"C"
Seattle Mun. Code § 23.84A.006
in effect"C zone." See "Zone, general commercial." "Cabaret, Adult." See "Entertainment use." "Candelabra mounting." See "Communication devices and utilities." "Cannabis" means all parts of the plant Cannabis, whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant, its seeds, or resin. The term does not include: 1. The mature stalks of the plant; 2. Fiber produced from the mature stalks of the plant; 3. Oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant; 4. Any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks (except the resin extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake; or 5. The sterilized seed of the plant that is incapable of germination. "Cannabis activity, major" means, except as provided below, any production, processing, or selling of cannabis, cannabis-infused products, usable cannabis, or cannabis concentrates. Major cannabis activity does not include the following activities when they occur within a dwelling unit occupied by a qualifying patient or designated provider, as those terms are defined in RCW 69.51A.010, or within an enclosed structure that is accessory to such a dwelling unit: 1. Production of cannabis involving up to 15 plants; 2. Production of cannabis involving up to 60 plants if the production is conducted by a cooperative that is registered with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board and operates in compliance with RCW 69.51A.043; 3. Drying or incorporation into food of up to 15 cannabis plants; or 4. Drying or incorporation into food of up to 60 cannabis plants if such processing is conducted by a cooperative that is registered with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board and operates in compliance with chapter 69.51A RCW. "Cannabis concentrates" means products consisting wholly or in part of the resin extracted from any part of the plant Cannabis and having a THC concentration greater than ten percent. "Cannabis-infused products" means products that contain cannabis or cannabis extracts and are intended for human use. The term "cannabis-infused products" does not include useable cannabis. "Cannabis, useable" means dried cannabis flowers. The term "useable cannabis" does not include cannabis-infused products. "Canopy" means a non-rigid, retractable or non-retractable, protective covering located at the entrance to a structure. "Car wash." See "Retail sales and services, automotive." "Caretaker's quarters." See "Residential use." "Cargo terminal." See "Transportation facility." "Carpool" means a highway vehicle with a seating capacity of less than eight (8) persons, including the driver, that is used primarily to convey a group of two (2) or more employees between home and work. "Carport" means a private garage that is open to the weather on at least forty (40) percent of the total area of its sides. (See also "Garage.") "Car-sharing program" means a membership based organization that offers use of motor vehicles twenty-four (24) hours a day and seven (7) days a week to its members who reserve vehicles in advance, and that charges members for the time and/or miles. "Cemetery" means a place dedicated and used or intended to be used as a burial ground. "Character structure" means a structure on a lot within the boundaries of the Pike/Pine Conservation Overlay District that has been in existence prior to 1940, thereby contributing to the established scale, development pattern, and architectural character of the area. "Chargeable floor area" means gross floor area of all structures on any lot in a zone in which floor area limits apply, except portions of structures or uses that are expressly exempt from floor area limits under the provisions of this Title 23 , and after reduction by any applicable adjustment for mechanical equipment. Chargeable floor area is computed using the exemptions and adjustments in effect at the time the computation is made. "Child care center." See "Institution." "Church." See "Religious facility" under "Institution." "Cinema." See "Theaters and spectator sports facilities" under "Entertainment." "City facility" means a facility owned and/or operated for public purposes by The City of Seattle. "City transportation authority" means a city transportation authority within the meaning of RCW Chapter 35.95A. "Clerestory" means an outside wall of a building that rises above an adjacent roof of that building and contains vertical windows. Clerestories function so that light is able to penetrate below the roof of the structure. "Club, private." See "Institution." "College." See "Institution." "Columbarium" means a structure or space in a structure containing niches for permanent inurnment of cremated remains. "Commercial laundry." See "Commercial services, heavy" under "Sales and services, heavy." "Commercial moorage." See "Boat moorage" under "Parking and moorage" under "Transportation facility." "Commercial pickup and delivery" means the pickup and delivery of goods or merchandise by, or for, a business operated on the lot. "Commercial use" means one of the following categories of uses: Animal shelters and kennels; Eating and drinking establishments; Entertainment uses; Food processing and craft work; Laboratories, research and development; Lodging uses; Medical services; Offices; Sales and services, automotive; Sales and services, general; Sales and services, heavy; and Sales and services, marine. Communication devices and utilities (and related terms). 1. "Antenna, dish" means a round parabolic device for the reception and/or transmission of radiofrequency communication signals. A dish antenna may serve either as a major or minor communication utility or may be an accessory communication device. A dish antenna may be either a. a satellite earth station antenna, which receives signals from and/or transmits signals to satellites, or b. a point-to-consecutive-point antenna, which receive signals from terrestrial sources. Also called "Satellite dish antenna." 2. "Antenna, whip" means an omnidirectional antenna, cylindrical in shape, 4 inches or less in diameter and 12 feet or less in length. 3. "Candelabra mounting" means a single spreader that supports more than two antennas. 4. "Communication device, accessory" means a device by which radiofrequency communication signals are transmitted and/or received, such as but not limited to whip, horn and dish antennas, and that is accessory to the principal use on the site. Antennas and other equipment associated with major and minor communication utilities are not accessory communication devices. 