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Chapter 23.24 - SHORT PLATS

Seattle Mun. Code — Chapter 23.24 - SHORT PLATS
in effect

Seattle Mun. Code § 23.24.010 Filing of application

A. Any person seeking to divide or redivide land situated within the City into nine or fewer lots for the purpose of sale or lease, transfer of ownership, development, or financing shall submit an application for approval of a short subdivision to the Director together with an application fee as established in Subtitle IX of Title 22 . The application is subject to procedural requirements, established in Chapter 23.76 . B. A survey of each proposed short subdivision and preparation of the short plat for it shall be made by or under the supervision of a registered land surveyor who shall certify on a short plat that it is a true and correct representation of the lands actually surveyed. (Ord. 127099 , § 3, 2024; Ord. 118012, § 12, 1996; Ord. 110570, § 1, 1982.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 23.24.020 Content of application

Applications for approval of a short subdivision shall include the following: A. A plat of the proposed short subdivision containing standard survey data; B. A plot plan, as appropriate, showing the location and dimensions of existing buildings in relation to the proposed short subdivision; C. Legal descriptions of the property to be subdivided and of all proposed lots or divisions; D. Name and address of owner(s) of the tract; E. Location of existing roadways, sidewalks and/or pedestrian walkways, sanitary sewer, storm drain and watermains, if any, together with proposed street improvements; and F. Specific location and description of all trees at least 6 inches in diameter measured 4.5 feet above the ground, with complete scientific and common names of species indicated. (Ord. 124843 , § 4, 2015; Ord. 124378 , § 5, 2013; Ord. 122615 , § 3, 2007; Ord. 120117 § 2, 2000; Ord. 119791 § 3, 1999: Ord. 110570 § 1(part), 1982.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 23.24.030 Content of short plat.

A. Every short plat of a short subdivision filed for record must contain: 1. A certificate giving a full correct description of the lands divided as they appear on the short plat, including a statement that the short subdivision has been made with the free consent and in accordance with the desires of the owner or owners. 2. If the short plat includes a dedication, the certificate or a separate written instrument of dedication shall contain the dedication of all streets and other areas to the public, an individual or individuals, religious society or societies or to any corporation, public or private, as shown on the short plat and a waiver of all claims for damages against any governmental authority which may be occasioned to the adjacent land by the established construction, drainage and maintenance of the road. 3. Roads not dedicated to the public must be clearly marked on the face of the short plat. 4. All short plats containing a proposed dedication must be accompanied by a title report confirming that the title of the lands as described and shown on the short plat is in the name of the owner signing the certificate or instrument of dedication. B. The certificate and instrument of dedication shall be signed and acknowledged before a notary public by all parties having any ownership interest in the land subdivided and shall be recorded as part of the final plat. Any dedication, donation, or grant as shown on the face of the short plat shall be considered to all intents and purposes as a quitclaim deed to the donee or donees, grantee or grantees for his, her or their use for the purpose intended by the donors or grantors. (Ord. 110570 § 1(part), 1982.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 23.24.035 Access.

A. Every short subdivision shall include adequate provision for dedication of drainage ways, streets, alleys, pedestrian access and circulation easements, slope rights, parks and other public open spaces for general purposes as may be required to protect the public health, safety and welfare. B. Protective improvements and easements to maintain the improvements shall be dedicated at the discretion of the City. C. When sidewalks are provided on dedicated streets, they must be convenient for pedestrians and contiguous to each other and to any private sidewalks within the short subdivision and to existing sidewalks contiguous to the short subdivision. D. Vehicular access to new lots shall be from a dedicated street, unless the Director determines that the following conditions exist, and permits access by a permanent private easement: 1. Access by private easement would not compromise the goals of the Land Use Code to provide for adequate pedestrian access and safety, light, air and usable open space between structures; and 2. The dedication and improvement of a street is not necessary or desirable to facilitate adequate water supply for domestic water purposes or for fire protection, or to facilitate adequate storm drainage; and 3. The dedication and improvement of a street is not necessary or desirable in order to provide on-street parking; and 4. No potential safety hazards would result from multiple access points between existing and future developments onto a roadway without curbs and with limited sight lines; and 5. There is identifiable access for the public and for emergency vehicles; and 6. There is no potential for extending the street system. E. Dedicated streets, sidewalks, and alleys shall meet the requirements of Chapter 23.53 and the Right-of-Way Improvements Manual. Private easements shall meet the requirements of Section 23.53.025 . (Ord. 122615 , § 4, 2007; Ord. 122205, § 5, 2006; Ord. 115568 , §§ 2, 3, 1990; Ord. 115326 § 2, 1990.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 23.24.040 Criteria for approval

