ADU Permits in Everett
Rules for detached (DADU) and attached (AADU) accessory dwelling units in Everett, Snohomish County.
Free lookup. We’ll resolve your zoning, setbacks, and which ADU types are allowed on your specific parcel.
Choose an ADU type for your parcel
State law (RCW 36.70A.681) requires Everett to allow two ADUs on a lot in a single-family zone — one attached and one detached, two attached, or two detached — except on lots with critical areas or their buffers. An address’s own page checks its lot’s zoning.
DADU — Detached
Backyard cottage with its own foundation and roof. Most flexibility on layout.
AADU — Attached
Part of the house or built onto it: a converted basement or garage, or an addition.
Pre-approved plans
Designs certified through the city’s Residential Basics program, licensed from their designers: the design review is done, the lot still gets its own permit.
Everett permit-process facts
ADU permit fees
Set by the Everett fee schedule.
Fee scheduleEverett sets an ADU's valuation at $193 a square foot and prices the building permit on it: $818.75 plus $21.75 for each $1,000 over $25,000 up to $50,000, $1,362.50 plus $20.75 for each $1,000 over $50,000 up to $100,000, and $2,400 plus $8.75 for each $1,000 over $100,000 up to $500,000. Plan review adds 75% of that fee and Planning's review 10%, plus the $6.50 state building code fee. For a new dwelling unit the mechanical permit is the $130 base fee plus $60 for up to 1,000 square feet of conditioned floor space or $90 up to 2,000; plumbing is $130 plus $20 for each fixture; and the City's electrical permit is $100 under 1,000 square feet or $150 up to 2,000. The transportation impact fee for an ADU is $3,115, but a net increase of one ADU triggers none; ADUs pay no school impact fee; the parks impact fee ($1,133 for a studio or one bedroom, $2,268 for two, $3,401 for three or more) is halved for one or two ADUs added to a lot whose house stays. Where the ADU takes a new 3/4-inch City water meter, water and sewer system development fees are $9,433 ($5,159 water, $4,274 sewer), and new impervious area pays $0.3624 a square foot in stormwater system development fees.
Review timeline
Typical: 30–90 business days
Measured, detached ADU: half issued within 312 days of application, 80% within 45475 permits, last 12 months. Source: City of Everett building permits, data.everettwa.gov dataset 3w3u-656c (residential types).
HB 1337 conformance
Everett permits at least two ADUs per single-family lot, with no owner-occupancy requirement and parking limits that respect the HB 1337 ceilings.
These are Everett’s ADU rules as Kolmo reads them; an address’s own page adds its setbacks, easements and critical-area buffers. Source: app.leg.wa.gov, last verified 2026-09-07.
ADU permits in Everett — FAQ
Does Everett allow detached ADUs (DADUs)?
Yes. Washington's HB 1337 (RCW 36.70A.681) requires Everett to allow at least two accessory dwelling units on a lot in a single-family zone within the urban growth area, attached or detached in any combination, except on lots with critical areas or their buffers.
What is the maximum ADU size in Everett?
State law bars a city from setting a maximum ADU size below 1,000 sq ft of gross floor area (RCW 36.70A.681(1)(f)). Everett's own maximum may be higher — the per-parcel page shows it with the city's code citation.
How long does ADU permit review take in Everett?
Everett's ADU permits typically review in 30–90 business days. Pre-approved standard plans (where available) cut this further.
How long does it actually take to get a detached ADU permit in Everett?
75 permits issued in the last 12 months: half were issued within 312 days of application and 80% within 454 (over-the-counter and plan-reviewed together; the City's records do not separate them). Measured by Kolmo from City of Everett building permits, data.everettwa.gov dataset 3w3u-656c (residential types).