristics of the operation of the proposed land use based on the Standard Industrial Classification Manual and the North American Industry Classification System. In the case of a conflict between the zone descriptions (IMC 18.400.040 through 18.400.120) and IMC 18.402.020, Table of permitted uses, the table of permitted uses must prevail. The Director will consider whether the proposed use is based on these classification manuals and if the proposed use is:

E. Part, chapter, section, and subsection references refer to parts, chapters, sections, and subsections of this title, unless otherwise specifically stated to the contrary.

F. Where an activity or land use could fall under two definitions, the more specific definition applies.

G. The statements of purpose, policy, and intent throughout this Code are explanatory but not by themselves binding. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

A. “Less than” is indicated by the < symbol.

B. “Less than or equal to” is indicated by the < symbol.

C. “Greater than” is indicated by the > symbol.

D. “Greater than or equal to” is indicated by the > symbol.

E. “Feet” is indicated by either ft. or by the ' symbol. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“A-frame sign” means a portable, two-faced sign which is readily movable and has no permanent attachment to a building, structure, or the ground. Also known as a movable, sandwich board, or pedestal sign.

“Abandon” means to cease or discontinue a use or activity without intent to resume but excluding temporary or short-term interruptions in use or activity during periods of remodeling, maintaining, or otherwise improving or rearranging a facility, or during normal periods of vacation or seasonal closure. A determination of abandonment may include the disconnection or lack of use of utilities and/or water. Discontinuance of a nonconforming use for a period of 12 months or greater is deemed to be an intention to abandon said use.

“Abut” means bordering upon, adjoining, or sharing a common border.

“Accent lighting” means lighting that is primarily aesthetic in purpose that is used to accent or highlight building façades, architectural features, landscaping, public art, flags, or similar site elements.

Access Easement. See “Access easement” under “Easement.”

“Accessory” means a building, part of building or structure, or use which is subordinate to the principal building or use, and the use of which is incidental to that of the principal building or use.

“Accessory dwelling unit” or “ADU” means a subordinate dwelling unit added to, created within, or detached from a single-family structure with a separate entrance, that provides basic requirements for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation. A single-family structure with an accessory dwelling unit is not considered to be a duplex or a middle housing building type.

“Active transportation” means forms of pedestrian mobility such as walking or running, the use of a mobility assistive device such as a wheelchair, bicycling and cycling irrespective of the number of wheels, and the use of small personal devices such as foot scooters or skateboards. Active transportation includes both traditional and electric assist bicycles and other devices.

“Active transportation facilities” means facilities provided for the safety and mobility of active transportation users including, but not limited to, trails, as defined in RCW 47.30.005, sidewalks, bike lanes, shared-use paths and other facilities in the public right-of-way, on public property, or publicly accessible facilities on private property.

Additions, Substantial. See “Substantial remodel.”

“Adjacent property owner” means a property owner within 500 feet of a development review proposal.

“Administration” means staff members of the City of Issaquah that make the technical land use decisions and recommendations, including, but not limited to, the Mayor and City Administrator.

“Administrative approval” means approval authority granted to the Director through the provisions of this Code.

Adult Day Care Center. See “Day care operation.”

“Adult entertainment facility” means as defined in IMC 5.10.030, Definitions.

“Adult family home” means a residential home in which a person or persons provide personal care, special care, room, and board to more than one but not more than six adults who are not related by blood or marriage to the person or persons providing the services as defined in RCW 70.128.010.

“Affordable housing” means housing reserved for occupancy by eligible households and having housing expenses no greater than 30 percent of a given percent of the King County Median Household Income, adjusted for household size.

“Affordable or low income housing” means renter-occupied housing affordable to a household earning 50 percent or less of the King County Median Income, adjusted for household size, or owner-occupied housing affordable to a household earning 60 percent or less of King County Median Income, adjusted for household size.

Agricultural Crop Sale. See “Vending stand, accessory.”

“Agricultural food processing” means industrial use involving preparation of harvested agricultural crops for sale, packed food items, and/or creation of any crop byproducts; includes associated cold storage and mills.

“Alley” means a public or private way permanently reserved as a secondary means of access to abutting property.

“Alteration” in the context of a critical area means any human-induced action which adversely impacts the existing condition of a critical area. An alteration includes, but is not limited to, grading; filling; dredging; draining or relocating a stream channel; channeling; cutting, pruning, limbing, topping, clearing, relocating, or removing vegetation; applying herbicides or pesticides or any hazardous or toxic substance; discharging pollutants (excluding treated stormwater); grazing domestic animals; paving (including construction and application of gravel); modifying for surface water management purposes; or any other human activity that adversely impacts the existing vegetation, hydrology, wildlife or wildlife habitat. Alteration does not include walking, passive recreation, fishing, or other similar activities.

“Alternative energy system (geothermal)” means equipment that transfers thermal energy to and/or from the ground for the purposes of heating and/or cooling a building. An alternative energy system (geothermal) consists of a closed-loop system of pipes filled with liquid, a heat exchanger, and heat pump.

“Alternative energy system (solar)” means equipment that converts and then transfers or stores solar energy into usable forms of thermal or electrical energy. A solar array is composed of multiple solar panels. For the purposes of this Code, an alternative energy system (solar) does not include any solar collection system of six square feet in size or less.

“Alternative energy system (wind)” means equipment used to produce electricity by converting the kinetic energy of wind to rotational, mechanical, and electrical energy. An alternative energy system (wind) may consist of the turbine apparatus (rotor, nacelle, and tower) and any other buildings, support structures, or other related improvements necessary for the generation of electric power.

“Amateur radio tower” means a tower with antennas which transmit and receive noncommercial communication signals and is defined as an amateur radio tower by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Guy wires for amateur radio antenna are considered part of the structure for the purpose of meeting development standards.

“Amendment” means a change in the wording, content, or substance of this Code or a change in the zoning district boundaries or classifications upon the official zoning map.

“Amusement park” means a permanent outdoor facility, which may include structures and buildings, where there are various devices for entertainment, including rides, booths for the conduct of games or the sale of items, and buildings for shows and entertainment.

“Amusement parlor/video arcade” means an indoor area or structure, open to the public, which contains coin-operated games and similar entertainment and amusement devices. Does not include any adult entertainment facility.

“Annexation” means the legal process in which a parcel or contiguous group of parcels in an unincorporated area become part of an adjacent City jurisdiction.

“Antenna” means an apparatus designed for the purpose of emitting radio frequency (RF) radiation, to be operated or operating from a fixed location pursuant to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorization for the provision of personal wireless service and any commingled information services. For the purposes of this definition, the term “antenna” does not include an unintentional radiator, mobile station, or device authorized under 47 CFR Part 17.

“Antenna facility” means an antenna and associated antenna equipment.

“Appeal hearing, closed record” means an appeal hearing conducted by a hearing body or officer authorized by this Code to conduct such hearings based on the record created at an open record hearing. No new evidence is allowed. Legal argument is allowed to the hearing body or officer by each party to the appeal.

“Appeal hearing, open record” means an appeal hearing conducted by a hearing body or officer authorized by this Code to conduct such hearings. If no open record predecision hearing has been held on the project permit application and an appeal is filed of the project permit decision, an open record hearing may be held on appeal by the hearing body or officer authorized, where the record is created through testimony and submission of evidence and information.

“Appellate body” means an officer or body prescribed by this Code as having the authority to hear the appeal of a development permit decision.

“Applicant” means the individual, partnership, association, corporation, or other entity applying for a permit or other approval required by this Code and includes, but is not limited to, property owners, employees, agents, consultants, contractors, government agencies, and successors in interest with proof of authority.

“Approval condition” means a restriction or requirement, imposed by a reviewing official or decision-making body, pursuant to authority granted by this Code.

“Aquifer” means a body of soil or rock that contains sufficient saturated material to conduct groundwater and yield usable quantities of groundwater to springs and/or wells.

“Arbor” means a landscape structure consisting of an open frame with horizontal and/or vertical latticework often used as a support for climbing plants. An arbor may be freestanding or attached to another structure.

“Arboretum” means a place for studying and exhibiting growing trees.

“Architectural element” means a three-dimensional structural embellishment that adds detail and/or finely scaled features to a façade. Examples are corbeled bricks, plinths, cornices, belt courses, decorative medallions, brackets, knee braces, pilasters, column bases, and caps.

“Architectural feature” means a prominent building feature that is integrated with the building, such as modulation, material texture, scale, or roof element. Architectural features are different from ornamental features, which are decorative elements that can be easily added to a façade such as a weathervane, light, or ornamental grill.

“Area-wide rezone” means a rezone initiated either by the City or a privately initiated rezone that is not a site-specific rezone.

“Articulation” or “façade articulation” means a detail added for increased building interest. This includes, but is not limited to, the treatment of edges, corners, and adding texture to a surface. Façade articulation refers to the composition of horizontal and vertical design elements that contribute to the perception of the building such as shifts in the plane of walls, setbacks, stepbacks, reveals, overhangs, and details in order to create variations in a building’s façade.

“Assisted living facility” includes the following:

“Astronomic clock” means an automatic lighting control device that switches outdoor lighting relative to time of solar day with time of year correction.

“Attached” means two or more dwellings connected by a common vertical wall(s) or roofline, or, in the case of multistory buildings, by a common ceiling/floor(s).

“Auto-oriented” means a land use that prioritizes arrival via automobile rather than arrival by pedestrian or other forms of transportation, also known as auto-dominated or auto-dependent.

“Automobile and truck rental” means a business offering cars, trucks, and self-service moving vans for rental periods as short as one hour or one day with no associated vehicle sales that uses less than one acre for on-site vehicle storage. Does not include storage of vehicles not offered to the public for rental.

“Automobile and truck sales/dealership” means a use involving the display, sale, and long-term leasing of new or used automobiles and trucks. See “Large vehicle and heavy equipment sales/dealership” for construction equipment, mobile homes, RVs, tractor trailers, campers and/or similar vehicles/items.

“Automobile insurance service center” means a facility used to visually inspect drivable, damaged vehicles for the purpose of determining claims settlement. No repair work or disassembly is done at this facility, and damaged vehicles are not stored on the site. These inspections are scheduled on an appointment basis and are performed within the enclosed or drive-through inspection area of the building.

“Automobile service station” means a retail facility which supplies motor fuel and other petroleum products to motor vehicles and may include lubrication and minor repair service and incidental sale of motor vehicle accessories.

“Automotive fuel station” or “gas station” means a place where motor vehicle fuel is sold by retail, including a gas bar, and where automotive accessories, parts, and repairs may be available for purchase, but does not include premises where the primary or substantial use is a vehicle repair shop, transmission shop, muffler shop, or other similar business. (Ord. 3097 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3092 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3091 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Backlight” means light emanating in the direction opposite from the area intended to be lighted. Or more technically, the lumens emitted in the quarter sphere below horizontal and in the opposite direction of the intended orientation of the luminaire. For luminaires with symmetric distribution, backlight will be the same as front light. A higher B rating simply indicates that the luminaire directs a significant portion of light behind the pole so a lower B rating will prevent unwanted light from interfering with neighboring properties.

“Balcony” means a projecting platform on a building, sometimes supported from below, sometimes cantilevered or nested within a façade indentation; enclosed with a railing.

“Banner” means a flexible, sturdy material on which a sign is painted, printed, or sewn that is attached to buildings or other structures. Banners may also have decorative images, symbols, and messages. Banners may be commercial or noncommercial. If it represents a governmental body it is a flag.

“Banquet/meeting/reception hall” means a public or private meeting facility that may also include on-site kitchen/catering facilities. A banquet/meeting/reception hall usually serves as a location for activities such as weddings and other such gatherings by appointment only but may also serve as a regular meeting place for a specific organization such as a fraternal association, a trade union, or a veterans’ association. Banquet/meeting/reception halls have limited hours of operation and are usually not open on a daily basis.

“Bar shape” means rectangular footprint typical of residential and office type buildings. Standard residential dimensions are 100 to 200 feet long by 60 to 65 feet wide. Office dimensions range 80 to 250 feet long by 60 to 100 feet wide.

“Bar/tavern” means an establishment operated primarily for the sale of wine, beer, or other alcoholic beverages with or without any accessory service of food consistent with the Washington State licensing requirements of RCW 66.24.330 and/or WAC 314-02-015.

“Barrier-free” means design that complies with Chapter 51-50 WAC as amended and/or the most current State regulations.

“Base flood” means a flood having a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. It is also referred to as the “100-year flood.” The base flood is determined as defined by the latest FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM). In areas where the Flood Insurance Study includes detailed base flood calculations, those calculations may be used until projections of future flows are completed and approved by the City.

“Base flood elevation” means the water surface elevation of the base flood referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988.

“Bay” (a building bay) means the space between vertical architectural or structural elements.

“Bay window” means a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building, often comprised of three planes. May serve as a retail storefront or display window.

“Bed and breakfast operation” means a single-family house or portion thereof, where short-term lodging rooms and breakfast are provided as a home business or as a commercial use. When a bed and breakfast operation is not operated as a home business, the structure used for the operation is not limited to a single-family house or portion thereof.

“Bench” means an outdoor furniture fixture permanently attached to the ground that accommodates seating by at least two adults.

“Berm” means a landscaped mound of earth, or the act of pushing earth into a mound.

“Best available science” means current scientific information used in the process to designate, protect, or restore critical areas that is derived from a valid scientific process as defined by WAC 365-195-900 through 365-195-925.

“Best management practices” means the physical, structural, and/or managerial practices that use the best available technologies or techniques, either separately or in combination, to prevent or reduce the degradation of any critical area or natural resources.

“Bicycle parking space” means an area that is designed for parking and securing a bicycle without obstructing sidewalks or walkways, often using a bicycle rack.

“Binding site plan” means an officially adopted drawing showing a division of land into lots or tracts for the purpose of sale, transfer, or lease pursuant to RCW 58.17.035 that: (1) identifies areas and location of all streets, roads, improvements, utilities, open space, and other specified information; (2) contains descriptions of limitations and conditions for the use of land and the siting of improvements; and (3) contains provisions requiring any development to conform to the requirements specified in the binding site plan.

“Biological assessment (Endangered Species Act)” means an analysis of a proposed action by a qualified professional in order to determine if the action will result in adverse effects to a threatened or endangered species, as listed under the Endangered Species Act.

“Bipartite” means composed of two parts, clear expression of building’s upper and lower halves. This is most often achieved through material or color changes. The size of each part will vary based on building style, size, and design.

“Blank wall” means a wall without windows, doors, architectural elements, or any uninterrupted stretch of wall for at least 30 feet.

“Block” or “City block” means the area of land that is bounded by streets.

“Boardwalk” means an at-grade or slightly elevated pathway for pedestrians, typically constructed of wood though it can be comprised of synthetic wood or metal grates. Boardwalks are often constructed along or through beaches, wetlands, or other natural environments.

“Boat building, sales and repairs” means establishments engaged in manufacturing, assembling, or repairing ships or boats, and may also include boat sales.

“Bog” means a type of wetland characterized by spongy peat deposits, acidic waters, and a floor covered by a thick carpet of sphagnum moss. Bogs receive all or most of their water from precipitation rather than from runoff, groundwater, or streams. As a result, bogs are low in the nutrients needed for plant growth, a condition that is enhanced by acid forming peat mosses.

