Puyallup eases laws, fees on tiny homes, backyard cottages, basement apartments
Adding a second living space to your Puyallup property just became easier.
The city has amended regulations and reduced fees for so-called additional dwelling units. Property owners can now have two-bedroom secondary dwellings instead of only one-bedroom units, and impact fees are dropping by 80 percent, Puyallup announced Jan. 13.
Tiny homes, an apartment over a garage, backyard cottage or a basement apartment are all considered additional dwelling units, or ADUs. As housing prices rise, Mayor Julie Door said she hopes this will offer an alternative option for residents.
“An ADU can house extended family or be rented for income that allows a homeowner to remain in their home,” Door said in a statement.
Impact fees for an ADU’s could cost a property owner up to $25,000. The revisions have lowered the max fees to $13,000, according to Puyallup estimates. The impact fees help fund parks, schools and other infrastructure.
Puyallup’s senior city planner, Chris Beale, said the intention of the revisions is to encourage more “mother-in-law units” or backyard apartments. Puyallup has permitted only six ADUs since 2014 when the council first passed legislation allowing such homes.
“We don’t have analytics on how much the changes will actually serve to encourage their construction, but we anticipate that folks who were previously discouraged by the overall permitting costs may again consider constructing these types of units,” Beale told The Herald in an email.
The homes are allowed in all residential zones, but the law includes construction requirements, like banning plywood and similar sheet siding material. Secondary living spaces cannot be 40 percent larger than the initial home. The maximum size is between 700 and 900 square feet, Puyallup’s spokesperson Brenda Fritsvold said. The ADU “must be compatible with the characteristics of the neighborhood.”
The revised code does not apply for tiny homes on wheels. The council voted last year to reject tiny, wheeled homes as affordable housing.
Tacoma passed modified regulations on ADUs in March to allow for short-term rentals, decreased the maximum size to 1,000 feet and required regular ADU data reporting to the City Council.