A. The Director shall, after conferring with appropriate officials, use the following criteria to determine whether to grant, condition, or deny a short plat: 1. Conformance to the applicable Land Use Code provisions, as modified by this Chapter 23.24 ; 2. Adequacy of access for pedestrians, vehicles, utilities, and fire protection as provided in Section 23.53.005 and Section 23.53.006 ; 3. Adequacy of drainage, water supply, and sanitary sewage disposal; 4. Whether the public use and interests are served by permitting the proposed division of land; 5. Conformance to the applicable provisions of Section 25.09.240 in environmentally critical areas and Section 23.60A.156 ; 6. For lots in the Shoreline District, conformance to the applicable provisions of Section 23.60A.168 ; 7. Whether the proposed division of land is designed to maximize the retention of existing trees; 8. Conformance to the provisions of Section 23.24.045 when the short subdivision is for the purpose of creating separate lots of record for the construction and/or transfer of title of single-family dwelling units, townhouse, rowhouse, and cottage housing developments, existing apartment structures built prior to January 1, 2013, but not individual apartment units, or any combination of the above types of residential development, as permitted in the applicable zones; and 9. Every lot, except unit lots and lots proposed to be platted for individual live-work units in zones where live-work units are permitted, shall conform to the following standards for lot configuration, unless a special exception is authorized under subsection 23.24.040.B: a. If a lot is proposed with street frontage, then one lot line shall abut the street for at least 10 feet; and b. No lot shall be less than 10 feet wide for a distance of more than 10 feet as measured at any point; and c. No proposed lot shall have more than six separate lot lines. The lot lines shall be straight lines, unless the irregularly shaped lot line is caused by an existing right-of-way or an existing lot line; and d. If the property proposed for subdivision is adjacent to an alley, and the adjacent alley is either improved or required to be improved according to the standards of Section 23.53.030 , then no new lot shall be proposed that does not provide alley access, except that access from a street to an existing use or structure is not required to be changed to alley access. Proposed new lots shall either have sufficient frontage on the alley to meet access standards for the zone in which the property is located or provide an access easement from the proposed new lot or lots to the alley that meets access standards for the zone in which the property is located. B. Special exception. The Director may modify the standards of subsection 23.24.040.A.9, as a Type II special exception decision, if the applicant demonstrates that the proposed plat meets the following criteria: 1. The property has one of the following conditions not created by the applicant: a. Topography, natural obstructions, configuration of existing lot lines prior to platting, existing platting patterns, or street alignment that prevent the platting of one or more lots according to the standards of subsection 23.24.040.A.8; b. Location of existing principal structures that are retained on lots existing prior to the proposed platting require a platting configuration of one or more lots that cannot reasonably meet the standards of subsection 23.24.040.A.8; c. Location of existing easements or feasibility of access to portions of the property prevents the configuration of proposed plat lines that meet the standards of subsection 23.24.040.A.8. 2. Modification of the standards of subsection 23.24.040.A.8 shall be the minimum necessary to allow platting of lots that each contain a building area for development meeting the development standards of the zone in which the proposed plat is located. 3. Lots created under the special exception standards of this subsection 23.24.040.B shall not have a configuration that requires a variance from setbacks and yard requirements of the Land Use Code or a variance or exception from Chapter 25.09 for any development that may be proposed on the lots. (Ord. 126685 , § 2, 2022 [cross-reference update]; Ord. 126157 , § 5, 2020; Ord. 125603 , § 3, 2018; Ord. 125272 , § 5, 2017; Ord. 124378 , § 6, 2013; Ord. 123809, § 2, 2012; Ord. 122615 , § 5, 2007; Ord. 121163 § 1, 2003; Ord. 120691 , § 4, 2001; Ord. 119791 § 4, 1999; Ord. 119239 § 3, 1998; Ord. 118414 § 2, 1996; Ord. 118409 § 176, 1996: Ord. 117570 § 7, 1995; Ord. 117430 , § 2, 1994; Ord. 117263 , § 2, 1994; Ord. 116262 , § 3, 1992; Ord. 111390 § 2, 1983; Ord. 110669 § 4, 1982; Ord. 110570 § 1(part), 1982.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 23.24.045 Unit lot subdivisions