“Botanical garden” means a place for studying and exhibiting growing plants.

“Brackets” means a decorative structural element projecting from the building face supporting the roof eaves and other overhanging elements.

“Broadcast and receiving tower” means a structure or facility used to broadcast or receive television, radio, ham radio, short wave radio, microwave, satellite dish, or other electronic signals.

“Buffer” means:

“BUG” means a luminaire classification system that classifies backlight (B), uplight (U), and glare (G).

“Build-to-line” means the required placement of a building or buildings on property frontage between the building and the transportation facility property line or private transportation facility boundary if there is no property line.

“Buildable width” means the width of a lot minus setbacks required by this Code or another regulated site constraint, such as critical areas, that reduces the allowed buildable area of a site.

“Building” means a permanently located structure having a roof which is used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.

“Building area” means the three-dimensional space within which a structure is permitted to be built on a lot and which is defined by maximum height regulations, yard setbacks, and building coverage.

“Building base” means the portion of the building which extends directly from the ground plane, also referred to as the podium.

“Building Code” means the International Building Code or International Residential Code and related codes as amended and adopted by the City of Issaquah.

“Building footprint” means the two-dimensional impervious building foundation which defines the outermost boundary of the structure. The building footprint does not include eaves, overhangs, bay windows, or other similar architectural features which extend less than 18 inches from the structure or building. Cantilevered balconies, eaves, overhangs, bay windows, or other similar architectural features which extend more than 18 inches from the structure or building must be included as part of the building footprint.

“Building frontage” means the total length in linear feet of a building, as allowed by this Code, adjacent to a transportation facility (excluding alleys) and located within the build-to-line range shown on Table 18.404.100(B), Mixed Zones Form and Intensity Minimum Standards.

“Building height” means the vertical distance measured from the average grade of the existing or finished grade, whichever is lower, to the midpoint of the highest gable of a pitched or hipped roof with a minimum 4:12 pitch and a maximum 12:12 pitch, or the highest point of the coping of a flat roof.

“Building official” means the officer or other designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of the Building Code and assigned provisions of this Code.

“Building setback area” means the area between the critical area buffer and the building setback line.

“Building setback line” means the line which establishes a definite point beyond which the foundation of a structure may not extend.

“Butcher shop/meat market” means a custom retail meat-cutting operation. This definition does not include slaughtering but does include other accessory uses such as frozen food lockers. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“C-Rec” means the Conservancy-Recreation zone established in IMC 18.400.110.

“C-Res” means the Conservancy-Residential zone established in IMC 18.400.060(A).

“Caliper” means the American Nursery and Landscape Association standard for tree trunk measurement of nursery stock. For young trees, the caliper of the trunk is the trunk diameter measured six inches above the ground/rootball. Once the tree’s measurement using this method is around six inches in diameter, the caliper may be measured using diameter at breast height.

“Campground” means a development providing facilities for outdoor recreational activities, including structural improvements such as covered cooking areas, group facilities, and travel trailer or tent sites designed for temporary occupancy. This definition includes camping clubs when developed in accordance with applicable State standards.

“Cannabis” and other cannabis-related terms are defined in RCW 69.50.101, Definitions.

“Canopy,” when applied to landscaping, means the highest layer of vegetation within a forest community.

“Car wash” means any structure requiring the installation of special equipment and plumbing, which is used or intended to be used primarily for washing motor vehicles.

“Card room” means a gambling establishment that exclusively offers card games for play by the public. The gambling games played in such establishments are typically, and sometimes exclusively, variations of poker. Such rooms typically do not offer slot machines or video poker, or other table games such as craps, as found in casinos.

“Caretaker residence” means a single-family dwelling unit accessory to an agricultural, recreational, professional, commercial, or industrial use for occupancy by the owner/caretaker.

“Carport” means a shelter for a car consisting of a roof supported on posts. Carports can be freestanding or attached to a wall.

“Casement window” means a window that swings open along its entire length, usually on hinges fixed to the sides of the opening to which it is fitted.

“CBD” means the Cultural and Business District zone as defined in IMC 18.400.080(B).

“Cemetery” means land used or intended to be used for the burial of the human dead.

“Central courtyard” means a common outdoor amenity space that is open to the sky and partly or completely surrounded by one or more buildings. Lawn, plants, trees, fountains, ponds, and other water features may be incorporated into the space.

“Central open space” means a common outdoor amenity space that is open to the sky, a central focal point of a cottage housing, bordered by cottages on at least two sides, and easily accessible to all residents. Central open spaces include a courtyard, garden, lawn area, or pedestrian path. Critical areas and associated buffers, parking, and vehicle areas are not included.

“Certificate of occupancy” means a certificate to occupy or change occupancy in a structure, issued by the Building Department.

“CF,” “CF-F,” “CF-OS,” “CF-R,” “CF-FPO,” “CF-RPO” or “CF-OSPO” refers to the Community Facilities zone and its various subzones as defined in IMC 18.400.120.

“Change of tenant” means a change of lessee or owner of a commercial or industrial property to another lessee or owner. A change of tenant which includes a change of use must comply with all provisions of this Code regarding the new use.

“Change of use” means a change from one use listed in IMC 18.402.020, Table of permitted uses, to another use listed in that table.

“Channel letter” is a letter on a sign that is individually mounted or painted on a structure or wall, without a border or decorative enclosure.

“Character” means attributes or features that make up and distinguish a building, neighborhood, community, or other entity. Building and project design features and landscaping are examples of attributes and features.

Childcare Facility. See “Day care operation.”

Church. See “Religious/memorial facility.”

“City project” means any project that is at least 75 percent City funded, whether such funding is from grants, capital funds, or loans. The other 25 percent funding could be received from donations, other jurisdictions, or developer contributions.

“Cladding” means the application of exterior material(s) to control the infiltration of weather elements and/or for aesthetic purposes.

“Clearing” means the destruction or removal of vegetation from a site by physical, mechanical, chemical, or other means. “Clearing” does not include landscape maintenance or pruning consistent with accepted horticultural practices which does not impair the health or survival of trees or vegetation.

“Clerestory” means an upper zone of wall pierced with windows that admit light to the center of a lofty room.

“Clothing fabrication” means industrial mass production of clothing items for sale or resale.

“Club” means an association of persons for some common nonprofit purpose.

“Cluster development” means a development of cluster housing.

“Cluster housing” means a development design technique that concentrates buildings for housing in specific areas on a site to allow the remaining land to be used for common usable open space and preservation of critical areas. See IMC 18.500.070.

“Coal mine hazard area” means an area directly underlain by or affected by abandoned coal mine working such as audits, tunnels, drifts, or air shafts.

“Cohabitants” means a living arrangement whereby a couple who is not married or a couple who is in a civil partnership live together in the same household.

“Co-living” means residential development with sleeping units that are independently rented and lockable and provide living and sleeping space as established in RCW 36.70A.535.

“Collocation” means the mounting or installing of an antenna facility on a preexisting structure; and/or modifying a structure for the purpose of mounting or installing an antenna facility on that structure. Provided, that, for purposes of eligible facilities requests, “collocation” means the mounting or installation of transmission equipment on an eligible support structure for the purpose of transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency signals for communications purposes.

“Colonial grid” means a standard orthogonal window grid dividing a window into multiple rectangular panes.

“Columbarium” means a structure of vaults or a wall lined with recesses for cinerary urns that is usually an accessory use to a religious/memorial facility or a cemetery.

“Combination windows” means a style of window that incorporates fixed and operable window types paired within a single opening.

“Commercial banner” means a sign which is temporary and commercial in nature. Examples include a sign used while a permanent wall sign is fabricated and/or undergoing the permit review process; a sign advertising a temporary event such as a sale, special event, grand opening, or other commercial event for a permanent business; a sign used with an accessory use or temporary use such as an outdoor vendor.

“Commercial/industrial accessory use” means a use, structure, or part of a structure, which is subordinate and incidental to a commercial/industrial use including, but not limited to, the following uses: coin-operated amusement devices (more than five devices becomes a primary use); employee exercise facilities; employee food service facilities; incidental storage of raw materials and finished products sold or manufactured on site; and recycling and used goods collection bins.

“Commercial use” means an occupation, employment, or enterprise that is carried out for profit by the owner, lessee, or licensee.

“Commercial vehicle” means any vehicle types defined within classes 4 through 13 of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)’s standardized vehicle classification system.

“Common area” means an indoor or outdoor space that is intended for shared, routine use and/or passage during all hours by all residents, their guests, commercial owners/tenants, and other users. Common areas include, but are not limited to, walkways, clubhouses, shared driveways, parking lots, and other such areas that may be restricted from use by the public. Common areas do not include landscaping areas, greenbelts, yards or similar areas not intended for routine use after dark.

“Common outdoor area” means parking lot, a parking structure, a common entrance, or other space shared by occupants and/or residents, or spaces accessible to the public.

“Community center” means a facility owned and operated by a public agency or nonprofit corporation; provided, that the principal use of the facility is for public assistance, recreation, community improvement, or public assembly.

“Community facilities” means the zone defined in IMC 18.400.120.

“Community gardens” or “P-patch” means land gardened by a group of people, typically on individual garden allotments within the larger lot, to produce fruit, vegetables, and flowers.

“Community space” means an outdoor or indoor amenity built and maintained by a developer or property owner and intended for use and enjoyment by users of the development as well as the public, such as a plaza open to the public.

“Compatibility” means the ability of a building or site to complement or fit in with its environment. The qualities of the new development must not be in conflict or competition with the qualities of neighboring buildings and developments. The environment refers specifically to the built environment comprised of buildings and developments that are compliant with this Code. New development should not strive for compatibility with noncompliant buildings or sites.

“Compensatory mitigation” means replacing project-induced losses or impacts.

“Compensatory storage” means new, excavated storage volume equivalent to any flood storage capacity which has been or would be eliminated by filling or grading within the floodplain.

“Completely concealed WCF” means a wireless communication facility where:

“Comprehensive Plan” means the City of Issaquah’s Comprehensive Plan, and any supplemental plans officially adopted under Chapter 36.70A RCW.

“Concurrency” means the provision of improvements, strategies and/or financial commitments concurrent with development to accommodate the motorized and nonmotorized transportation impacts of development at the adopted level of service.

“Concurrency certificate” means the official written statement issued by the City that documents transportation concurrency approval for a specific development at a specific location.

“Concurrency intersection” means an intersection of City streets where level of service may be measured for purposes of determining transportation concurrency such as any existing signalized intersection, or intersection that is planned to be signalized in the City’s Transportation Improvement Program, and any roundabout intersection.

“Condominium” means a type of property ownership consisting of an individual interest in an apartment or commercial building, and undivided common interest in common areas.

“Conference center” means an establishment developed primarily as a meeting facility, which may include recreation facilities, overnight lodging facilities for the participants in a conference, and related activities.

“Conifer” means a tree that is called evergreen because it stays green all year. A conifer tree has needles or scales for leaves and it produces seeds in protective cones. There are a few rare conifer trees that lose their needles in the fall such as: tamarack or larch, Larix sp., dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, or bald cypress, Taxodium distichum.

“Conservation easement” means an easement dedicated to the City to restrict the use of environmentally sensitive property in order to protect, preserve, maintain, improve, restore, and otherwise conserve the property in perpetuity.

Construction Cost. See “Structure value.”

“Construction trailer” means a temporary trailer, building, or other structure designed to provide internal office administration services and indoor storage, as opposed to customer service, normally associated with construction of a building or development occurring on the same or nearby site.

“Context” means the setting and surrounding area of the project site. This includes both the natural and built environments, as well as all of the qualities, characteristics, and components that define it. Context must be considered on multiple scales, which include adjacent properties, the street or block, the entire neighborhood, and the entire City of Issaquah.

“Cornice” means any molded projection which crowns or finishes the part to which it is fixed, especially at the parapet/roofline or above windows and doors.

“Correctional facility” means a facility operated by a government agency and designed, staffed, and suited for the permanent housing of adult persons charged with a criminal offense prior to trial and/or sentencing, and for the housing of adult persons for punishment and correction after sentencing.

“Corridor” means an area that includes the length and width of a transportation facility such as a street or trail. The corridor includes, but is not limited to, trail tread, sidewalks, travel lanes, on-street parking areas, and required landscape.

Cottage Housing. See “Dwelling, cottage housing.”

“Courtyard” means an open area enclosed or partially enclosed by walls within or adjoining a building.

Courtyard Housing. See “Dwelling, courtyard housing.”

“Crisis residential center” means a temporary protective residential facility operated to perform the duties specified in Chapter 13.32A RCW, in the manner provided in Chapter 74.13 RCW that provides an opportunity for children to receive short-term necessary support and nurturing in cases where there may be abuse or neglect.

“Critical aquifer recharge area (CARA)” means, per WAC 365-190-030, an area with a critical recharging effect on aquifers used for potable water, including areas where an aquifer that is a source of drinking water is vulnerable to contamination that would affect the potability of the water, or is susceptible to reduced recharge.

“Critical area” means an area, including its associated buffers, that is subject to natural hazards and/or is a land feature that supports unique, fragile, or valuable natural resources such as fish, wildlife and other organisms and their habitat, and such resources which in their natural state carry, hold, or purify water. Critical areas include the following landform features: erosion hazard areas, flood hazard areas, coal mine hazard areas, landslide hazard areas, seismic hazard areas, steep slope areas, streams and other fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas (FWHCAs), wetlands, and critical aquifer recharge areas (CARAs).

“Critical area buffer” means a designated area adjoining to and contiguous with a critical area which is required for continued maintenance, functioning, and/or stability of a critical area. The area may be surrounding a natural, restored, or newly created critical area.

“Critical areas mitigation fund” means a special fund created to receive funds from civil penalties resulting from violations of Chapter 18.802 IMC for the purpose of paying all, or part of, the costs and expenses of enforcing and implementing the same. Additionally, the City may use the funds for acquiring, maintaining, and preserving environmental critical areas, on publicly owned property within the City.

“Critical areas study” means a study prepared by a qualified professional on any of the following elements of a critical area: existing conditions, potential impacts, and mitigation measures. The study must comply with standards and references within Chapter 18.802 IMC and is typically prepared in conjunction with a development proposal.

“Critical cultural resource (CCR)” means an organic archaeological object of high cultural significance to the Snoqualmie people. CCRs as trees are often western red cedar; however, historical and traditional practices include other species, such as big-leaf maple or cottonwood. Archaeologists use the phrase “culturally modified tree (CMT),” but it is not the preferred term for the Snoqualmie Tribe. The defining characteristic of a CCR is the visibility of past human modification. Typical modifications on CCRs include tree branches, bark, and even tree clusters. These living historical markers and resources are an identifiable connection to locations and places of cultural/historical/archaeological significance for the Tribe. Involving the Tribe in identifying CCRs and collaborating on appropriate protection is key.

“Critical root zone” or “CRZ” means an area equal to a one-foot radius from the base of the tree trunk for each one inch of the tree diameter at four and one-half feet above grade (referred to as diameter at breast height). For example: A 24-inch diameter tree would have a critical root zone of 24 feet. The Department may require the CRZ to be evaluated on a species-by-species basis.

“Crop production” means growing and harvesting of agricultural crops for transportation off site for sale and/or processing.

