Historical Zoning Records in King County

King County began its zoning program in 1937, when state legislation authorized local land use planning.

For twenty years, the county issued zoning codes, made zoning decisions about parcels of county land, and issued maps showing how those parcels had been zoned.

In 1958 a ruling (PDF, 242KB) by Superior Court Judge Malcom Douglas invalidated all county zoning actions on a technicality of law (the county had not enacted a comprehensive plan). Individuals or attorneys must determine the effects or the legality of pre-1958 zoning with regard to specific issues or properties.

King County re-enacted its pre-1958 zoning actions in legally sufficient form via Commissioner's Resolution 18801 (August 12, 1958). This resolution remained in effect, with amendments, until 1964-1965, when King County developed a new comprehensive plan and with it, new zoning regulations and maps.

King County currently performs three functions relating to zoning:

1. Establishes zoning classifications stating what kind of structures and activities can be undertaken on what kind of unincorporated county land).

2. Applies the zoning classifications to specific parcels of land.

3. Adjudicates appeals from property owners regarding zoning decisions. Since the early 1960s this function has been handled by the Hearing Examiner, previously known as the Building and Subdivision Examiner. Please contact the Hearing Examiner's Office if you have any questions regarding zoning appeals.

Before 1969, zoning classifications were established by Commissioners' resolutions. The resolutions define the classifications (residential, commercial, suburban, etc.), their sub-classification levels, and the kind of structures and activities permitted by each level of each classification. The classifications are represented alphanumerically, for example, R-1, C-2.

The major zoning resolutions (zoning codes) are listed below. They are available in Adobe Acrobat format (.PDF). You will need a .PDF viewer to view these documents. To download the free software, visit King County's PDF help page.

6494 (1937)
Res6494 (PDF, 3153KB )
King County's "first zoning code"

11373 (1949)
Res11373 (PDF, 1917KB) 
Repealed 6494

16426 (1956)
Res16426-1 (PDF, 1657KB)
Res16426-2 (PDF, 693KB)
Repealed 11373

18801 (1958)
Res18801Part1 (PDF, 2748KB)
Res18801Part 2 (PDF, 2820KB)
Technical re-enactment of county zoning after court rulings.

25789 (1964)
Res25789-1 (PDF, 3850KB)
Res25789-2 (PDF, 3671KB)
Res25789-3 (PDF, 3749KB)

First enacted in 1963 as a part of King County's first Comprehensive Plan; re-enacted with all amendments and previous zoning legislation, January 1964.

These codes only define the classifications.

They do not tell how the classifications were applied to a specific parcel of land.
That function was carried out by the related maps that were generated under the authority of the resolutions.

The county commissioners designated the King County Planning Commission to handle zoning matters.

The commission generated large-scale zoning maps (also called "district maps" or "area maps") that showed the classification of specific properties in King County. Here is an example of part of a zoning map:

Figure 1. Map showing historical zoning of individual properties near Saltwater State Park in south King County.


In 1967, staff of the former King County Planning Department prepared an index list (PDF, 253KB) of all maps that had been generated to that date under the five Commissioner resolutions (zoning codes).

The original maps were filed with the County Auditor. They have since been dispersed. Most have not been located. They may no longer exist. However, many reduced- or full-sized reproductions are available at the King County Archives and the Puget Sound [state] Regional Archives in Bellevue. A few maps from the 1940s are also held by the University of Washington. Please contact the King County Archives to determine which repository may hold maps relevant to your property.

Finding and accessing zoning maps is easier if you can provide us with the section, township and range coordinates of your property. These are survey coordinates and they can be found in the legal description of your property. They are usually written, "18-25-5" or "S18, T25, R5."

We can also find the property using just the address.

The map, when located, will tell you the zoning classification of the subject property. This classification will be defined and explained in the relevant zoning resolution, zoning code, relating to the map.

Not all properties in unincorporated King County were zoned by county government prior to 1969. If you do not find a zoning code applied to your property on a pre-1969 zoning map, it may not have been zoned until later.

Please contact the Archives with questions about zoning maps, or to schedule a viewing appointment.

Rezones of individual property parcels were approved or denied by the Commissioners, based on Planning Commission recommendations. The recommendation was made in the form of a Planning Commission resolution. These resolutions no longer exist as such, but the Planning Commission resolution number (sometimes found on old documents) can serve as a cross-reference to existing documents. 
 
The rezone action was affirmed in another kind of resolution, a County Commissioners' resolution. Please contact the Archives for a search of these resolutions.

Rezoning resolutions may have supporting documentation attached. This documentation can include copies of Planning Commission records (the only real source of Planning Commission records is as attachments) and related "vicinity" maps.

The vicinity maps are enlarged extracts of the relevant zoning maps. Additional information includes property owner name, legal description of property parcel, township-range-section notation, proposed reclassification code, and proposed new use of property. Each vicinity map also refers to the specific zoning map amended by the change, and is cross-referenced to Planning Commission and County Commissioner resolutions approving the rezone.

Figure 2. Example of a rezone map


The "ZA" (zoning application) file number, an internal agency identifier, may also appear on the vicinity map. The "ZA" files no longer exist as such, but the number is sometimes stated on old property documents.

Some indexing is provided by the Index to Commissioner Records, which has name references to owners of rezoned property linked to exact dates of rezones. This handwritten index is available at the King County Archives; contact Archives staff for additional information.

During the 1970s, King County initiated its Community Planning Program, which built on the comprehensive plan adopted in 1964. Citizen groups and planners developed community plans that revised the earlier "district maps" (now known as "area zoning"), provided capital improvement recommendations, and provided planning policies for subareas. Between 1974 and 1994 zoning guidelines and zoning maps were prepared for the following communities and areas:

• Cumberland, Friday Creek, Kanaskat, Kangley, Lester, Palmer, Selleck, and adjacent wilderness areas
• East Sammamish
• Enumclaw
• Federal Way
• Highline
• Lower Snoqualmie Valley
• Maple Valley - Black Diamond
• McMicken Heights
• Newcastle
• North Bend
• Northshore
• Rose Hill
• Shoreline
• Snoqualmie
• Snoqualmie Pass area
• Snoqualmie Valley
• Soos Creek Plateau
• Stevens Pass and upper Skykomish
• Tahoma / Raven Heights
• Vashon
• West Hill
• White Center

Copies of the community plans and their accompanying zoning maps were included as attachments to the county's ordinances authorizing the plans. The King County Archives holds ordinances and their attachments as part of its legislative files. The King County Document Collection also contains copies of many of the community plans in both their draft and final versions. Please contact the Archives regarding zoning information for the above areas during the period 1974-1994.

Current Zoning Records

Please contact the Department of Development and Environmental Services for current zoning information.