A. The provisions of this Section 23.24.045 apply exclusively to the unit subdivision of land for residential development including attached and detached dwelling units and existing structures containing stacked dwelling units built prior to January 1, 2013, but not individual stacked dwelling units, in all zones in which these uses are permitted, or any combination of the above types of residential development as permitted in the applicable zones. B. Lots developed or proposed to be developed with uses described in subsection 23.24.045.A may be subdivided into individual unit lots. The development as a whole shall meet development standards applicable at the time the permit application is vested. As a result of the subdivision, development on individual unit lots may be nonconforming as to some or all of the development standards based on analysis of the individual unit lot, except that any private, usable open space or private amenity area for each dwelling unit shall be provided on the same unit lot as the dwelling unit it serves. C. Subsequent platting actions, additions, or modifications to the structure(s) may not create or increase any nonconformity of the parent lot. D. Access easements and joint use and maintenance agreements shall be executed for use of common garage or parking areas, common open space (such as common courtyard open space for cottage housing), and other similar features, as recorded with the King County Recorder's Office. For common parking areas and garages, access easements and joint use and maintenance agreements shall include the right to use any required electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the terms of use. E. Within the parent lot, required parking for a dwelling unit may be provided on a different unit lot than the lot with the dwelling unit, as long as the right to use that parking is formalized by an easement on the plat, as recorded with the King County Recorder's Office. F. The facts that the unit lot is not a separate buildable lot, and that additional development of the individual unit lots may be limited as a result of the application of development standards to the parent lot, shall be noted on the plat, as recorded with the King County Recorder's Office. G. Unit lot subdivision shall not result in an accessory dwelling unit that is located on a different unit lot than the unit lot of the associated principal dwelling unit. (Ord. 127376 , § 12, 2025; Ord. 127211 , § 3, 2025; Ord. 126157 , § 6, 2020; Ord. 125815 , § 2, 2019; Ord. 125272 , § 6, 2017; Ord. 124475, § 2, 2014; Ord. 124378 , § 7, 2013; Ord. 123495, § 3, 2011; Ord. 123046, § 2, 2009; Ord. 122190, § 2, 2006; Ord. 119618 § 2, 1999; Ord. 119239 § 4, 1998; Ord. 118794 § 6, 1997; Ord. 118414 § 3, 1996; Ord. 117430 , § 3, 1994.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 23.24.050 Director's decision

A. If the Director determines that the provisions of this Chapter 23.24 are satisfied, or may be satisfied upon compliance with specified conditions, the Director shall inform the applicant in writing of the decision to approve the application and the conditions of the approval, if any, and may return the proposed short plat to the applicant for modification or correction. When the Director has determined that: (1) the short plat contains the certificates, dedication instruments and statements of approval required by state law and this Chapter 23.24; (2) the short plat and all legal descriptions are technically correct; and (3) review procedures pursuant to Chapter 23.76 have been concluded, the short plat shall be filed for record with the King County Director of Records and Elections. Except for purposes of appeal, no short plat or short subdivision granted approval by the Director shall be deemed to have final approval until filed. B. The decision of the Director on a short subdivision is subject to the further review procedures established under the Master Use Permit process, Chapter 23.76 . C. Except as provided in Section 22.800.100 , a short plat shall be governed by the terms of approval of the Director's decision, and any lots created thereunder shall be deemed to meet lot requirements imposed by this Land Use Code for a period of no less than five years unless the City Council finds that a change in circumstances has occurred. (Ord. 124873 , § 3, 2015; Ord. 121476 § 2, 2004; Ord. 120609 , § 1, 2001; Ord. 110570 § 1(part), 1982.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 23.24.060 Redivision procedures.

Within a five (5) year period following the filing of a short subdivision in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 23.22 , property within that short subdivision may not be further divided through the short subdivision process if it would result in more than a total of nine (9) lots. However, any revision of the lot lines of an approved short subdivision in which the total number of lots is not increased shall not be considered a further division, and shall be approved or disapproved in the manner prescribed in Chapter 23.28 . (Ord. 118794 § 7, 1997: Ord. 110570 § 1(part), 1982.)
Source: Seattle Municipal Code (Municode library)URL: https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_codeFetched: 7/25/2026