“Crosswalk” means a marked or unmarked portion of a roadway designated for pedestrians crossing.

“Curtain wall” means a thin, usually aluminum-framed wall, containing infills of glass. The framing is attached to the building structure and does not carry the floor or roof loads of the building. (Ord. 3114 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3104 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3091 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3025 § 1, 2023; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Day care center” means a State-licensed (Chapter 43.216 RCW) facility in which a person or agency provides care for 13 or more children during part of the 24-hour day.

“Day care center, family” means a State-licensed (Chapter 43.216 RCW) operation located in the family residence that provides regularly scheduled temporary care for 12 or fewer children, or six or fewer developmentally or physically disabled adults, including those children or adults who reside in the home.

“Day care operation” means the temporary care of children or adults, generally less than 24 hours, which takes place in a structure on a regular recurring basis for pay or other valuable consideration. Care includes, but is not limited to, the furnishing of shelter, sustenance, supervision, education, or other supportive services. This includes children under the minimum age for education in public schools, preschool operations, and programs covering before-school and after-school care for school children. “Day care operation” includes day care center and family day care center and adult day care center.

“Day center/night shelter” means a facility that provides a temporary day, night, or 24/7 shelter for individuals or families who are currently experiencing homelessness. Day centers/night shelters may provide access to essential services such as showers, meals, laundry, and often includes on-site case management including services to aid individuals and families to stable permanent housing.

“Decision maker” means body prescribed by this Code as having the authority to approve, approve with conditions, or deny a permit under this Code or hear an appeal and issue a decision.

“Deck” means a horizontal structure without a roof, typically made from wood, that is used for recreation purposes. A deck is considered an impervious surface, regardless of slatted construction or materials used. Benches, tables, or other structures which are permanently attached to the deck are not considered as additional height when measuring the height of the deck from the finished grade. On a multistory building, an individual deck may have a roof that is related to the story above, such as a balcony.

“Decorative pole” means a pole that is uniquely found in a particular neighborhood that adds to aesthetic of the streetscape of that neighborhood and is specified in a City-adopted plan. Examples include, but are not limited to: Issaquah Highlands, Talus, Olde Town, and Central Issaquah.

“Delicatessen (deli)/specialty food store” means a retail food store selling ready-to-eat food products such as cooked meats, prepared salads, or other specialty food items. This definition includes seafood, health food and other specialty food stores.

“Demolish” or “demolition” means the removal, during any 12-month period, of more than 50 percent of the exterior walls, bearing walls, columns, beams, or girders, and/or other structural supports of an existing structure. Windows, doors and/or deteriorated wall sections are all considered part of a wall for purposes of this measurement.

“Density” means the number of dwelling units per acre or lot, or gross square footage per acre for any given development or proposed development. “Density” is considered a development standard within the zoning districts.

“Department” means the City of Issaquah Department of Community Planning and Development.

“Designated official” means the City staff member authorized by the Department of Community Development and Planning to review and issue a permit.

“Developable” means gross site area minus deductions for critical areas and associated buffers as required by Chapter 18.802 IMC, public or private roadways, dedicated right-of-way, exclusively used easements, or special purpose overlay districts. Used in “X units/developable acre” calculation.

“Development” means the division of a parcel of land into two or more parcels; the construction, expansion, reduction, demolition, or exterior alteration of a building or structure; any use, or change in use, of a building or structure; any human-caused change to land whether at, above, or below ground or water level; and any use, or change in use, of land whether at, above, or below ground or water level. Development includes, but is not limited to, any activity that requires a permit or approval under this Code; IMC Title 16, Buildings and Construction; and IMC Title 13, Public Services.

“Development bonus” means the building area exceeding the base building height and/or floor area ratio (FAR) allowed in exchange for affordable housing and public open space.

“Development bonus account” means an account managed by the City for the purpose of acquiring certain public amenities. Primary funding for the account is provided by the development bonus fee paid by developers purchasing additional building area in accordance with this Code and/or in accordance with the terms of a development agreement for a specific project zoned “Urban Village” or within a designated expansion area of an urban village.

“Development bonus fee” means the cost, per square foot, of the building area above the base height and/or FAR as defined in IMC 18.514.040, Central Issaquah development bonus program. The fee is in lieu of providing all or part of the affordable housing (see Chapter 18.514 IMC, Affordable Housing) and/or open space in exchange for the development bonus.

“Development fee” means the fees collected by the City to partially fund public facilities to accommodate new growth as empowered through the Growth Management Act (Chapter 36.70A RCW) and RCW 82.02.050 through 82.02.100.

“Development permit” means a written authorization for development or modification of development as defined in this Code, including building and construction permits.

“Development proposal site” means the legal boundaries of the real property or log that an applicant has applied for authority from the City to carry out a development proposal.

“Development regulations” means the controls placed on development or land use activities by the City.

“Development standard” means collectively, the elements, standards, mitigation measures and other requirements and conditions of development as set forth in this Code.

“Deviation” means a departure from the requirements of this Code when that departure is specifically approved by the Director and allowed by the terms of this Code.

“Diameter at breast height” or “DBH” means the diameter of any tree trunk, measured at four and one-half feet above average grade. For trees with multiple leaders at four and one-half feet height, the DBH is the combined cumulative total of branches greater than six inches in diameter at four and one-half feet above the average grade. If a tree has been removed and only the stump remains that is below four and one-half feet tall, the size of the tree will be the diameter of the top of the stump.

“Directional sign” means a sign limited to directional messages that assist with wayfinding, principally for pedestrian or vehicular traffic, including, but not limited to, signs indicating entrance, exit, one-way circulation, and drive-up window.

“Director” means the Director of the City of Issaquah Department of Community Planning and Development or the Director’s designee.

Discontinued. See “Nonconforming structure/use, discontinued.”

“Distribution center” means warehousing, shipping, and freight as a primary use that may include limited assembly or manufacturing activity that is accessory to the primary distribution function.

“Distribution line” means, in terms of electricity, the delivery of electrical power from a distribution substation to points of use, such as homes and businesses. Distribution lines operate at a nominal voltage less than 55 kilovolts (kV), usually 12 or 34 kilovolts.

“Ditch” means an artificially constructed watercourse designed to convey stormwater, agricultural runoff, or irrigation water. A stream or water of the State that has been artificially constructed or modified is not a ditch. See also definition of “Stream.”

“Dormer” means a roofed projection built out from a sloping roof into which a window is set to provide additional interior light and ventilation.

“Dripline” means an area encircling the base of a tree, the minimum extent of which is delineated by a vertical line extending from the outer limit of a tree’s branch tips down to the ground.

“Driveway” means a section of a street, alley, or private property that provides access to a parking facility or off-street parking.

“Drug store/pharmacy” means an establishment engaged in the retail sale of prescription drugs, nonprescription medicines, cosmetics, and related supplies.

“DSHS” means the State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services.

“Duplex” means a building, located on one legal lot, containing two dwelling units designed exclusively for occupancy by two single households living independently of each other. A single-family dwelling containing an approved ADU is not a duplex.

“Dwelling” means a building or portion of a building designed for residential purposes which includes facilities for living, sleeping, cooking, eating and sanitation, including single-family and multiple-family dwellings, but does not include hotels, inns, or motels.

“Dwelling, cottage housing” means detached single-family housing in a cluster of four to 12 dwelling units around a central open space that is either owned in common or has units owned as condominium units with property owned in common. Units may share use of common facilities, such as a party room, tool shed, garden orchard, workshop, or parking areas. Projects containing two to four units are considered middle housing.

“Dwelling, courtyard housing” means a development of six or more attached dwelling units, located in one or more buildings, arranged on two or three sides around a central courtyard, which all units have access to. Developments are typically one to three stories.

“Dwelling, duplex” means a building containing not more than two attached dwelling units. Units can be built side-by-side or stacked. A single-family dwelling containing an approved attached or detached accessory dwelling unit is not a duplex.

“Dwelling, fourplex” means a building containing four attached dwelling units designed exclusively for occupancy by four single households living independently of each other. Units can be built side-by-side or stacked.

“Dwelling, middle housing” means one or more buildings that are compatible in scale, form, and character with single-family houses containing two to four dwelling units within an attached, stacked, or clustered homes, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, and cottage housing.

“Dwelling, multifamily” means a building or portion of a building of five or more dwelling units living independently of each other, such as apartments or condominiums, but not including hotels or motels.

“Dwelling, single-family” means a building with attached or detached dwelling unit designed for and occupied by one family, situated on an individually owned lot, whether or not that lot also contains an accessory dwelling unit.

“Dwelling, single-family attached” means a single-family dwelling unit constructed in a group of two or more attached units in which each unit is configured as a zero lot line development with each unit placed on one lot.

“Dwelling, single-family detached” means a detached building containing no more than one dwelling unit designed for occupancy by a single household located on one legal lot. This does not apply to cottage housing.

“Dwelling, stacked flat” means dwelling units in a residential building of no more than three stories on a residential zoned lot with one unit per floor in which each floor may be separately rented or owned. Projects containing two to four units are considered middle housing.

“Dwelling, townhouse” means three or more single household dwellings that are attached to one another by a common vertical wall(s) (of fire code required composition) that extend from the foundation to the roof, each unit has its own front and rear access to the outside at the ground level, and no unit is located over another unit. May be single- or multistory subject to applicable height standards. The permitted number of attached dwellings in a single grouping varies by zoning district. Projects containing two to four units are considered middle housing.

“Dwelling, triplex” means a building containing three attached dwelling units designed exclusively for occupancy by three single households living independently of each other. Units can be built side-by-side or stacked.

“Dwelling unit” means a single residential unit that provides independent living facilities for one or more people, including permanent provisions for cooking, eating, sleeping, living, storage closet, and sanitation. Also referred to as “unit.”

“Dying tree” means a tree is in an advanced stage of decline due to disease, insect infestation, or rotting and cannot be saved by treatment or pruning, or must be removed to prevent the spread of a disease/pest that would cause catastrophic decline in tree health and failure. (Ord. 3097 § 2 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3091 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3060 § 1, 2024; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Earthtone” means a rich, warm color containing some brown (ranging from neutral tan to deep brown). Typically, the color is muted and flat to imitate the colors found naturally in dirt, moss, trees, rocks, etc. The outer ring of the color wheel illustrates the range of colors that are considered earthtone. Colors within the illustrated earthtone spectrum may vary in tint and tone but are not allowed to use the hue (pure color).

“Easement” means a grant of one or more of the property rights by the property owner for the benefit of or use by another entity or specific real property. The use of the easement is typically related to a specific purpose; for example, an access easement.

“Eave” means the lower edge of a sloping roof; the part of a roof that projects beyond the wall.

“Electric sign” means a sign containing electrical wiring but not including signs illuminated by an exterior light source.

“Electric vehicle (EV)” means a vehicle that operates, either partially or exclusively, on electrical energy from the grid, or an off-board source, that is stored on board for motive purpose. Types of electric vehicles include a battery electric vehicle and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

“Emergency housing” means short-term indoor accommodations for individuals or families who are experiencing homelessness or are at imminent risk of becoming homeless that are intended to address the basic essential health, food, clothing, and personal hygiene needs of individuals or families. Emergency housing often includes on-site case management including services to aid individuals and families to stable permanent housing. Emergency housing may or may not require occupants to enter into a lease or an occupancy agreement. Emergency housing may fall under State landlord/tenant law.

“Environmental justice” means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Environmental justice includes addressing disproportionate environmental and health impacts in all laws, rules, and policies with environmental impacts by prioritizing vulnerable populations and overburdened communities and the equitable distribution of resources and benefits.

“Environmental review” refers to the procedures and requirements established by the State Environmental Policy Act, Chapter 43.21C RCW, as they now exist or are hereafter amended.

“Equipment enclosure” means a wireless service provider’s specific enclosure used to house transmission equipment other than antennas, usually located within and including cabinets, shelters, pedestals, or other similar enclosures used to contain electronic equipment for said purpose. This may include cabinets attached to a pole.

“Erect” means, in the sign code context, an act to build, construct, alter, repair, display, relocate, attach, hang, place, suspend, affix, or maintain any sign, and includes the painting of exterior wall signs.

“Erosion” means the process in which soil particles are mobilized and transported by wind, rain splash, frost action, or stream flow.

“Erosion hazard area” means areas containing soils which, according to the USDA Soil Conservation Service, the 1973 King County Soils Survey and any subsequent revisions or additions thereto, may experience severe to very severe erosion hazard. This group of soils includes, but is not limited to, the following when they occur on slopes of 15 percent or greater: Alderwood gravelly sandy loam (AgD), Alderwood-Kitsap (Akf), Beausite gravelly sandy loam (BeD and BeF), Kitsap silt loam (Kpd), Oval gravelly sand loam (OvD and OvF), Ragnar fine sandy loam (RaD), Ragnar-Indianola Association (RdE), and any occurrence of river wash (Rh).

“Essential public facility” has the same meaning as in RCW 36.70A.200(1).

“Excessive pruning” means removal of more than one-quarter of the functioning leaf and stem area of a tree in any 12-month period, or removal of foliage that causes the unbalancing of a tree.

“Exchange rate” means a transfer ratio or multiplier, determined by the Director or King County’s Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Official, as appropriate, to correct for the market imbalance in value between development rights in sending and receiving sites.

“Extinguishment document, quit claim deed” means when a development right is purchased and then used, resulting in the right to build a dwelling unit on the sending site being extinguished and cannot be used again in any other location. The quit claim deed and extinguishment document records the sale and use of the development right on both the sending site and the receiving site and states how the development rights are applied. (Ord. 3114 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3091 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3060 § 2, 2024; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“FAA” means the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Façade” means the continuous exterior wall of a structure on the front, side or back of a building, including projections from and attachments to the wall, such as balconies, decks, porches, chimneys, unenclosed corridors, and similar projections.

“Family” means one or more persons jointly occupying a single-family dwelling or dwelling unit, including the joint use of and responsibility for common areas, sharing household activities and responsibilities as a single housekeeping unit such as meals, chores, household maintenance, and expenses. Such persons need not be related by blood or marriage. A family does not include large institutional or congregant group living situations such as dormitories, sororities, and monasteries. Secure community transition facilities, as defined in Chapter 71.09 RCW, are not protected under the definition of “family.” See also “Cohabitants.”

“Feed store” means an establishment engaged in selling feed, seed, fertilizer, fencing, or other such supplies directly related to the day-to-day activities of agricultural production and specifically excluding apparel, powered equipment, related accessories, and trailers.

“FEMA” means the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“Fence” means any artificially constructed wall or barrier, other than a building, of any material or combination of materials used to enclose or screen areas of land, separate parcels of land, or used as a means of protection or confinement.

“Festival lighting” means seasonal, decorative lighting (for example, Christmas lights) used to accentuate a seasonal or holiday display or event. Festival lighting shall not serve as year-round or primary lighting. Spotlights, lasers, and similar types of lighting are not festival lighting.

“Final docket” means the annual list of proposed amendments adopted by the City Council for consideration during the annual Comprehensive Plan amendment cycle pursuant to Chapter 18.104 IMC.

“Financial commitment” means a binding and enforceable financial obligation to secure performance from the applicant that is acceptable to the City and provided to the City before construction permit issuance.

“Finding of fact” means the conclusion of fact reached by the decision maker in a review process based on the evidence presented therein.

