King County development conditions search engine

• About the search engine
• How to use the search engine
• Information available from the search engine
• History and background

In 1997, the completion of the Phase II zoning conversion effort (see history and background for more information) brought all property-specific development standards (also known as P-suffixes) in line with current state and county regulations.

The development conditions search engine allows users to search for both pre-conversion and post-conversion development condition information.

IMPORTANT NOTE! Please be aware that a search at this site will list only those area-specific regulations that are associated with the P-suffix conversion.  Other area-specific regulations may apply to a parcel that are not part of this system. For more information about other types of area-specific regulations that might apply to your property, please contact DDES customer service at 206-296-6600.

Choose a search method below by clicking on the appropriate button and then enter the number or code to find P-suffix conditions, Special District Overlays, special drainage requirements, and certain clearing restrictions.

About the search engine

The development search engine provides information on the p-suffixes and selected other development conditions, both before and after Phase II conversion. For each pre-conversion condition, the site provides a page containing the text of the condition, the number and date of the ordinance which put that condition into effect, what changes the condition underwent during conversion, and the rationale for those changes. If the pre-conversion condition was retained or replaced, a link to its post-conversion equivalent is also provided.

For each post-conversion condition, the site provides a page containing the text of the of the condition, the number and date of the ordinance which put the condition into effect, a map of the area covered by the condition, and the post-conversion history of the regulation, as needed. If the condition has a corresponding pre-conversion condition, a link to the pre-conversion condition is provided. Not all current conditions have corresponding pre-conversion conditions.

How to use this search engine

Parcel-specific search

You may search for condition information on a specific property by using your parcel identification number. Simply enter the 10-digit parcel ID number (your tax ID number) in the ‘Parcel Identification Number’ box, select this as your search method by clicking the small round button to the left of this line (a black dot will appear inside) and click on the ‘Search’ button.

The page which appears will provide two lists of conditions: those which applied prior to conversion (‘Pre-Conversion Conditions’) and those which are currently in effect (‘Current Conditions’). To view the text of any of these conditions, simply highlight the condition you wish to know about and click on the ‘Get Text’ button below. The text of the regulation will appear along with other useful information about the condition (as described above). If you wish to compare this text with that of the pre- or post-conversion regulation, you may scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the link to the ‘Pre- or Post-Conversion Equivalent’. This will link you to the appropriate page.

Condition search

You may search for information on a given p-suffix or p-suffix replacement condition by entering the number of the condition you wish to know about in the ‘Development Condition Code’ box and then clicking the ‘Search’ button. This will link you to the desired page. Information on both pre- and post-conversion conditions may be accessed in this way. To identify specific code numbers, please consult the p-suffix conversion summary matrix.

Information available from the search engine

The information available at this site includes the following:

• a list of the current p-suffix conditions or codes replacing pre-conversion p-suffix conditions which apply to a property
• a list of pre-conversion p-suffix conditions which applied to a property prior to conversion
• a list of additional conditions that were relevant to the p-suffix conversion process
• the text of all listed conditions
• the rationale for any changes that were made to pre-conversion conditions during the conversion process
• maps showing the application area of most current listed conditons
• links between the current and pre-conversion sides of the interface.

History and background

In 1995, King County adopted zoning classifications to implement the new zoning code (Title 21A) and the 1994 King County Comprehensive Plan. The first phase of this zoning conversion from Title 21 (the original zoning code adopted in 1963) to Title 21A carried forward existing p-suffix conditions for consideration under the new zoning code. Adopted Ordinances 12822, 12823, and 12824 completed the second and final phase of the zoning code conversion to Title 21A by repealing, replacing or converting all existing p-suffix conditions.

A p-suffix condition is a property specific development standard which has been placed on specific properties through either an area zoning process (adoption of a Community Plan for example) or by a property owner initiated rezone. P-suffix conditions increase development standards or limit uses beyond the general requirements of the zoning code. For example, a p-suffix condition may require that access to a property be taken from a specific roadway, or it may restrict the property to a specific use (e.g. a convenience store). They are referred to as p-suffix conditions because a "P" is added at the end of the base zoning classification for the property (e.g. R-4-P).

On July 28, 1997, the Metropolitan King County Council adopted Proposed Ordinances 96-260 (now Ordinance 12822), 96-261 (now Ordinance 12823), and 96-263 (now Ordinance 12824). These ordinances were the result of a comprehensive review and evaluation of all existing p-suffix conditions in relation to the new zoning code. The purpose of this review was to eliminate redundant development conditions, to simplify and clarify regulations, and to convert p-suffix conditions to Title 21A zoning with a minimum amount of change to existing regulatory standards. To accomplish these purposes, these ordinances repealed p-suffix conditions covered by the new zoning code and retained property specific p-suffix conditions that exceeded code standards.

In addition, many area-wide p-suffix conditions that exceeded code standards were replaced by Special District Overlays (SDOs) or converted to King County Code. As a result, the number of parcels with p-suffix conditions attached to their zoning classifications decreased from over 100,000 parcels county-wide to approximately 20,000 parcels. This legislation is summarized below:

Adopted Ordinance 12824 repealed existing p-suffix conditions that were covered by current code standards and retained and/or amended property specific p-suffix conditions which exceeded current code standards.

Adopted Ordinance 12822 converted existing area-wide p-suffix conditions that exceeded current code standards into King County Code Chapters 9 (Surface Water Management), 16 (Building and Construction Standards) and 21A (Zoning Code);

Adopted Ordinance 12823 replaced existing area-wide p-suffix conditions that exceeded current code standards with Special District Overlays (SDOs). Special District Overlays are notations shown on the official zoning map and are used to identify a group of individual properties (or an entire drainage basin) which is allowed or required to use alternative uses or development standards from the general provisions of the King County Code.

These ordinances do not amend the King County Comprehensive Plan, nor do they change any underlying base zoning classifications.