Barndominium Builders in Federal Way, Washington
Federal Way is a suburban city of subdivisions, lakes and wooded ravines, and nearly all of it is city lots already platted for houses. What varies is the lot size: the City's single-family zones run from 5,000 square feet up to 35,000 square feet, and the larger RS 35.0 lots are where a barn-style home with a generous garage or shop bay fits best. Only one detached house is allowed per lot, whatever its size. The City's Building Division reviews plans and issues the permit, and its checklist asks for a water availability certificate and either a sewer availability certificate or a King County septic approval. Before you apply, the City wants any wetland, stream or geologic hazard within 225 feet reviewed, which can matter on the ravine and lakeshore lots common here. Barndominium kits suit an owner who has the lot and wants a package; a custom plan makes more sense where slopes or buffers shape the footprint. If you need acreage for a true pole barn and animals, our King County page covers the rural areas to the east. Share the parcel through the survey and we will check the zone and constraints.
Federal Way at a glance
- Principal county
- King County
- Building permit
- City building department
- Land use
- City zoning, inside an urban growth area
- Wastewater
- Public sewer
- Water
- Public water system
Barndominium Builders Near Federal Way
From a turnkey build to a shell you finish yourself, the work starts with the parcel: the access, the building pad, the route to sewer or septic, and the water source. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so each option is priced against your land rather than a rate card.
Turnkey Builds
Turnkey barndominiums in Washington State: one team from land and permits to the finished, inspected house, with water, septic and energy code planned in.
Custom Plans
Custom barndominium plans for Washington State: floor plans and permit drawings with the energy code credits and your site's design values built in.
Site Preparation
Barndominium site preparation in Washington State: clearing, grading, drainage and pads, planned around the well, septic area, wetlands and the climate.
Permitting
Barndominium permits in Washington State: city or county building permit, water supply evidence, septic permit, energy code credits and rural zoning.
Barndominium Kits and Pole Barn Homes in Federal Way
A kit suits an owner who wants to raise the shell with their own crew. A pole barn home sets its frame on posts and trusses (the engineering term is post-frame construction) and suits a wide, simple layout with a shop bay under the same roof; a metal building home uses a bolted steel frame. Which one fits your parcel comes down to the zoning, the site and the design values the local building office publishes, covered below.
Barndominium Kits
Barndominium kits and shell kits for Washington State land: frame, panels and drawings, sized to the design values your city or county sets for the site.
Pole Barn Homes
Pole barn homes and pole barn house kits for Washington State: post-frame buildings with a shop and living space, designed to your county's snow load.
Metal Homes
Metal building homes in Washington State: steel-clad houses finished to the state energy code, with the insulation and condensation details done right.
Building a Barndominium in Federal Way: Permits, Zoning, Septic and Water
On rural land the zoning, septic and water answers often come before the building answer. Here is who decides each part in Federal Way, taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so check them again against your parcel before anything is drawn.
City of Federal Way Building Division (Community Development)
Federal Way's Building Division administers the building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing codes, including plan review, permit issuance and inspection. Plan-review projects are submitted electronically, and Permit Center staff answer questions about code requirements. Virtually every improvement on a residential lot requires a permit.
Source: Building Division, City of Federal Way (federalwaywa.gov)
City of Federal Way (Federal Way Revised Code Title 19)
Federal Way's single-family residential zones set minimum lot sizes of 35,000 square feet in RS 35.0, 15,000 in RS 15.0, 9,600 in RS 9.6, 7,200 in RS 7.2 and 5,000 in RS 5.0. Not more than one detached dwelling may stand on a lot regardless of its size, and a detached home is limited to 30 feet above average building elevation.
Source: Chapter 19.200 Single-Family Residential (RS), Federal Way Revised Code (codepublishing.com)
Lakehaven Water and Sewer District; Public Health – Seattle & King County for septic
The City's residential checklist requires either a Certificate of Sewer Availability or a copy of the septic approval packet from the King County health department for a new home. Sewer in most of the city comes from Lakehaven Water and Sewer District; septic approval comes from Public Health – Seattle & King County.
Source: Bulletin 106, Single Family Residential Checklist, City of Federal Way (federalwaywa.gov)
Lakehaven Water and Sewer District
Lakehaven Water and Sewer District serves the greater Federal Way area, including the City of Federal Way. The district says it does not require connection to its water or sewer except in rare cases under special agreement, but land use agencies may require its Certificate of Availability before issuing a permit. A lot without public water would need a private well and proof of adequate supply.
Source: FAQs, Lakehaven Water and Sewer District (lakehaven.org)
- Critical areas within 225 feet
- Federal Way's Single Family Residential Checklist (Bulletin 106, January 2, 2022) says all environmentally critical areas (wetlands, streams, geologically hazardous areas and their buffers) on or within 225 feet of the property should be reviewed, delineated or rated before a single-family permit is submitted, possibly with a critical areas report and peer review at the applicant's expense.
Source: Bulletin 106, Single Family Residential Checklist, City of Federal Way (federalwaywa.gov)
Building on land near Federal Way
Federal Way land is almost entirely platted city lots, so the question is which RS zone a lot carries. An RS 35.0 or RS 15.0 lot gives room for a wider barn-style footprint and a detached garage; a 5,000 to 7,200 square foot lot calls for a compact two-story design. Check early for wetlands, streams and steep ravine slopes within 225 feet, since a critical areas report can change where the house goes. Lakeshore lots also answer the shoreline and flood questions on the City's checklist. Water and sewer usually come from Lakehaven, so ask for its availability certificates. For open acreage, see King County east of the urban area, or neighboring Auburn and its conservancy zone.
Other places in this part of Washington
Seattle & King County
- Seattle
- Renton
- Kent
- Auburn
- Federal Way
- King County
Have land in or near Federal Way? Tell us about the parcel and what you want on it, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.
Building in Federal Way: questions
Start the surveyHow much does it cost to build a barndominium in Federal Way?
Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Federal Way?
Which Federal Way lots fit a barndominium with a shop?
Keep reading
What usually comes next once you know what Federal Way allows.
Barndominium Cost Guide
Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.
Read itIs a Barndominium Legal in Washington?
Zoning, rural land, septic, water and who inspects, before you buy the land.
Read itHow Long Does It Take?
From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.
Read itSources for this page
The published pages behind the Federal Way facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.
- Building Division, City of Federal WayBuilding permit authorityfederalwaywa.gov
- Chapter 19.200 Single-Family Residential (RS), Federal Way Revised CodeLand use and zoningcodepublishing.com
- Bulletin 106, Single Family Residential Checklist, City of Federal WaySewer or septic; Critical areas within 225 feetfederalwaywa.gov
- FAQs, Lakehaven Water and Sewer DistrictWater supplylakehaven.org
Other places near Federal Way
Nearby places with their own pages. Across a city limit or a county line the permit office, the zoning, the septic program and the water rules can change, so each is covered separately.
Building in Federal Way?
Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which offices decide it, what the zoning allows, and a plan to fit.