“Flex space” means commercial property that is flexible in its design to allow for a variety of office, retail, service and/or light industrial uses. Also called “flex commercial space.” These uses must be contained completely within the building.

“Flood” or “flooding” means a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry lands from the overflow of streams, rivers, or other inland water.

“Flood hazard area” means an area subject to inundation by the base flood, including but not limited to streams, lakes, wetlands, closed depressions, floodways, and floodplains.

“Floodplain” means the total area subject to inundation by the base flood. The floodplain includes both rapidly flowing water and standing water.

“Floodway” means the channel of the stream and that portion of the adjoining floodplain which is necessary to contain and discharge the base flood flow without increasing the base flood elevation more than one foot. The floodway is determined by the latest FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map.

“Floor area ratio” or “FAR” means the relationship between the amount of gross floor area in a building(s) and the developable site area on which the building(s) stands. It is obtained by dividing the gross floor area of a building by the developable site area.

“Footcandle” means a unit of measure expressing the quantity of light received on a surface. One footcandle is the illuminance produced by a candle on a surface one-foot square from a distance of one foot.

“Force majeure” means any event or occurrence which is outside the reasonable control of the party concerned and which is not attributable to any act or failure to take preventative action by that party, including pandemic; fire; flood; violent storm; pestilence; explosion; malicious damage; armed conflict; acts of terrorism; nuclear, biological or chemical warfare; or any other disaster, natural or human made.

“Form” means a building’s perceived shape, configuration, or composition.

“Foster family home” means a person that regularly provides care on a 24-hour basis to one or more children, expectant mothers, or persons with developmental disabilities in the family abode of the person or persons under whose direct care and supervision the child, expectant mother, or person with a developmental disability is placed.

Fourplex. See “Dwelling, fourplex.”

“Frequent transit service” means daily transit service that is provided every 15 minutes or better from the beginning of the morning peak to early evening or later.

“Front yard” means the area of a lot that extends the width of the lot and is between the street-facing façade and the public pedestrian route.

“Funeral home/mortuary” means a building where services and/or ceremonies are held in conjunction with human burial or cremation. Crematories may be an accessory use to a funeral home. (Ord. 3091 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Gable” means an end wall of a building having a triangularly shaped upper portion formed by a sloping roof on either side of a ridge and the top of the wall plate.

“Garage” means a type of accessory structure, or a portion of a primary structure, that accommodates off-street parking and storage of vehicles.

“Alley-loaded garage” means a garage with the primary vehicular access taken from the alley.

“Street-loaded garage” means a garage taking vehicular access from the street.

“Geologist” means a practicing State-licensed geologist who has at least four years of professional employment as a geologist. The practice of geology means performance of geological service or work including, but not limited to, collection of geological data, consultation, investigation, evaluation, interpreting, planning, geological mapping, or inspection relating to a geological service or work, and the responsible supervision thereof, the performance of which is related to public welfare or the safeguarding of life, health, property, and the environment.

“Geotechnical engineer” means a practicing State-licensed geotechnical/civil engineer who has at least four years of professional employment as a geotechnical engineer. The practice of engineering means any professional service or creative work requiring engineering education, training, and experience and the application of special knowledge of the mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences to such professional services or creative work as consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, design, and supervision of construction for the purpose of assuring compliance with specifications and design, in connection with any public or private utilities, structures, buildings, machines, equipment, processes, works, or projects.

Geothermal Alternative Energy System. See “Alternative energy system (geothermal).”

“Glare” means a sensation of brightness produced by light within the visual field that is sufficiently greater than the light in the surroundings and/or to which the eyes are adapted that causes annoyance, discomfort, distraction, and/or loss in visual performance or visibility.

“GMA” means the Washington State Growth Management Act, Chapter 36.70A RCW.

“Grade” means the point of elevation of the surface of the ground or paving where it touches the building.

“Green necklace” means the vision adopted in the City’s Parks Strategic Plan of a lush urban garden benefiting Central Issaquah and the broader community comprised of community and neighborhood parks, riparian corridor open spaces, tree lined streets, passive and active plazas and other urban spaces connected by a comprehensive trail system on and off roads.

“Green space” means land and/or water area at ground/street level with its surface generally open to the sky and predominantly unimproved, set aside to serve the purposes of conserving natural resources and configuring urban development and form. May contribute to the landscape effect through lawn/landscape, gardens, P-patches, and natural space. Hardscape materials, whether pervious or impervious by design, shall not be considered as part of green space.

“Green wall” means a wall, or portion of a wall, that has support structures (e.g., wires, grids, trellises, etc.) or plant medium (e.g., soil pockets, growing mats, etc.) such that plants can climb up, trail down, or grow out of the wall resulting in a wall or wall section that is predominantly verdant.

“Greenhouse” means a structure enclosed (as by glass) and used for the cultivation or protection of tender plants.

“Gross floor area” means the sum of the total horizontal areas of all floors of all buildings on a lot, measured from the interior faces of exterior walls. The term “gross floor area” includes basements, elevator shafts and stairwells at each story; floor space used for mechanical equipment with structural head room; interior balconies; and mezzanines. Gross floor area does not include outside balconies that do not exceed a projection of six feet beyond the exterior walls of the building. Parking structures below grade and rooftop mechanical structures are excluded from gross floor area.

“Ground-mounted” means mounted to a pole, tower or other freestanding structure which is specifically constructed for the purpose of supporting an antenna or wireless telecommunications facility and placed directly on the ground at grade level.

“Groundcover” means any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought.

“Groundwater monitoring plan” means a plan the City may require to monitor the impacts of an activity on groundwater quality, over time, to ensure compliance with Chapter 13.29 IMC, Groundwater Quality Protection Standards, and WAC 173-200-080.

“Group care facility” means a facility, other than a foster family home, which is maintained and operated for the care of a group of children on a 24-hour basis. Also see “Family.” (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Hard surface” means an impervious surface, a permeable pavement, or a vegetated roof.

“Hazardous materials” has the meaning established in IMC 13.29.011.

“Hazardous materials inventory” or “HMI” has the meaning established in IMC 13.29.011.

“Hazardous materials management plan” or “HMMP” has the meaning established in IMC 13.29.011.

“Hearing, closed record” means a hearing, conducted by a hearing body or officer authorized by the City to conduct such hearings where parties present oral argument based on the record created during the prior open-record hearing. City staff may provide facts related to the case; other parties may not introduce new facts outside the existing record.

“Hearing Examiner” means the person charged with conducting fair and impartial quasi-judicial administrative hearings, when authorized by this Code, to decide, make recommendations, or review on appeal permit applications.

“Hearing, open record” means a hearing, conducted by a hearing body or officer authorized by the City to conduct such hearings, that creates the City’s record through testimony and submission of evidence and information, under procedures prescribed by this Code.

“Hedge” means a landscape barrier consisting of a continuous, dense planting of shrubs.

“Heliport,” “helipad,” or “helistop” means an area of land, water, or structure used or intended to be used for the landing and takeoff of helicopters.

“Herbicide” means a chemical weed or plant killer, applied to leaves, foliage, roots, or soil.

“Hillside” or “sloped site” means a site or portion of a site that rises at an inclination of 15 percent or more within a vertical elevation change of at least 10 feet. See Chapter 18.810 IMC, Forested Hillside Preservation.

“Home business” means a business carried on as a secondary, incidental, or accessory use by a permanent resident of the dwelling for gain or support, when on-site work is conducted entirely within a residential dwelling or a building accessory thereto. “Home business” does not include employees working remotely for an off-site employer.

“Hospital” means an institution providing clinical, temporary, and emergency services of a medical or surgical nature to human patients which is licensed by State law to provide facilities and services for surgery, obstetrics, and general medical practice as distinguished from clinical treatment of mental and nervous disorders.

“Hours of operation” means the time span during which a business or facility experiences activity from employees, clients, customers, and/or users.

“Hours of operation, prime” means the time span during which a business or facility has its highest level of activity from employees, clients, customers and/or other users.

“Household income” means all income that would be included as income for Federal income tax purposes (e.g., wages, interest income, etc.) from all household members over the age of 18 that reside in the dwelling unit for more than three months of the year.

“Housing expenses” for ownership housing means mortgage and mortgage insurance, property taxes, property insurance, homeowner dues, and one parking space or a parking allowance. Housing expenses for rental housing means rent, utilities or an appropriate utility allowance, and one parking space or a parking allowance. The Director may further define “housing expenses” by rule and establish monthly allowances (rent reductions) to cover renters’ reasonable utility costs and other expenses required by property owners as a condition of tenancy.

“Human scale” means the measure of the size of the building and its parts in relation to the person or people using it. The human scale is perceivable and relatable in relation to the size of a person.

“Hydric soil” means a soil that is saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part. The presence of hydric soil must be determined following the methods described in the currently followed Federal manual for identifying and delineating jurisdictional wetlands.

“Hydrogeologic critical area assessment” or “hydrogeologic study” means a study conducted to add or remove areas to the CARA classification map. The City will determine if site characteristics meet the mapping criteria for a CARA designation.

“Hydrogeologist” means a person licensed in the specialty of geology involving the study of the waters of the earth, including the study of the occurrence, circulation, distribution, chemistry, remediation, or quality of water or its role as a natural agent that causes changes in the earth, and the investigation and collection of data concerning waters in the atmosphere or on the surface or in the interior of the earth, including data regarding the interaction of water with other gases, solids, or fluids. The practice of hydrogeology means the performance of or offer to perform any hydrogeologic service or work in which the public welfare or the safeguarding of life, health, environment, or property is concerned or involved. This includes the collection of geological data, and consultation, investigation, evaluation, interpretation, planning, or inspection relating to a service or work that applies hydrogeology.

“Hydrophytic vegetation” means macrophytic plant life growing in water or on a substrate that is at least periodically deficient in oxygen as a result of excessive water content. The presence of hydrophytic vegetation must be determined following the methods described in the “1989 Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands.” (Ord. 3091 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“IC” or “IC-CI” means the Intensive Commercial zone established in IMC 18.400.090.

“Illuminated sign” means a sign with an artificial light source incorporated internally or externally for the purpose of illuminating the sign. See “Electric sign.”

“Impact, adverse, detrimental, or negative” is an impact that causes damage or degradation of some sort.

“Impact fee” means a payment of money imposed by the City of Issaquah on development activity pursuant to this Code as a condition of granting development approval in order to pay for the public facilities needed to serve new growth and development.

“Impact, significant” means that there is a reasonable likelihood of more than a moderate adverse impact, for example, on environmental quality.

“Impervious surface” means a nonvegetated surface area that either prevents or retards the entry of water into the soil mantle as under natural conditions prior to development, and/or a hard surface area which causes water to run off the surface in greater quantities or at an increased rate of flow from the flow present under natural conditions prior to development. Common impervious surfaces include, but are not limited to, roof tops and eaves, walkways, patios, decks (covered or open slat construction are both considered impervious), driveways, parking lots or storage areas, concrete or asphalt or other paving, pavers, and/or other hard-surfaced permeable materials, gravel roads, packed earthen materials, rockeries and oiled macadam or other surfaces which similarly impede the natural infiltration of surface and stormwater runoff. Open, uncovered retention/detention facilities shall not be considered as impervious surfaces for the purposes of this definition.

“In-kind compensation,” in the context of critical areas, means to replace wetlands with substitute wetlands whose characteristics (vegetative class, function and value) and wetland rating or category closely approximate those destroyed or degraded by a regulated activity.

“Indoor amenity space” means amenities built inside a building and maintained by a developer or property owner and intended for use and enjoyment by the users of the development. Examples may include a common lounge or communal kitchen area.

Industrial, Light. “Light industrial” means industrial activities where research, processing, fabricating, assembly, or disassembly of items takes place wholly within an enclosed building, and that does not include heavy machinery, cranes, and large volumes of hazardous materials.

“Informational sign” means a sign that is incidental and necessary for public safety and convenience, and that contains general information that has a purpose secondary to the use of the property on which it is located.

“Intensity” means the combination of factors (such as visual appearance, building size, traffic generation, noise, dust, light, and economic value) associated with a particular use that determines the potential impact of that use on neighboring land uses. The higher the intensity, the greater the possible impact on neighboring land uses.

“Intensive commercial” means a commercial use that has one or more of the following elements which may have a significant adverse effect on adjacent uses: unscreened outdoor storage; vehicle traffic; building bulk; production of noise, glare or smoke.

“Interpretive marker” means a marker that identifies or explains specific events, sites, structures, features, objects, or natural processes, rather than presenting a general story or abstraction.

“Invasive tree” or “invasive plant” means a tree or plant listed as a weed of concern in Chapter 16-750 WAC, Chapter 17.10 RCW, or by King County in its noxious weed list.

“ISA” means the International Society of Arboriculture. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Kennel, commercial/boarding” means an establishment maintaining five or more mature dogs and/or cats for breeding, sale, or boarding purposes. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Lamp” means a source of optical radiation (i.e., “light”), often called a “bulb” or “tube.” Examples include incandescent, fluorescent, high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, and low-pressure sodium (LPS) lamps, as well as light-emitting diode (LED) modules and arrays.

“Land use” means the way land is occupied or utilized.

“Land use decision” has the meaning established in RCW 36.70C.020.

“Land use permit” means an approval for how land is occupied or utilized and is not a permit for construction.

“Landmark tree” means a tree greater than 30 inches DBH.

“Landscape” means the presence of plant material, including lawn, groundcovers, trees and shrubs. “Landscape” can also include decorative outdoor landscape elements such as rock, wood and other natural materials, land berming, pools, benches, fountains, sculptures, lighting and decorative paving surfaces.

“Landscape architect” means a person licensed by the State of Washington to engage in the practice of landscape architecture as defined by RCW 18.96.030.

“Landscape lighting” means lighting of trees, shrubs, or other plant material as well as ponds and other landscape features.

“Landscape lighting, line voltage” means landscape lighting powered at 120 to 277 volts.

“Landscape lighting, low voltage” means landscape lighting powered at less than 24 volts, limited to luminaires having a rated initial luminaire lumen output of 525 lumens or less, and requiring the use of a transformer.

“Landscape screening” means the installation of at-grade plantings, shrubbery, bushes or other foliage intended to screen or buffer land uses from public view.

“Landslide” means the downslope movement of a mass of soil, rock, debris or organic materials under the effects of gravity, and also the landform that results from such movement. A landslide occurs when the downslope component of forces (driving forces) acting on the slope exceeds that resistance of the material underlying the slope (resisting forces). Driving forces can be increased by changes to slope geometry (e.g., erosion or excavating material from the slope), or by increased loading on the slope (e.g., placing fill on the slope or earthquake shaking). Resisting forces can be reduced by mechanical and chemical weathering of the material underlying the slope which weaken the material, and by increased/raised groundwater/pore water pressure levels in the slope. Landslides may be shallow (at or near the ground surface, i.e., only a few feet thick) or deep seated (several tens to hundreds of feet thick) and may occur extremely rapidly, in seconds, minutes or hours, or slow to extremely slow, on-going processes occurring over days, months, years and centuries. Temporal physical changes to the environment such as storms, earthquakes, undercutting and erosion by streams, and/or activities of humans can trigger landslides.

“Landslide hazard area” means an area subject to severe risk of landslide.

