SB 5470 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Establishing limitations on detached accessory dwelling units outside urban growth areas.

SB 5470 establishes rules for detached accessory dwelling units (secondary housing units) on single-family properties outside urban growth areas in Washington. It limits each parcel to one such unit, caps size at 1,296 square feet (excluding garages), requires water/sewer capacity documentation, and mandates units be within 150 feet of the main home. Counties must annually track permits and short-term rentals, update land use plans to account for these units, and prohibit short-term rentals unless the main home is owner-occupied. The bill applies to rural and suburban areas where counties currently allow such units.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Feb 26, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute Bill Second Substitute Bill · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill was renumbered from S-1465.1 to S-4751.1 and reclassified as a Second Substitute Bill, indicating it has been amended and is ready for further review. The legislative session year was updated from 2025 to 2026, and the initial reading date was moved from February 13, 2025, to February 4, 2026, reflecting the bill's progression through the legislative process.
Scope change
The bill's substantive scope regarding accessory dwelling unit limitations remains unchanged; only the bill's identification numbers and procedural timeline were updated.
TECHNICAL

The bill number was changed from S-1465.1 to S-4751.1 to reflect its status as a Second Substitute Bill after amendments.

TIMELINE

The session year was updated from 2025 to 2026, and the first reading date was shifted to February 4, 2026.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
6
Committee
9
Feb 4, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Housing at 10:30 AM.
upper
Jan 21, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing at 10:30 AM.
upper
Jan 12, 2026
Committee
Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. On motion, referred to Housing.
upper
Jan 12, 2026
Introduced
By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
upper
Feb 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
upper
Feb 13, 2025
Committee
Referred to Ways & Means.
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Committee
And refer to Ways & Means.
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Housing at 10:30 AM.
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Housing at 10:30 AM.
upper
Jan 31, 2025
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing at 10:30 AM.
upper
1 primary · 6 co-sponsors

Sponsors