Room to build — and a jurisdiction question worth answering first
Woodinville is the part of our service area where lot size stops being the constraint. Homeowners here ask for things that simply do not fit in Kirkland or Bellevue: a detached shop, a real covered outdoor kitchen, a guest cottage, a garage that holds more than two cars and a workbench. That freedom is the reason people move here, and it makes for satisfying projects.
It comes with a corresponding complication. A large share of "Woodinville" mailing addresses — much of Cottage Lake, parts of the Hollywood Hill fringe, the areas out toward Duvall Road — are unincorporated King County, not the City of Woodinville. Some of those properties are on well and septic. A septic system dictates what you can add and where, and it has to be part of the design conversation from day one, not discovered at permit review.
Neighborhoods we work in
Hollywood Hill · Wellington · Leota · Cottage Lake · Sammamish Valley · Downtown Woodinville · Bear Creek fringe
Permits and inspections in Woodinville
Inside the city limits, the City of Woodinville reviews and permits the work. Outside them, King County's permitting department does, under county rules that differ in scope, timeline and cost. Properties on septic bring the county health requirements into play — an addition that adds a bedroom can require septic capacity review, and that has ended more than one bedroom addition that was designed before anyone checked.
Wetlands, streams and steep wooded slopes are common on the larger parcels here and can require critical-area review or a buffer study. We establish which set of rules applies to your parcel before design, because designing twice is expensive.
What we build in Woodinville
- Detached shops, garages and covered outdoor structures on larger lots
- Guest cottages and detached ADUs where zoning and septic capacity allow
- Full renovations of 1970s–90s Hollywood Hill and Wellington homes
- Kitchen remodels scaled for houses that genuinely entertain
- Large cedar and composite decks built for slope, rain and real use
- New custom homes on acreage and infill parcels
Woodinville at a glance
- Based in Kirkland — Woodinville is a core service area
- We pull the permits and meet the inspectors
- Written, itemized estimates — no verbal numbers
- Bonded and insured in Washington
- Free walkthrough, written estimate
What Woodinville lets you build in the back yard, in 2026
Washington rewrote the accessory dwelling unit rules statewide, and Woodinville rewrote its code to match. Most of what homeowners here believe about ADUs is two or three years out of date.
| What people ask | Woodinville, 2026 |
|---|---|
| How many you can build | Two per parent lot — interior, attached, stacked or standalone, in any combination |
| Biggest detached unit | Between 300 and 1,500 sq ft of habitable floor area |
| Parking | Woodinville's code lists one stall per dwelling and carries no transit exemption for ADUs — which conflicts with state law. Worth confirming at the counter before you plan around a space |
| Owner occupancy | Not required. Washington abolished it statewide under RCW 36.70A.681 — you do not have to live on the lot to have an ADU, and you may rent both units |
| Who issues the permit | City of Woodinville Development Services, Permit Center |
Worth knowing in Woodinville
A detached ADU may sit right on the property line where that line abuts a dedicated public alley. Woodinville Water District charges its own ADU capacity fee under Resolution 4015 — that is a district charge, separate from anything the city collects.
Ready-made plans
Woodinville has no pre-approved plan programme.
Source: Woodinville Municipal Code 21.41.020, current through Ord. 792 (2025), plus RCW 36.70A.681. Checked 4 September 2026. Codes in this region are being rewritten faster than any web page keeps up with — we verify your parcel against the code in force on the day we submit, not against a summary.
Four ways to add a unit — a new detached building, the garage, the basement or a suite inside the house — with a calculator that takes your own numbers: see all four and what each returns →
What it costs: a new detached unit on the Eastside runs roughly $325,000 to $550,000 all in, and advertised "starting at" prices leave out $120,000 to $180,000 of site, utility and permit work. Here is the whole number, line by line →
Building in Woodinville: what works in your favor
- Woodinville handles permits directly with the city, and nearby unincorporated King County parcels file through MyBuildingPermit — we confirm which applies to you.
- Larger lots are common here — one of the best areas on the Eastside for a detached ADU.
Statewide, Washington law (HB 1337) is on your side in Woodinville: up to two ADUs are allowed on most residential lots, a detached ADU may be up to 24 ft tall with side and rear setbacks of no more than 5 ft, units up to 1,000 sq ft must be permitted, there is no owner-occupancy requirement, and no parking can be required near major transit.
Rules change and every lot is different — we verify your exact address with the city before any design work. This page is information, not legal advice.
Woodinville questions we get asked
I'm on septic. Can I still add a bedroom?
Am I in the city or in unincorporated King County?
Can you build a shop or detached garage?
Nearby areas we serve
Building in Woodinville? Let's talk.
Tell us about your project — we'll listen, come out, and give you an honest number.
Get a Free EstimateGet a free estimate in Woodinville
Tell us about your project — we'll come out, listen, and give you an honest number.
Call or text(425) 866-3940Email: office@nwhomesremodel.com
Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM · Sat by appointment
Based in Kirkland, WA — serving the Eastside and Greater Seattle