“Lap siding” means wood (or simulated wood) cladding, applied horizontally and overlapped, thicker along the lower edge than the upper.

“Large satellite dish” means any satellite dish antenna(s) whose diameter is greater than four feet. See “Satellite dish antenna.”

“Large vehicle and heavy equipment sales/dealership” means a use involving the display, sale, and leasing of new or used heavy equipment, construction equipment, mobile homes, RVs, tractor trailers, campers, and/or similar vehicles/items.

“Lead agency” means the public agency that has the principal responsibility for carrying out or approving a project.

“Legal nonconforming” means a lot, use, site element, or structure that was legally established under the regulations in place at the time it was established, but no longer conforms to applicable regulations due to changes in regulations or annexation.

“Letter of intent, TDR certification” means a signed letter provided by the City documenting availability of development rights for sale from a sending site. For those sending sites outside the City limits, this letter will be provided by King County.

“Level of review” means the degree to which a project or permit application is examined.

“Level of service” or “LOS” means the relationship between vehicular traffic volumes and roadway intersection capacity, as specified in this Code.

“LiDAR” or “light detection and ranging” means a remote sensing method that uses pulsed laser light to measure ranges or variable distances.

“Light pollution” means any adverse effect of artificial light including, but not limited to, glare, light trespass (defined as light that falls beyond the property it is intended to illuminate), skyglow, energy waste, compromised safety and security, and impacts on the nocturnal environment. “Skyglow” is defined as the brightening of the nighttime sky that results from scattering and reflection of electric light by moisture and dust particles in the atmosphere. Skyglow is caused by light directed or reflected upwards or sideways and reduces one’s ability to view the night sky.

“Lintel” means horizontal member located above openings and expressed on the exterior through articulation of façade materials.

“Lite” means a pane of glass, a window, or compartment of a window.

“Live/work unit” means a structure or portion of a structure that combines a retail, commercial, or manufacturing activity with a residential living space where the resident is an employee of the on-site business and the business has a valid business license.

“Loft” means the upper level of a building located directly under the sloped roof. When used as leasable space, it is counted as a floor.

“Lot” means a designated parcel, tract, or area of land established by plat, subdivision, or as otherwise permitted by law, to be used, developed, or built upon as a unit.

“Lot line” means the property line of a lot.

“Low-impact development best management practices” or “LID BMPs” means distributed stormwater management practices, integrated into a project design, which emphasize predisturbance hydrologic processes of infiltration, filtration, storage, evaporation, and transpiration. LID BMPs include, but are not limited to: bioretention, rain gardens, permeable pavements, downspout full infiltration, downspout dispersion systems, perforated stub-out connections, full dispersion, post-construction soil quality and depth, minimal excavation foundations, vegetated roofs, and rainwater harvesting.

“Lumen” means the unit of measure used to quantify the amount of light produced by a lamp (as distinct from “watt,” a measure of power consumption).

“Luminaire” means a lighting fixture unit. It includes the lamp, electrical components, reflectors, and all other components used to emit light.

“Unshielded luminaire” means a luminaire capable of emitting light in any direction, including downwards.

“Luminaire lumens” means, for luminaires with relative photometry per the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), lumens calculated as the sum of the initial lamp lumens for all lamps within an individual luminaire, multiplied by the luminaire efficiency. “Relative photometry” is defined as the photometric measurements made of the lamp plus luminaire, and adjusted to allow for light loss due to reflection or absorption within the luminaire. Reference standard: IES LM-63 or as revised. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“M” means the Mineral Resources zone established in IMC 18.400.090(B).

“Macro cell facility” means a large wireless communication facility that provides radio frequency coverage served by a high-power cellular system. Generally, macro cell antennas are mounted on ground-based towers, rooftops and other existing structures, at a height that provides a clear view over the surrounding buildings and terrain. Macro cell facilities typically contain antennas that are greater than three cubic feet per antenna and typically cover large geographic areas with relatively high capacity and are capable of hosting multiple wireless service providers.

“Maintenance,” in regard to critical areas, means a procedure intended to assist with the long-term health of critical areas, including the maintenance period relating to a restoration or creation project. This definition does not include the performance of complex restoration efforts that change the character, size, or scope of a project beyond the original design or efforts to drain, dredge, fill, flood, or otherwise alter critical areas.

“Major streets” include Gilman Boulevard east of SR 900, Newport Way, SR 900, NW Sammamish Road, NW Maple Street, East Lake Sammamish Parkway (ELSP), SE 56th Street to 1,200 feet east of East Lake Sammamish Parkway, Issaquah-Fall City Road, or Issaquah-Pine Lake Road SE.

“Manufactured home” means a dwelling on one or more chassis for towing to the point of use which bears an insignia issued by a State or Federal regulatory agency indicating that the structure complies with all applicable construction standards of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development definition of a “manufactured home.”

“Manufactured home subdivision” means a subdivision designed and/or intended for the sale of lots for siting manufactured homes.

“Manufacturing” means establishments engaged in the mechanical or chemical transformation of materials or substances into new products including the assembling of component parts, the manufacturing of products, and the blending of materials such as lubricating oils, plastics, resins, or liquors.

“Marina” means an establishment providing docking or moorage space for pleasure boats or yachts, and related activities limited to the provision of minor boat repair and personal services such as showers, toilets, and self-service laundries.

“Mass reduction” means strategies that are used to reduce the perceived mass of a building, often consisting of a change in height and shift in façade plane.

“Mass reduction techniques” means variations of a building’s mass through the use of techniques that reduce the bulkiness of a building or make a building more interesting to the pedestrian. Mass reduction techniques include shifts in plane, changes in height, or added architectural interest highlighting the primary entrance.

“Massing” or “mass” means a building’s most basic shape as defined by the width and height, and often represented as one or more volumetric solids, or massing modules. A building’s massing may also explain the relationship of solid and void components.

“Materials” as used in Chapter 18.702 IMC, Central Issaquah Design and Architectural Standards, means the façade and building exterior, especially with respect to cladding, glazing, and visible structural elements.

“Median income” means the median income for the Seattle MSA as most recently determined by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, adjusted for household.

“Medical and dental offices” means professional medical and dental offices for the examination and treatment of human patients, but without provision for keeping such patients overnight on the premises (outpatient care services); includes chiropractic, counseling, massage therapy, and physical therapy. May include accessory pharmacies and research facilities.

“Memorial chapel” means a facility similar in use to a religious/memorial facility, but typically smaller in scale, and typically has no accessory uses. No funeral home activities such as embalming or related burial preparation services are permitted.

“MF-H” means the Multifamily – High zone established in IMC 18.400.070(B).

“MF-M” means the Multifamily – Medium zone established in IMC 18.400.070(A).

“Micro units” or “single room occupancy” means apartments that are no more than 400 square feet. These units may include private bathroom and kitchen spaces, or have access to shared kitchens, bathrooms, and community space.

“Microbrewery” means an operation where specialty beer is produced and distributed to a lesser extent than a “full brewery” according to the brewery industry standards. For the purpose of this Code, if the majority of the square footage of the microbrewery building and related structures is devoted to the process of brewing beer, storing and/or distributing the beer, then the primary use shall be classified as “Manufacturing.” If the majority of the square footage of the microbrewery building and related structures is devoted to such uses as a tasting room, restaurant and/or gift shops, the brewery operation is considered an accessory use.

“Mineral extraction/mining” means the commercial extraction or recovery of minerals by:

Quarrying, mining, and the extraction of minerals; and

Surface extraction of coal, metallic and nonmetallic minerals and the surface uses associated with subsurface extraction, and the screening, crushing, washing or other preparation of such minerals for commercial use.

“Mineral processing” means the commercial extraction/processing of minerals by:

Processes and methods identified or employed in activities according to the Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC) as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor for SIC Major Groups 10, 12, and 14 and SIC Descriptions 2951, 3271 and 3273.

Asphalt and concrete batching and recycling as an accessory to a primary mineral extraction use, or as a continuation of a mineral processing use established prior to August 2, 1999.

“Minerals” means sand, gravel, rock, silica, peat, earth, clay, metallic and nonmetallic minerals, coal and other natural deposits.

“Mitigation” means actions that avoid, minimize, rectify, reduce, eliminate, compensate, or correct otherwise probable significant adverse environmental impacts.

“Mitigation banking” means a system for providing compensatory mitigation in advance of authorized impacts of development in which a third party generates credits through restoration, creation, and/or enhancement of the critical area, for example, the restoration, creation, and/or enhancement of wetlands, and in exceptional circumstances, preservation of adjacent wetlands, wetland buffers, and/or other aquatic resources; provided, that no net loss of wetlands occurs. Credits generated can be used to compensate for impacts by other parties when permits allow.

“Mitigation plan” means a detailed plan prepared by a qualified professional that describes and explains actions that are needed to compensate for alterations to a critical area or critical area buffer. A mitigation plan will usually include a plan for management of the critical area as well as a monitoring and contingency plan. A mitigation plan is prepared when a wetland or fish and wildlife conservation area or its buffer is proposed to be altered.

“Mitigation project” means actions necessary to replace project-induced critical areas and buffer losses, including land acquisition, planning, construction plans, monitoring and contingency action.

“Mixed-use” means use of a property to include a structure or structures that contain more than one use with a variety of complementary and integrated uses, such as, but not limited to, residential, office, manufacturing, retail, public, or entertainment, in a compact urban form. The mix of uses could be either vertically or horizontally integrated.

Mixed-Use Development, Residential. “Residential mixed-use development” means a development that combines residential dwelling units with commercial uses within the same structure; for example, a building which has an office and cafe on the ground or street level and two stories of multifamily dwellings above the ground or street level.

“Mobile home” means a factory-assembled dwelling unit with the necessary service connections and made so as to be readily mobile on its own running gear. A mobile home does not meet applicable HUD manufactured housing standards of June 15, 1976. This definition does not include modular homes, manufactured homes, commercial coach, recreational vehicles, or motor homes.

“Modeling” means the use of computer models by the City or professional to forecast traffic flow, evaluate intersection impacts, and determine trips in the trip bank.

“Modular home” means a factory constructed residential structure that meets the requirements of the Building Code for site-built homes.

“Modulation” means variations in a building’s mass through the use of techniques that reduce the bulkiness of a building or make a building more interesting to the pedestrian.

“Monitoring” means evaluating the impacts of development on the biological, hydrological and geological elements of such systems and assessing the performance of required mitigation measures through the collection and analysis of data by various methods for the purposes of understanding and documenting changes in natural ecosystems and features and includes gathering baseline data.

“Monolithic” means the appearance of an object having been carved or cast of a single material; resembling a monolith, a massive or huge structure; a building that appears to stand alone, independent of surrounding structures and context.

“Monument sign” means a self-supporting, ground-related, freestanding sign that is detached from a building. A monument sign is attached to the ground or its base on grade by a solid-appearing sign structure which extends from the ground or base to the sign face at the same or greater width as the sign face.

“Motor vehicle” means an automobile, truck, or motorcycle that is designed for carrying passengers.

“Mounting height” means the height above grade level at which an item is attached to a building; or in the context of a lighting fixture, the height above grade at which the light exits the fixture.

“MU” or “MU-CI” means the Mixed-Use zone established in IMC 18.400.080(E).

“Multibusiness development” means a development which includes two or more businesses that share a single structure or separate structures.

“Multifamily residential” means more than two dwelling units per building.

“Munsell Book of Color” means an internationally recognized color system that is based on the perceived brightness of color, that is the wavelength of color that is detected by the human eye. This system defines color by chroma, or visible wavelengths, and is helpful in determining overly bright, fluorescent colors.

“Muntin” means a secondary framing member to hold panes within a window, window wall, or glazed door.

“MUR” means the Mixed-Use Residential zone established in IMC 18.400.080(H). (Ord. 3025 § 2, 2023; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Native growth protection easement” or “NGPE” means an easement granted to the City or other nonprofit entity for the protection of native vegetation within a critical area or critical area buffer.

“Native vegetation” means vegetation comprised of plant species that are indigenous to the King County lowland region and reasonably could have been expected to naturally occur on the site. Native vegetation does not include noxious weeds.

“Natural area” means regulated streams and wetlands, and their buffers, steep slopes, Lake Sammamish, forested hillsides and natural appearing stormwater ponds such as the Pickering Pond, parks, open spaces, NGPEs as depicted on the City’s Geographic Information System (GIS).

“Neighborhood scale,” as it is used in the Table of Permitted Uses, means buildings and/or uses with floor area equal to or less than 4,000 gross square feet for purposes of proportionate mass and scale, limited nonresidential activity, limited vehicular trip generation, and limited parking demand for compatibility with surrounding residences.

“Network provider” means a wireless service provider, or any person who does not provide wireless services and is not an electric utility or the City, but builds or installs on behalf of a wireless service provider, network node, node support towers, or other structure that supports or is capable of supporting a network node.

“New lighting” means lighting for areas not previously illuminated and newly installed lighting of any type except for lighting repairs.

“Newspaper” means the City’s official newspaper designated in IMC 1.16.010.

“Noncommercial sign” means a sign that expresses noncommercial messages such as public/community events, religious, political, ideological, or other philosophical messages. A noncommercial speech sign does not promote commercial businesses, projects, or services.

“Nonmotorized facilities” means the collective features provided to enable and support transportation by nonmotorized means including, but not limited to: sidewalks, walkways, bicycle lanes, shared use corridors, trails, bicycle parking, benches, and similar pedestrian- and bicycle-oriented items.

“Nonnative invasive vegetation” means vegetation, plant species, and cultivars that are not indigenous to the lowland King County region and that establish and propagate with such vigor as to outcompete native vegetation and result in the degradation of the natural environment. Nonnative invasive vegetation includes noxious weeds such as Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor, R. procerus), evergreen blackberry (R. lacinatus), ivy (Hedera spp.), holly (Ilex spp.), and Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum).

“Notice of decision” means a written notification of final decision in accordance with RCW 36.70B.130.

“Noxious weed” means the same as in RCW 17.10.010(8).

“Nuisance” means any use, activity, or structure that interferes with the enjoyment and use of one’s property by endangering personal health or safety, offending the human senses and/or failing to conform with the provisions, intent, or standards of the district in which the use, activity, or structure occurs. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Occupancy” means the purpose for which a structure, portion of a structure, or lot is used or intended to be used. For purposes of this Code, a change of occupancy is not intended to include a change of tenants or proprietors, but is intended to indicate a change in the type of use.

“Off-street parking” means a parking space(s) and associated driveway(s) located beyond the right-of-way of a highway, street, or alley.

“Office/professional/financial” means establishments such as those engaged in providing internal office administration, the headquarters and/or the administrative office for a corporation or establishments engaged in providing professional services such as advertising, architecture, consulting, engineering, finance, insurance, law, real estate, software design and technical support to business establishments or individual clients from an office setting with no on-site manufacturing or outdoor storage. This use classification includes banks and similar financial institutions.

“On-site compensation” means replacement of wetlands at the site on which a wetland has been impacted by a regulated activity.

“Open space” means that portion of a site that is left in its natural state or specifically designated to be used for recreation, resource protection, agriculture, greenbelt, or amenities. “Open space” does not include rights-of-way; parking areas; areas covered with structures; or yards, courtyards, or individual lots of residential units. Open space recreational uses may contain impervious surfaces.