5. "Communication device, receive-only" means a radio frequency device with the ability to receive signals, but not to transmit them. 6. "Communication utility, major" means a use in which the means for radiofrequency transfer of information are provided by facilities with significant impacts beyond their immediate area. These utilities include, but are not limited to, FM and AM radio and UHF and VHF television transmission towers. A major communication utility use does not include communication equipment accessory to residential uses; nor does it include the studios of broadcasting companies, such as radio or television stations, which shall be considered offices even if there is point-to-point transmission to a broadcast tower. 7. "Communication utility, minor" means a use in which the means for radiofrequency transfer of information are provided but do not have significant impacts beyond the immediate area. These utilities are smaller in size than major communication utilities and include two-way, land-mobile, personal wireless services and cellular communications facilities; cable TV facilities; point-to-point microwave antennas; FM translators; and FM boosters with under ten watts transmitting power. A minor communication utility does not include wire, cables, or communication equipment accessory to residential uses; nor does it include the studios of broadcasting companies, such as radio or television stations, which shall be considered offices even if there is point-to-point transmission to a broadcast tower. 8. "Communication utility, physical expansion of major or minor" means any increase in footprint and/or envelope of transmission towers. Physical expansion does not include an increase in height of the tower resulting from repair, reconstruction, replacement or modification to the antenna that would result in lower radio frequency radiation exposure readings at ground level or in greater public safety, as long as the height above mean sea level does not increase by more than ten percent and in any event does not exceed 1,100 feet above mean sea level. Replacement of existing antennas or addition of new antennas is not considered physical expansion, unless such replacement or addition increases the envelope of the transmission tower by such means as utilizing a candelabra mounting. Replacement or expansion of an equipment building is not considered physical expansion. 9. "Reception window obstruction" means a physical barrier that would block the signal between an orbiting satellite and a land-based antenna. 10. "Telecommunication facility, shared-use" means a telecommunication facility used by two or more television stations or five or more FM stations. 11. "Telecommunication facility, single-occupant" means a telecommunication facility used only by one television station or by one television station and one to four FM stations. 12. "Transmission tower" means a tower or monopole on which communication devices are placed. Transmission towers may serve either as a major or minor communication facility. 13. "Wireless service, fixed" means the transmission of commercial non-broadcast communication signals via wireless technology to and/or from a fixed customer location. Fixed wireless service does not include AM radio, FM radio, amateur ("HAM") radio, Citizen's Band (CB) radio, and Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS) signals. 14. "Wireless service, personal" means a commercial use offering cellular mobile services, unlicensed wireless services and common carrier wireless exchange access services. "Community clubs or centers." See "Institution." "Conditional use." See "Use, conditional." "Congregate residence." See "Residential use." "Construction services." See "Commercial services, heavy" under "Sales and services, heavy." "Contributing structure" means a structure that the Director of Neighborhoods has determined contributes and will contribute to the architectural and/or historic character of the Pioneer Square Preservation District or the International Special Review District pursuant to Section 23.66.032 , and for which any conditions to a final determination to that effect have been satisfied. "Control of access" means the condition where the right of owners or occupants of abutting land or other persons to access, light, air or view in connection with a public street is fully or partially controlled by public authority. "Control of access, full" means the condition where the authority to control access is exercised to give preference to through traffic by providing access connections with selected public streets only and by prohibiting crossings at grade and direct driveway connections. "Control of access, partial" means the condition where the authority to control access is exercised to give preference to through traffic to a degree that, in addition to access connections with selected public streets, there may be some crossings at grade and some direct connections. "Corner lot." See "Lot, corner." "Cottage" means a single-family dwelling unit located in a cottage housing development. "Cottage housing development". See "Residential use". "Council" means the City Council of The City of Seattle. "Council conditional use." See "Conditional use." "Craft work." See "Food processing and craft work." "Cul-de-sac" means a street closed at one end by a widened pavement of sufficient size for automotive vehicles to be turned around. "Curb" means a physical curb constructed from cement concrete, asphalt concrete, or granite. "Curb cut" means a depression in the curb, for the purpose of accommodating a driveway, that provides vehicular access between private property and the street or easement, or where there is no curb, the intersection of the driveway and the curbline. "Curb ramp" has the meaning in Section 11.14.150 . "Curbline" means the edge of a roadway, whether marked by a curb or not. When there is not a curb, the curbline shall be established by the Director of Seattle Department of Transportation. "Custom and craft work." See "Food processing and craft work." "Customer service office." See "Retail sales and services, general" under "Sales and services, general." (Ord. 127376 , § 77, 2025; Ord. 127099 , § 58, 2024; Ord. No. 125681 , § 6, 2018; Ord. 124503, § 13, 2014; Ord. 124378 , § 88, 2013; Ord. 123589, § 98, 2011; Ord. 123495, § 82, 2011; Ord. No. 123209, § 64, 2009; Ord. 123141, § 4, 2009; Ord. 123046, § 60, 2009; Ord. 123020, § 15, 2009; Ord. 122411 , § 10, 2007; Ord. 122311 , § 100, 2006.)
Source: Seattle Municipal Code (Municode library)URL: https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_codeFetched: 7/25/2026