"U"
Seattle Mun. Code § 23.84A.040
in effect"Underground" means entirely below the surface of the earth, measured from existing or finished grade, whichever is lower, excluding access. "Underground" means entirely below the surface of the earth, measured from existing or finished grade, whichever is lower, excluding access. "Unit, low-income" means a restricted unit that, for a minimum period of at least 50 years, is affordable to and reserved solely for households with annual incomes not to exceed 60 percent of median income for rental units or 80 percent of median income for ownership units. "Unit, moderate-income" means a restricted unit that, for a minimum period of at least 50 years, is affordable to and reserved solely for households with annual incomes not to exceed 80 percent of median income for rental units or 100 percent of median income for ownership units. "Unit, restricted" means a dwelling unit subject to one or more regulatory agreements, covenants, or other legal instruments recorded on the title of the property and enforceable by The City of Seattle, King County, State of Washington, Washington State Housing Finance Commission, or other public agency, if approved by the Director of Housing, that for a specified number of years limits housing costs for income-eligible households, specified as a percentage of median income, as follows: 1. For renter-occupied housing, rental housing costs for each restricted unit shall not exceed 30 percent of the income limit; and 2. For owner-occupied housing, the initial sale price of each restricted unit shall be affordable to income-eligible households and resale prices must allow modest growth in homeowner equity while maintaining long-term affordability for subsequent eligible homebuyers, all as determined by the Director of Housing, consistent with Council-adopted Housing Funding Policies if funded by the Office of Housing or subsections 23.58C.050.C.7.a and 23.58C.050.C.7.b if not funded by the Office of Housing. "University." See "Institution." "Urban plaza." See "Plaza, urban." "Urban center" means an area designated as an urban center in Seattle's Comprehensive Plan. "Usable open space." See "Open space, usable." "Use" means the purpose for which land or a structure is designed, built, arranged, intended, occupied, maintained, let or leased. "Use, accessory" means a use that is incidental to a principal use. "Use, ancillary" means a nonindustrial activity that occurs in association with a principal use in an Urban Industrial Zone that is subordinate or secondary in ways other than occupied floor space to the principal use and assists to carry out the chief function or purpose of the principal use, for purposes of Chapter 23.50A . "Use, conditional" means a use or other feature of development that may be permitted when authorized by the Director of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections ("administrative conditional use"), or by the Council ("Council conditional use"), pursuant to specified criteria. "Use, nonconforming" means a use of land or a structure that was lawful when established and that does not now conform to the use regulations of the zone in which it is located, or that has otherwise been established as nonconforming according to section 23.42.102 . "Use, principal" means a use that is not incidental to another use. "Utility" means a use in which power, water or other similar items are provided or transmitted; or sewage is treated, or solid waste is stored, transferred, recycled or incinerated. High-impact uses and utility lines are not considered utilities. Subject to the foregoing exclusions, utilities include but are not limited to the following uses: 1. "Communication utilities, major." See "communication devices and utilities." 2. "Communication utilities, minor." See "communication devices and utilities." 3. "District energy supply facility" means a utility use in which hot water, steam, or electricity is produced for local distribution to structures on two or more lots. Examples include sewer heat recovery pumps, ground-source heat pumps, standalone solar collection facilities, biodigesters, and heat recovery incinerators. 4. "Power plant" means a utility use in which power in the form of electricity is produced by wind, solar or water forces or the combustion of materials such as coal, oil, or gas and/or in which steam is produced by combustion or electricity. A nuclear power plant, solid waste incineration facility and the concurrent incidental production of electricity or useful heating or mechanical energy, or cogeneration, as well as the recovery of waste heat, are not considered a power plant. The production and use of electricity produced from solar energy or other sources of natural energy as an accessory use is not a power plant use, and the sale of excess energy so produced is not evidence of a power plant use. 5. "Recycling" means a utility use in which recyclable materials are collected, stored, and/or processed, by crushing, breaking, sorting and/or packaging. 6. "Sewage treatment plant" means a utility use in which sanitary or combined sewage is received, treated, and discharged, but does not include: Conveyance lines and associated underground storage facilities; pumping stations; or commercial or industrial facilities for "pretreatment" of sewage prior to discharge into the sewer system. 7. "Solid waste management" means a utility use in which solid waste other than recyclable materials is collected, stored, processed or incinerated. Solid waste management includes, but is not limited to, the following uses: a. "Salvage yard" means a solid waste management use in which junk, waste, discarded or salvaged materials, including materials and household items salvaged from deconstructed or demolished residential structures, are bought, sold, exchanged, stored, baled, packed, disassembled, or handled, including automobile wrecking yards, house-wrecking yards, and places or yards for storage of salvaged house-wrecking and structural steel materials and equipment, but only when such activity is not conducted primarily within an enclosed building, and excluding the following: pawnshops and establishments for the sale, purchase, or storage of used furniture, used cars in operable condition, used or salvaged machinery in operable condition or the processing of used, discarded or salvaged materials as a minor part of manufacturing operations. b. "Solid waste incineration facilities" means a solid waste management use in which solid waste is reduced by mass burning, prepared fuel combustion, pyrolysis or any other means, regardless of whether or not the heat of combustion of solid waste is used to produce power. Heat-recovery incinerators and the incidental production of electricity or useful heating or mechanical energy, or cogeneration, are not considered a solid waste incineration facility. c. "Solid waste landfills" means a solid waste management use in which solid waste is permanently placed in or on land, including sanitary landfills and compliance cell landfills. d. "Solid waste transfer station" means a solid waste management use in which discarded materials are collected for transfer to another location for disposal by compaction, shredding or separating, but does not include processing that changes the chemical content of the material. 8. "Utility services use" means a utility use that provides the system for transferring or delivering power, water, sewage, storm water runoff, or other similar substances. Examples include electrical substations, pumping stations, and trolley transformers. (Ord. 127376 , § 88, 2025; Ord. 127375 , § 108, 2025; Ord. 126862 , § 22, 2023; Ord. 126855 , § 76, 2023; Ord. 125173 , § 12, 2016; Ord. 124919 , § 166, 2015; Ord. 124378 , § 95, 2013; Ord. 123963, § 32, 2012; Ord. 123872, § 7, 2012; Ord. 123495, § 91, 2011; Ord. 122311 , § 100, 2006.)
Source: Seattle Municipal Code (Municode library)URL: https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_codeFetched: 7/25/2026