“Open space, common usable” means those areas not on individually owned lots that are accessible for a variety of recreation uses, including, but not limited to, trails, picnic areas, and other recreation. “Common usable open space” does not include critical areas and their associated buffers.

“Ordinary high water mark” or “OHWM” means, on all lakes, streams, and tidal water, that mark that will be found by examining the bed and banks and ascertaining where the presence and action of waters are so common and usual, and so long continued in all ordinary years, as to mark upon the soil a character distinct from that of the abutting upland, in respect to vegetation as that condition exists on June 1, 1971, as it may naturally change thereafter, or as it may change thereafter in accordance with permits issued by a local government or the department; provided, that in any area where the ordinary high water mark cannot be found, the ordinary high water mark adjoining freshwater is the line of mean high water.

“Other signs” means signs that are not classified into the primary, secondary, or additional sign categories.

“Outdoor amenity spaces” means outdoor amenities built and maintained by a developer or property owner and intended for use and enjoyment by residents of the development. They can include plazas, pet areas, community gardens, and other such outdoor uses.

“Outdoor lighting” means lighting equipment installed within the property line and outside the building envelopes, whether attached to poles, building structures, the earth, or any other location; and any associated lighting control equipment. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Parallel” or “generally parallel,” for purposes of major street identification for a level of review determination, means an angle of 45 degrees or less to the freeway (including on-ramps or off-ramps), consistent with the use of the term “parallel” in Chapter 18.612 IMC, Signs.

“Parapet” means the part of an exterior wall that is entirely above the roof; a low guarding wall at any point of sudden drop, as at the edge of a terrace, roof, balcony, etc.

“Parcel” means a lot or tract of land.

“Parent lot” means the initial lot which is subdivided into unit lots through the unit lot subdivision process.

“Park” means a site designed or developed for recreational use by the public including, but not limited to, indoor facilities such as museums, swimming pools and skating rinks, and outdoor facilities such as play fields, sport courts, fishing areas, and areas and trails for hikers, equestrians, or bicyclists.

“Parking lot” means an area not within a building where motor vehicles may be stored for the purposes of temporary, daily, or overnight off-street parking.

“Parking lot or parking structure, commercial” means a nonaccessory stand-alone parking lot or structure where individual users are charged a fee to park vehicles.

“Parking structure” means a structure where motor vehicles may be stored for the purposes of temporary, daily, or overnight off-street parking. The structure may be freestanding or incorporated into another building and may have some occupied uses contained within the structure. Carports are not considered structured parking.

“Party of record” means the applicant and any other person who has submitted written comment on any action or proposed action, or who has appeared at a public hearing or public meeting and signed an official register requesting notice of further action.

“Peat settlement prone areas” means areas that are underlain by significant thickness of peat soils that are prone to settlement. Peat soils present a geologic hazard because they are highly compressible (organic rich and high moisture content) and prone to settlement when they are loaded by new structures, weight of new fill or when the groundwater table, within peat deposits, is lowered. Existing buildings and structures in peat zones can be impacted by ground settlement caused by ground loading and the temporary (during construction) or permanent (building foundation drains) lowering of the water table or restricting groundwater recharge by creation of impervious surfaces.

“Pedestrian friendly” means designs that support and encourage walking. Pedestrian-friendly routes are safe, accessible, direct, easy-to-use, and connected. They also use scale, character, materials, and other elements to communicate this priority and create routes that appeal to pedestrians. Also known as “pedestrian oriented.”

“Pedestrian oriented/pedestrian orientation” means those uses, structures, or areas which, because of scale, character, materials, accessibility or other element, encourage walking and wheelchair use.

“Pediment” means a triangular space forming the gable of a two-pitched roof in classic architecture; a similar form used as a decoration.

“Peer review” means review of a critical area study or technical report, conducted by a qualified professional to check for compliance with minimum code standards, completeness, to note obvious factual errors, consistency of data with conclusions, and standards of practice.

“Penthouse” means the top floor of a building enclosed by walls set back from the building’s outer edge.

“Pergola” means a landscape feature consisting of a frame at least 50 percent open on all sides and the roof with horizontal and/or vertical lattice work.

“Permanent supportive housing” means permanent housing in which housing assistance (e.g., long-term leasing or rental assistance) and supportive services are provided to assist a person living with complex and disabling behavioral health or physical health conditions who was experiencing homelessness or was at imminent risk of homelessness prior to moving into housing to retain their housing and be a successful tenant in a housing arrangement, improve the resident’s health status, and connect the resident of the housing with community-based health care, treatment, or employment services. 

“Permit” means written governmental approval issued by an authorized official, empowering the holder thereof to take some action.

“Permitted land use” means the occupation or utilization of land as allowed by the City of Issaquah upon issuance of written governmental approval.

“Pervious surface” means a surface which does not prevent or retard the entry of water into the soil mantle as under natural conditions prior to development.

“Pesticide” means any substance used for the control of insects, mites, mollusks, nematodes, weeds, fungi, bacteria, or rodents, or any substance used as a defoliant, desiccant, or growth regulator.

“Pet day care” means a soundproofed, indoor retail service use providing daily pet boarding and/or grooming services without keeping animals overnight.

“Planning Director/Manager” means the Director of the Community Planning and Development Department or his/her designee.

“Plat” means a map or representation of a subdivision, showing thereon the division into lots or other divisions and dedications.

“Plaza” means an element of public realm that is an outdoor, open gathering place that is designed for multifunctional public access. The plaza may contain a variety of design treatments, including both soft and hard surfaces, though typically more hardscape, and is partially or completely surrounded by buildings and/or streets.

“PO” means the Professional Office zone established in IMC 18.400.080(C).

“Pole sign” means a self-supporting, freestanding sign that is detached from a building and is supported by one or more poles or columns which serve as the structural support for the sign. The poles or columns are less than one-fourth the width of the sign face.

“Poles” means utility poles, light poles, or other types of poles, used primarily to support electrical wires, telephone wires, television cable, lighting, or guideposts; or are constructed for the sole purpose of supporting a wireless communication facility.

“Pop-up retail” means a shop or store that is deliberately temporary or seasonal.

“Primary residence” means the principal place of residence, usually in reference to a single-family home in which the residents live for the majority of the time.

“Primary sign” means those signs that are the primary advertising for a business, enterprise, or community facility.

“Principal unit” means the single-family housing unit, duplex, triplex, townhome, or other housing unit located on the same lot as an accessory dwelling unit.

“Private” means solely or primarily for the use of the residents or occupants of the premises, such as a noncommercial garage used solely by residents or their guests.

“Private street” means a privately owned and maintained access provided for by a tract, easement or other legal means.

“Project permit” means, per RCW 36.70B.020, a land use or environmental permit or license required from the City for a project action, including but not limited to building permits, subdivisions, binding site plans, planned unit developments, conditional uses, shoreline substantial development permits, site plan review, permits or approvals required by critical area ordinances, site-specific rezones, but excluding the adoption or amendment of a comprehensive plan, subarea plan, or development regulations except as otherwise specifically included in this definition.

“Property owner” means the legal owner or owners of real property.

“Proposed project” means a land use or construction project that is or will be the subject of an application for a project permit.

“Pruning” means the proper selective removal of plant parts, including dead, damaged, and diseased wood as well as any weak crossing branches per ANSI standards.

“Public areas” means those portions of a development intended for routine use and/or passage by the general public, customers, or visitors to the development. Public areas include, but are not limited to, parking lots, driveways, walkways, and plazas.

“Public art” means any statue, painting, mural, sculpture, or other art form that is formally recognized by the Arts Commission and/or City Council.

“Public building” means a building, structure, or complex provided and maintained by a public entity and used for the purpose of providing some form of public service. Examples include but are not limited to City, County, water/sewer district, fire district, State and Federal offices and buildings; public libraries; public park facilities such as an indoor pool and/or community center; and fire stations and related buildings.

“Public facility” means a street, road, highway, sidewalk, street and road lighting system, traffic signal, domestic water system, water tower, storm and sanitary sewer system, park and recreation facility, and school.

“Public hearing,” for legislative purposes, means a hearing with advance notice to the public from the City that the City Council, a commission, or board will be taking testimony regarding a particular topic being analyzed for possible legislative adoption or amendment. “Public hearing” for project permit purposes means a hearing with advance notice to the public from the City that a hearing will be held on a specific project permit application to make a final decision, make a recommendation, or review an appeal. Public hearings for project permit purposes may be open record hearings or closed record hearings. See “Hearing, closed record” and “Hearing, open record.”

“Public meeting” means a meeting, hearing, workshop, or other public gathering with advance notice to the public from the City that the City Council, a commission, board, City administration, or other City entity will be meeting to discuss City related topics. For specific project permit applications, “public meeting” shall have the same definition as in RCW 36.70B.020.

“Public pedestrian route” means a route within the public right-of-way that people take when walking along a street or corridor. Alleys or lanes may function as a public pedestrian route in circumstances where a property does not have street access, and residents to those properties must travel along an alley or lane to access the property.

“Public realm” means a public or privately owned area available to most people for a majority of the time designed to promote social interaction and a sense of community. It considers the entire composition of the space and may include trees, walks, street furniture, signs, landscape, plazas, parks, and buildings as well as façade elements such as the street wall, porches, stoops, and balconies.

“Public recreation” means a recreational use maintained and operated by a governmental agency.

“Public service” means fire protection and suppression, law enforcement, public health, education, recreation, environmental protection, and other governmental services.

“Public street” or “public road” means any Federal, State, County, or municipal street or road owned or maintained for public access or use.

“Punched opening” means windows and doors recessed in façade, especially in masonry walls, to emphasize material depth and shadow. Typical depth of recess is two and one-half inches from frame to exterior building face. (Ord. 3091 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3064 § 1 (Exh. A), 2024; Ord. 3060 § 3, 2024; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Qualified landscape designer” means a person who possesses a degree from an accredited institute of higher learning in one of the following fields or who has completed apprenticeship requirements or obtained professional certification in one of the following fields: landscape architecture, horticulture, floriculture, arboriculture, botany, wetland science, urban forestry, or a similar field.

“Qualified professional” means a person who performs work and authors studies on geologic or environmental critical areas and meets the requirements listed as follows for environmental and geologic critical areas.

Environmental critical areas studies (wetlands, streams, wildlife): Stormwater professional must have an undergraduate or higher degree from an accredited university or college in biology, botany, environmental science, or similar field and two years of full-time work experience as a wetland professional, including delineating wetlands using the Federal manual and supplements, preparing wetlands reports, conducting function assessments, and developing and implementing mitigation plans.

Geologic critical areas studies (erosion, steep slopes, landslides, seismic, coal mine subsidence): Professional must be a Washington licensed engineer (geotechnical specialty), geologist or possess a geologic specialty license (engineering geology, hydrogeology). Geologic critical areas studies must be stamped by a licensed geologist/engineering geologist. A Washington licensed professional engineer (geotechnical or mining specialty) stamp is required on coal mine subsidence critical area studies.

Groundwater and critical aquifer recharge area-related (CARA) critical area studies: The professional must be a hydrogeologist licensed as a Washington State geologist and hold a current specialist license in hydrology. The study must be stamped by the licensed hydrogeologist.

“Qualified professional arborist” means a person with relevant education and training in arboriculture or urban forestry, having the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Tree Risk Assessment Qualification and one of the following credentials:

ISA certified arborist;

ISA certified arborist municipal specialist;

ISA board certified master arborist;

American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) registered consulting arborist;

Society of American Foresters (SAF) certified forester for forest management plans. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Rafter” means one of a series of inclined members to which a roof covering is fixed.

“Raptor” means a bird of prey which is a member of either the Falconiformes or Strigiformes orders.

“Readerboard sign” means a sign or part of a sign on which the letters are readily replaceable such that the copy can be changed from time to time at will, or an electronically controlled version on which a temporary text message or graphic is displayed.

“Real estate sales offices” means establishments engaged in providing real estate services to clients from an office setting with no outdoor storage. When associated with and occurring on the same or nearby site of a new development, the real estate sales office may be located within a temporary construction trailer.

“Reasonable modification” means a structural change made to existing premises, occupied or to be occupied by a person with a disability, in order to afford such person full enjoyment of the premises. Reasonable modifications can include structural changes to interiors and exteriors of dwellings and to common and public use areas. Examples include the installation of a ramp into a building, lowering the entry threshold of a unit, or the installation of grab bars in a bathroom.

“Recessed entry” means doors and surrounding glazing and/or wall surface perceptibly set back from face of building, up to a maximum of four feet.

“Recreational vehicle” means a vehicle, boat or trailer designed for temporary recreational or emergency habitation and that may be moved on public highways without a special permit for a long, wide, or heavy load.

“Redevelopment” means an addition, alteration, or repair where construction costs equal or exceed 50 percent of the latest King County assessed building improvement value of the site within a three-year period.

“Release detection” means determining whether a release of a regulated substance has occurred from the underground storage tank (UST) system into the environment, or a leak has occurred into the interstitial space between the UST system and its secondary containment.

“Religious/memorial facility” means a permanently located building commonly used for religious worship, fully enclosed with walls and a roof.

“Reservation of capacity” means the portion of vehicle internal trip ends in the trip bank that is set aside to accommodate development that has received transportation concurrency approval but is not yet built or occupied or to accommodate the trips from any project failing concurrency in order to allow the applicant up to 120 days to evaluate the options for achieving concurrency.

“Reserved parking” means a development area that is designated for future parking needs but is presently landscaped and/or contains impervious surface.

“Restoration” means action to return a stream, wetland, or other critical areas to a state in which its stability and functions approach its unaltered state as closely as possible.

“Retail/service, general” means a commercial enterprise that provides goods and/or services directly to the ultimate consumer, whose goods are available for immediate purchase and removal from the premises by the purchaser and/or whose services are traditionally not permitted within an office/professional/financial use. The sale and consumption of food are included if: (1) the seating and associated circulation area does not exceed more than 10 percent of the gross floor area of the use, and (2) it can be demonstrated to the City that the floor plan is designed to preclude the seating area from being expanded.

“Retaining wall” means a structure constructed to hold back or support an earthen bank, or to raise the grade of a lot.

“Ribbon windows” means horizontal series of windows, separated only by mullions, which form a horizontal band across the façade of a building.

“Right-of-way” means a strip of land occupied or intended to be occupied by a street, bikeway, crosswalk, railroad, electric transmission line, oil or gas pipeline, water main, sanitary or storm sewer main, sidewalk, street trees, or other special use.

“Roof, gambrel” means a roof with two different slopes between the ridge and the eaves, resembling that of a classic barn roof form. The lower slope is steeper than the upper slope.

“Roof, hipped” means a style of roof that slopes on the ends of the wall as well as the sides, so that the eave line formed is constant on all walls.

“Roof pitch” means the angle or steepness of a roof. Typically expressed as a certain rise over each 12 inches of run; for example, a 6:12 roof pitch rises six inches for every 12 inches of run. Also called “roof slope.” This Code characterizes roof pitch as follows:

Low pitch = 1:12 – 4:12

Moderate pitch (conventional) = 4:12 – 8:12

Steep pitch = greater than 8:12

Roof, Shed. “Shed roof” means a roof with only one sloping side.

“Routine maintenance/repair” means usual acts to prevent a decline, lapse, or cessation from a lawfully established condition that do not involve structural alteration or change to a nonconforming situation and result in a state comparable to the original condition, including but not limited to size, shape, configuration, location, and external appearance. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Salmonid” means a member of the fish family Salmonidae, including Chinook, coho, chum, sockeye, kokanee, pink salmon, steelhead, cutthroat trout, and bull trout.

“Satellite dish antenna” means a dish-shaped structure or facility used to broadcast or receive television, radio, ham radio, shortwave radio, microwave, satellite, or other electronic signals.

“Scale” means the perceived size of a building as it relates to its environment.

“Scenic corridor” means a strip of land on either side of a river, creek, or lake; or a natural vista; or panoramic view, such as the Issaquah Alps, which is visible from the roadway or public area.

“School, business” means a commercial or public school providing instruction solely in professional skills including, but not limited to, business management, accounting, secretarial skills, sales, marketing and merchandising.

“School, college or university” means an educational institution authorized by the State to award associate, baccalaureate, or higher degrees.

“School, elementary” means a public or private educational institution authorized by the State which offers instruction to grades kindergarten through five or six. Includes Montessori or similar schools if they provide instruction to students in grades kindergarten through eight.

“School, high” means a public or private educational institution authorized by the State which offers instruction to grades nine or 10 through 12.

“School, junior high/middle” means a public or private educational institution authorized by the State which offers instruction to grades six through eight (middle school) or seven through nine (junior high school).

“School, vocational/technical” means a commercial or public establishment offering training in a skill or trade to be pursued as a career.

“Screening” means the method by which a view of one site from another adjacent site is shielded, concealed, or hidden, for example, by fences, walls, hedges, landscaping, berms, or other features.

“Secondary containment” means, per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), tanks and piping used to store hazardous materials or contaminants have an inner and outer barrier, with an interstitial space that is monitored for leaks.

“Secondary sign” means a smaller sign that is not the primary sign of the business.

“Secure community transition facility” or “SCTF” has the meaning established in RCW 71.09.020.

“Sedimentation” means the action or process of deposition of soil and organic particles displaced, transported and deposited by water or wind.

“Seismic hazard area” means an area subject to severe risk of earthquake damage as a result of seismically induced settlement or lateral spreading. These conditions may occur in areas underlain by cohesionless soils of low density usually in association with a shallow groundwater table.

“Self-storage” means an establishment containing separate storage spaces of varying sizes that are leased or rented as individual units and used directly by the renters.

“Senior housing” means dwelling units specifically designed for occupancy by persons of 55 years of age or older.

“SEPA” means the State Environmental Policy Act, Chapter 43.21C RCW.

“Setback” means the required minimum horizontal distance between the building, accessory building, or accessory structure and the related front, side or rear lot line.

“SF-D” means the Single-Family – Duplex zone established in IMC 18.400.060(E).

“SF-E” means the Single-Family – Estates zone established in IMC 18.400.060(B).

“SF-S” means the Single-Family – Suburban zone established in IMC 18.400.060(C).

“SF-SL” means the Single-Family – Small Lot zone established in IMC 18.400.060(D).

“Shake” means a unit of wood similar to a shingle but generally produced in a less uniform manner resulting in a more rough or varied aesthetic. The shake is generally split wood while the shingle is sawn.

“Shared parking” means parking facilities shared between two or more uses that are within close proximity to fulfill their individual parking requirements.

“Shingle” means a unit of wood, asphaltic material, slate, tile, concrete, or other material cut to stock dimensions and applied in an overlapping fashion to the exterior walls or roof of a building.

“Shooting range” means an establishment for the safe firing of firearms or archery equipment, either indoors or outdoors.

“Shopping center” means a grouping of retail business and service uses on a single site with common parking facilities and a unified design theme with retail commercial development that is over 25,000 square feet gross leasable area, or retail commercial development that is a combination of three or more shops in a cluster or connected by an adjoining wall, roof or other structural element.

“Short subdivision” means the division of land into nine or fewer lots.

“Shrub” means a woody plant, often multistemmed, generally less than 15 feet at maximum height, evergreen or deciduous.

“Sidelights” means a framed area of fixed glass alongside a door or window.

“Sign” means any material, structure, or device, or part thereof, composed of text, symbols, or graphics, or on which text, symbols, or graphics are placed when used or located outside or on the exterior of any building and includes any announcement, declaration, demonstration, display, illustration, or insignia used to inform or attract the attention of the public when the same is placed in view of the public.

“Significant redevelopment” means any construction project requiring a change to a building’s structural system.

“Site area, gross” means the total area of a subject property prior to any deductions for critical areas and associated buffers, public or private roadways, dedicated right-of-way, exclusively used easements or special purpose overlay districts.

“Site area, net” means the gross site area minus the area used for public or private roadways, dedicated right-of-way, easements and any area in special purpose overlay districts, critical areas and associated buffers.

“Site improvement” means any construction work on or improvements to infrastructure or land.

“Site plan” means a document or group of documents, prepared to scale, containing sketches, text, drawings, maps, photographs and other material intended to present and explain accurately and with complete dimensioning the boundaries of a site and the location of all buildings, structures, uses, physical design, interior vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian access, the provision of improvements, principal site development features proposed for a specific lot or lots, and the interrelationship of these elements.

“Site-specific rezone” means an amendment to the zoning map affecting a single parcel or contiguous parcels that are under the same private ownership.

“Small footprint” means a footprint generally less than 60 feet by 100 feet.

“Small satellite dish” means a satellite dish that has a diameter less than or equal to four feet.

“Small wireless facility” has the meaning established in 47 CFR 1.6002.

“Small wireless network” means a collection of interrelated small wireless facilities designed to deliver personal wireless services.

“Snag” means standing dead tree often providing wildlife habitat.

“Special event” means an organized event or happening that will generate or invite considerable public participation and/or spectators for a particular and limited purpose and time, including, but not limited to, fun runs, roadway foot races, fundraising walks, bikeathons, parades, carnivals, shows, exhibitions, circuses and fairs. Special events are not limited to those events conducted on the public streets but may occur entirely on private property.

“Spillover light” means light emitted by a lighting installation that falls outside the boundaries of the property on which the installation is located. Measurements of spillover light levels should not include light generated by streetlights. Potential streetlight spillover from lights in public right-of-way is subject only to City street standards.

“Sport courts” means paved or otherwise impervious surfaces, including basketball and tennis courts, used for recreation.

“Stable” means an establishment in which horses or other livestock are kept for commercial boarding, training, riding lessons, breeding, or rental.

Stacked Flat. See “Dwelling, stacked flat.”

“Stacking space parking” means an area provided for waiting vehicles for a drive-through window facility.

“Stadium/arena” means a large open or enclosed place used for games and major events and partly or completely surrounded by tiers of seats for spectators.

“Stake/wire frame sign” means a temporary sign that is posted in the ground by a stake or wire frame.

“Steep slope hazard area” means ground that rises at an inclination of 40 percent or more within a vertical elevation change of at least 20 feet (a vertical rise of 20 feet or more for every 50 feet of horizontal distance). A slope is delineated by establishing its toe and top and measured by averaging the inclination over at least 10 feet of vertical relief.

“Stepback” means the setting back of all or a portion of one or more upper floors.

“Storage” means the keeping of any goods, junk, material, merchandise, or vehicles in the same place for more than 24 hours.

“Storefront system” means an aluminum-framed, nonloadbearing assembly of commercial entrances and windows, located at the ground floor of a building.

“Story” means that portion of a building included between the upper surface of any floor and the upper surface of the floor next above, except that the topmost story shall be that portion of a building included between the upper surface of the topmost floor and the ceiling or roof above. If the finished floor level directly above a usable or unused under-floor space is more than six feet above grade, as defined in the Building Code, for more than 50 percent of the total perimeter or is more than 12 feet above grade, as defined herein, at any point, such use of unused under-floor space shall be considered as a story.

“Story, first” is the lowest story in a building which qualifies as a story, as defined herein, except that a floor level in a building having only one floor level shall be classified as a first story; provided such floor level is not more than four feet below grade, as defined by the Building Code, for more than 50 percent of the total perimeter, or not more than eight feet below grade, as defined by the Building Code, at any point.

“Stream” means an area where waters conveyed on the surface produce a defined channel or bed. A defined channel or bed is an area which demonstrates clear evidence of the passage of water and includes, but is not limited to, bedrock channels, gravel beds, sand and silt beds and defined-channel swales. The channel or bed need not contain water year-round. This definition does not include entirely artificially constructed watercourses, including irrigation ditches, roadside ditches, canals, storm or surface water runoff conveyance devices or other artificial watercourses unless they have documented fish use and have a free and open surface connection to waters of the State or are used to convey water naturally occurring prior to construction.

“Streetwall” means the first two stories of the building base which are directly adjacent to the transportation facility and provides a sense of enclosure to public space. Where a building is not present, the streetwall may be established by other architectural or vertical landscape elements.

“Structural alterations” means any change in the supporting members of a building such as bearing walls, columns, beams, floor or roof joists, or changes in roof or exterior lines. However, the application of any exterior siding to an existing building for the purpose of beautifying and modernizing is not considered a structural alteration.

“Structure” means an edifice or building of any kind, or any piece of work artificially built up or composed of parts jointed together in some definite manner, excluding fences in rear/side setback areas of a single-family residence. Flood walls are considered to be structures.

“Structure,” related to wireless communication, means a pole, tower, base station, or other building, whether or not it has an existing antenna facility, that is used or to be used for the provision of personal wireless service (whether on its own or commingled with other types of services).

“Structure-mounted facility” means a structure or building that can accommodate a wireless communication facility that is mounted on the roof or façade of the structure or building. The term does not encompass a tower or any equipment associated with a tower or a utility pole, light pole, traffic signal pole or miscellaneous pole.

“Structure value,” for new alteration, construction, remodel, or other building activity, means the value determined by the most recent International Code Council (ICC) construction valuation tables. For existing structures or developments, it is the value determined by the latest King County assessed improvement value.

“Stucco” means a type of exterior material that is applied as a plaster and made up of cement, water, and sand.

“Studio/gallery” means a shop for the production and/or display of art and/or related items such as photos, pottery, stained glass, and video production as well as associated retail. Does not include any adult entertainment facility.

“Style,” as related to architecture, means a combination of design details including massing, roof form, and materials.

“Subarea” means an area for which a more detailed land use plan has been adopted by the City Council as an element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Examples include Central Issaquah and Olde Town.

“Subdivision” means the division or redivision of land into 10 or more lots for the purpose of sale, lease or transfer of ownership.

“Substantial development,” as it relates to the Shoreline Master Program, means any development with a total cost or fair market value of $7,047 or more that requires a shoreline substantial development permit. The threshold total cost or fair market value of $7,047 is set by the State Office of Financial Management and may be adjusted in the future pursuant to SMA requirements, as defined in RCW 90.58.030(3)(e) as now or hereafter amended.

“Substantial improvement” means any repair, reconstruction or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the actual cash or market value, whichever is higher, of the structure. Cash or market value is determined by either:

Substantial improvement is started when the first alteration of any structural part of the building commences.

“Substantial remodel” means an upgrade or change to an existing structure or use that expands the gross square footage of the use by 10 percent or more.

“Substation” means any electric power station. Common functions include controlling and monitoring the electrical system, and transforming voltages to higher and lower voltages.

“Surveyor” means a person licensed by the State of Washington to engage in the practice of land surveying, as defined by RCW 18.43.020.

“Swale” means a shallow drainage conveyance with relatively gentle side slopes, generally with flow depths less than one foot.

“Tandem parking” means parking spaces that have a single means of ingress and egress.

“Target,” in reference to Chapter 18.812 IMC, Tree Preservation, means people, property, or activities that could be injured, damaged, or disrupted by a tree.

Tavern. See “Bar/tavern.”

“Temporary structure” means a structure without any foundation or footings that is removed when the designated time period, activity, or use for which the temporary structure was erected has ceased.

“Temporary use” means an activity that is intended for a limited duration.

“Through block connection” or “through block passage” means a publicly accessible passage that runs the entire length of the subject block, and perpendicular to the subject frontage, or diagonal across the block, and connecting to any existing streets or alleys. A through block connection or through block passage improves walkability and pedestrian access and are separate from vehicular facilities.

“Toe of slope” means a distinct topographic break in a slope which separates slopes inclined at less than 40 percent from slopes equal to or in excess of 40 percent. Where no distinct break exists, the toe of a steep slope is the lowermost limit of the area where the ground surface drops 10 feet or more vertically within a horizontal distance of 25 feet.

“Topping” as it relates to trees means the significant cutting back of the leader stem or major branches, resulting in severely altering the growth potential of a tree as defined by the City Arborist. This definition does not apply when the sole purpose is to create a snag or snags for wildlife habitat.

“Tot lot” means a site which is designed for play activities of young children, protected from traffic and typically including a hard structure, such as a swing set or slide.

“Tower” means a structure built for the sole or primary purpose of supporting any FCC-licensed or authorized antennas and their associated facilities, including structures that are constructed for wireless communications services, including, but not limited to, private, broadcast, and public safety services, as well as unlicensed wireless services such as microwave backhaul, and the associated site.

Townhouse. See “Dwelling, townhouse.”

“TP-NRCA” means the Tradition Plateau Natural Resource Conservation Area established in IMC 18.400.100.

“Tract” means an area, parcel, piece of land, or property which is designated for a specific use.

“Traffic study” means a study that estimates trip generation, identifies traffic demand patterns, evaluates safety, access or other transportation issues and identifies mitigation measures needed to meet engineering standards such as operational and safety standards.

“Trailhead” means a public parking and/or gathering terminus that gives public access to a designated park and/or recreation area. Area access is usually by means of a trail, service road, or abandoned railroad grade. Trailheads are differentiated by class depending on size and facilities required.

“Transferable development right” or “TDR” means a right to develop or build that is severed from other property rights and can be redeemed in designated parts of Issaquah.

“Transit facilities” means all real and personal property necessary or useful in rendering transit service by means of bus or other mode, including rights-of-way, transit stops, areas for parking and all equipment, fixtures, buildings and structures, and services incidental to or required in connection with the performance of transit service.

“Transit services” means the transportation of persons and their packages and baggage by means of transit facilities.

“Transit stop” means an area where passengers wait for, board, alight, and transfer between transit vehicles.

“Transitional housing” means a project that provides housing and supportive services for up to two years to individuals or families experiencing homelessness or who are at imminent risk of becoming homeless.

“Transmission equipment” means equipment that facilitates transmission for any FCC-licensed or authorized wireless communication service, including, but not limited to, radio transceivers, antennas, coaxial or fiber-optic cable, and regular and backup power supply. The term includes equipment associated with wireless communications services including, but not limited to, private, broadcast, and public safety services, as well as unlicensed wireless services and fixed wireless services such as microwave backhaul.

“Transmission line” means a line carrying power from the point of generation and delivers it to distribution substations. Transmission lines operate at a nominal voltage of 55 kilovolts or more, usually 115 or 230 kilovolts.

“Transom” means the cross-bar above door that separates the fan light above it.

“Transom window” means a window located above an exterior doorway or storefront.

“Transportation demand management (TDM)” means strategies that decrease single occupancy motor vehicle trips including, but not limited to, transit and ridesharing incentives, flexible working hours, parking management and pedestrian and bicycle facility enhancements.

“Transportation facility” means a public or private facility for the motorized and nonmotorized transportation of people and goods from place to place which is constructed, operated, or maintained. The term includes the real property that has been or may be established for the transportation of people or goods, including, but not limited to, roads, alleys, rights-of-way, street services, traffic control devices, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and related facilities and improvements.

“Transportation improvement program” or “TIP” is the City’s transportation improvement program adopted pursuant to RCW 36.70A.070(6).

“Transportation management plan” or “TMP” is a contract between the City and an employer or group of employers stating that the employer(s) will provide education, opportunities, and employee incentives and ride sharing, parking incentives and other transportation alternatives. The TMP also addresses the responsibility of the employer for monitoring the success of the TMP, and reporting the annual results to the City.

“Transportation system” means all infrastructure and services for all forms of transportation within a geographical area, irrespective of the responsible jurisdiction or transportation provider.

“Tree” means any woody plant species other than a shrub, characterized by one main trunk or few dominant trunks and many branches, known to achieve a typical mature height of at least 15 feet.

“Tree canopy” means the layer of tree leaves, branches and stems that cover the ground when viewed from above.

“Tree canopy coverage” means the area covered by the canopy of trees on a lot, tract, or parcel. When a tree trunk straddles a property line, 50 percent of the canopy must be counted towards each property’s canopy coverage.

“Tree farm” means an agriculture use which involves growing trees as crops.

“Tree pit” means an excavated hole dug so that the dimensions are three times the diameter of the rootball of the tree to be planted and backfilled with appropriate soil amendment per the guidelines set forth in this Code and adopted guidelines available at the permit center.

“Tree plan” means an evaluation or site plan describing the tree and vegetation resources existing on the site, with information provided such as tree species, size, location, condition, plant community, health, and population estimate.

“Tree Risk Assessment Qualified” or “TRAQ” means a certification by the International Society of Arboriculture for arborists with specialist training, knowledge, and experience in tree risk assessment. TRAQ arborists follow a standardized systematic process for assessing tree risk and understand the principles of basic visual assessment and advanced diagnostic techniques.

“Tree stand” means a group of three or more trees of any size or species whose driplines touch. A “significant tree stand” is a tree stand that contains three or more significant trees.

“Tree well” means a tree pit in a paved sidewalk area with grating or other measure to prevent pedestrian traffic from damaging the root area.

“Trellis” means a landscape feature consisting of an open frame with horizontal and/or vertical lattice work. It must be at least 50 percent open on all sides and the roof.

“Trim” means an exterior material applied to accentuate design elements on the façade, especially windows and doors.

“Trip bank” means the document created and maintained by the City to record the available vehicle internal trip ends, reservation of trips, and the balance of available vehicle internal trip ends following subtraction of vehicle internal trip ends from each concurrency approval.

“Trip end” means a single or one-directional vehicle movement with a beginning (origin) and an end (destination).

“Tripartite” means composed of three parts with a clear expression of a building’s base, middle, and top. This may be achieved through material or color changes, horizontal façade articulation or stepbacks, or other façade elements. The size of each part will vary based on building size and design.

Triplex. See “Dwelling, triplex.”

“Trips” means the number of vehicle internal trip ends generated by a land use in the p.m. peak hour as determined by the latest edition of the Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation Manual, or other authorized source approved by the Director.

“Trips, net new” means the number of vehicle internal trip ends generated by a new development, change in use, expansion or modification requiring a development permit minus the trips generated by the immediately preceding use of the site. No credit shall be given for vehicle internal trip ends from sites/structures that have been vacant for more than one year or for trips from any unpermitted or illegal development.

“Turf-block/grass-crete” means an alternative material used for parking areas which includes a mixture of pervious and impervious elements. One of the elements is typically a type of grass or groundcover. For the purpose of this Code, turf-block is considered to be impervious.

“Type 1 connection” means a multipurpose path on one side of the street accommodates pedestrians and bikes, sidewalk on the other side of the street experience is a sidewalk or multipurpose path.

“Type 2 connection” means a street that provides a “linear urban park” experience with wide sidewalks, a wide buffer from the street, pockets for pedestrians to comfortably pause. Bike lanes provided, potentially separated from cars, potentially completely integrated into the “linear urban park” experience.

“Type 3 connection” means a street with a pedestrian- and bike-centric experience. (Ord. 3114 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3091 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3064 § 1 (Exh. A), 2024; Ord. 3060 § 4, 2024; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“UC” means the Urban Core zone established in IMC 18.400.080(F).

“Uncoursed” means material applied in a random or variable manner (as opposed to “coursed” which is applied in continuous horizontal layers).

“Uninhabited” means a lot or site that contains a structure but is otherwise unoccupied by residents or businesses, or other persons.

Unit. See “Dwelling unit.”

“Unit lot subdivision” means the division or redivision of land into residential lots for the purpose of sale, lease or transfer of ownership where individual unit lots do not need to conform to minimum lot area requirements, setbacks or other applicable dimensional and development standards as long as the parent lot complies with all applicable regulations.

“Unit lot” means a lot created from a parent lot and approved through the unit lot subdivision process.

“Uplight” means, for an exterior luminaire, a luminaire that causes artificial sky glow and negatively affects astronomy.

“Urban services” means the provision of water, sewer, convenient commercial areas and health care, and transportation alternatives in an urban area.

“Use” means the purpose for which land or a building is designed, arranged or intended, or for which it is occupied or maintained, let, or leased. Types of uses include:

“Utility facility” means a building, telephone exchange; sewage pumping station; gas, water, or electrical substation, regional storm drainage detention facility; or similar facility located on a specific site and necessary for the operation of a utility. This definition includes major utility facilities and minor utility facilities.

“Utility vehicle” means a motor vehicle designed to carry out off-road recreational or utility tasks.

“UV-COM/RET” means the Urban Village – Commercial and Urban Village – Retail zones established in IMC 18.400.080(D).

“UV-MF” means the Urban Village – Multifamily zone established in IMC 18.400.070(C).

“UV-MUR” means the Urban Village – Mixed-Use Residential zone established in IMC 18.400.080(I).

“UV-O” means the Urban Village – Office zone.

“UV-SF” means the Urban Village – Single-Family zone established in IMC 18.400.060(F).

“UV-VC” means the Urban Village – Village Center zone. (Ord. 3091 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Vacant lot” means a lot that does not contain a structure and is not legally or currently occupied.

“Variance” means a deviation from applicable development regulations described by Chapter 18.210 IMC.

“Vegetation removal” means removal of a tree(s) or vegetation, through either direct or indirect actions including, but not limited to:

Clearing, cutting, causing irreversible damage to roots or trunks;

Poisoning; destroying the structural integrity; and/or

Any filling, excavation, compaction, grading, or trenching in the dripline area of a tree which has the potential to cause irreversible damage to the tree, or relocation of an existing tree.

“Vending stand, accessory” means the sale of agricultural products during certain times of the year, such as farm produce and Christmas trees, as well as the sale of food and beverage items, and/or sale of merchandise/services at a fixed location that is accessory to a permitted land use without a permanent structure designated for this commercial activity.

“Veterinary clinic” means a facility for the medical care and treatment of animals, and includes provision for their overnight accommodation but does not include outdoor pens, kennels, runs, or enclosures.

“View corridor” means a field of vision between buildings and/or vegetation, such as trees.

“Visual screen” means a method of reducing the impact of visual intrusions with less offensive or more harmonious elements, such as plants, berms, fences, walls, or any appropriate combination thereof.

“VR” means the Village Residential zone established in IMC 18.400.080(G).

“Vulnerable populations” means population groups that are more likely to be at higher risk for poor health outcomes in response to environmental harms, due to:

Vulnerable populations include, but are not limited to, racial or ethnic minorities, low income populations, and population disproportionately impacted by environmental harms. (Ord. 3091 § 1 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Walkway” means a leveled area that is separate from any drive aisles, and used as a pedestrian passageway.

“Warehouse” means the keeping, in a completely enclosed building, of any goods, junk, material, merchandise, or vehicles as a primary use in the same place for more than 24 hours.

“Waters of the State” means lakes, streams, ponds, inland waters, underground waters, salt waters, and all other surface waters and watercourses within the jurisdiction of the State of Washington, as defined in RCW 90.48.020.

“Wayfinding” means techniques used to find one’s way often including the use of signage and other graphic communication as well as intuitive site planning and visual markers and cues.

“Weed” means thistles, grasses (such as Bermuda grass) or other plants that are a nuisance, hazard, tend to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants, or cause injury to people, animals or a desired flower, garden plant or lawn cover.

“Wellhead protection area (WHPA)” means the surface and subsurface area surrounding a well or well field that supplies a public water system through which contaminants are likely to pass and eventually reach the water well(s) as designated under the Federal Clean Water Act.

“Wetland creation” means actions performed to intentionally establish a wetland at a site where one did not formerly exist.

“Wetland delineation” means the field identification and survey of a wetland edge, conducted by a qualified wetland professional, based on the procedures provided in the currently approved Federal manual and applicable supplements and WAC 173-22-035.

“Wetland mitigation (compensatory)” means the compensation stage of the mitigation sequence where impacts to the functions and values of wetlands are replaced through creation or reestablishment, rehabilitation, or enhancement of other wetlands. Types of compensatory mitigation include but are not limited to:

“Wetland types” means descriptive classes of the wetlands taxonomic classification system of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Cowardin et al., 1979).

“Wetlands” or “wetland areas” means areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas. Wetlands do not include those artificial wetlands intentionally created from nonwetland sites, including, but not limited to, irrigation and drainage ditches, grass-lined swales, canals, detention facilities, wastewater treatment facilities, farm ponds, and landscape amenities, or those wetlands created after July 1, 1990, that were unintentionally created as a result of the construction of a road, street, or highway. Wetlands may include those artificial wetlands intentionally created from upland areas to mitigate conversion of wetlands.

“Window sign” means any permanent sign which is painted or mounted onto a windowpane, or which is hung directly inside the window including advertisements for services or products in the form of decals, emblems, paint, exposed neon, and banners. Any sign placed behind glass or within a building and located in such a manner as to have an obvious intent to capture interest of those outside the building is considered a sign. Permanent window signs are those which identify the business, products, or services and are intended to be in place more than 30 days.

“Wireless communication facility” or “WCF” means any unstaffed facility for the transmission and/or reception of radio frequency (RF) signals through electromagnetic energy usually consisting of an equipment shelter or cabinet, a support tower or other structures used to achieve the necessary elevation, and the transmission and reception devices or antenna.

“Works” means any dam, wall, wharf, embankment, levee, dike, revetment, pile, bridge, improved road, abutments, projection, excavation, channel rectification, conduit, culvert, wire, fence, rock, gravel, refuse, fill or other similar development attached to or affixed upon the land. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

“Zero lot line” means the location of a dwelling on a lot in such a manner that no more than one of the sides of the dwelling rests directly on or within five feet of a side lot line.

“Zero setback” means the ground floor of the building is built up to or directly meets the public right-of-way (street, sidewalk, or path).

“Zone” or “zoning district” means a portion of the City designated on the Issaquah Zoning Map as one of the categories established in Part IV of this title for which uniform land use regulations are specified.

“Zoological park/garden” means a place where a collection of wild and/or exotic animals is kept for preservation, education and/or public showing. (Ord. 3011 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

A. Proposed changes to the text of the Comprehensive Plan, including, but not limited to, visions, goals, and policies;

B. Proposed area-wide changes to the Comprehensive Plan land use map; and

C. Proposed changes to the development regulations and the official zoning map that are necessitated by a proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment. (Ord. 3012 § 1 (Exh. A), 2023).

A. Annual Cycle. Each year, the City will accept petitions for Comprehensive Plan amendments until close of business on the second Monday of September each year for consideration for that year’s docket.

B. Exceptions to Annual Cycle. Amendments may be considered more frequently than once per cycle for any of the reasons specified in RCW 36.70A.130(2)(b).

C. An approved Comprehensive Plan amendment must be adopted by ordinance by the City Council. (Ord. 3012 § 1 (Exh. A), 2023).

A. Eligibility. The following may submit a petition for an amendment:

B. Petition. To be considered complete, the petition must be submitted on the form provided by the City, and the form submitted must contain all the required information, including supporting documentation.

C. Three-Year Limitation. A petition for a privately initiated amendment, policy topic, or land use issue shall not be considered more often than every three years. This three-year limitation is measured by three annual amendment cycles. When new property is added to a previously submitted, substantially similar amendment proposal due to geographic expansion by the City, the following applies:

A. Staff Evaluation. All privately initiated amendment petitions will be evaluated by staff to determine if the proposal meets the review criteria established in IMC 18.104.060, and to assess the extent of review that would be required under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). Staff will make a recommendation to the Planning Policy Commission as to which proposed amendments should be included in the final docket, along with any City-initiated proposed amendments.

B. Hearing. No later than January 31st of each year, the Planning Policy Commission shall hold a public hearing regarding which privately initiated petitions should be selected for the final docket and shall make a recommendation to the City Council regarding same.

C. Decision. The City Council shall consider the Planning Policy Commission’s recommendation by March 31st and adopt a final docket that accepts or modifies the Planning Policy Commission’s recommendations. Council is not required to hold a public hearing prior to adopting the final docket. No additional amendments may be considered after Council adoption of the final docket for that year, except as provided in IMC 18.104.030(B). (Ord. 3012 § 1 (Exh. A), 2023).

A. The City Council’s approval, modification, deferral, or denial of an amendment petition for inclusion on the final docket shall be based on the following criteria:

A. Hearing and Recommendation. Once Council has adopted the final docket, the Planning Policy Commission shall consider each item on the list at an open public meeting, hold a public hearing on each item, and make a recommendation to the City Council.

B. City Council Action. The City Council must consider the Comprehensive Plan amendments as recommended by the Planning Policy Commission. If there are changes to the proposed amendment after the public hearing by the Planning Policy Commission, that are outside the scope of alternatives previously available for public comment, additional opportunity for public review and comment on the proposed changes shall be provided prior to the City Council taking final action. The City Council must take action to approve, deny or modify the proposed amendments.

C. The City must transmit a copy of the Comprehensive Plan and development regulation amendments to Washington State Department of Commerce within 10 days of the City Council’s final adoption. (Ord. 3012 § 1 (Exh. A), 2023).

A. Amendments to the text and tables of this Code not reviewed in conjunction with a Comprehensive Plan amendment;

B. Amendments to the City’s official zoning map that are not in conjunction with a Comprehensive Plan amendment. (Ord. 3012 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

A. Eligibility. The following are eligible to apply for an amendment:

B. Application. Applicants must propose amendments by submitting requests on the form provided by the City. No amendment application will be processed until the form is complete and contains all the required information, including supporting documentation, and the fees are paid.

C. Three-Year Limitation. An application for a privately initiated amendment for a specific property or properties, policy topic, or land use issue shall not be considered more often than every three years.

D. Fees. Applications submitted by private individuals or groups are subject to application and processing fees as set forth in Chapter 3.64 IMC. (Ord. 3012 § 2 (Exh. B), 2023).

A. The City Council’s approval, modification, deferral, or denial of an amendment application must be based on the following criteria, as applicable: