Guide · Bellevue · King County · Updated July 2026
How many units can you build in Bellevue?
If you own or are evaluating a residential lot in Bellevue, the first question is almost always the same: how many homes can legally go on it? Since Washington's HB 1110 middle-housing law took effect, the answer for most Bellevue lots is now more than one. Bellevue allows 4 units per lot by right in its low-density residential districts, and up to 6 within a quarter-mile walk of major transit.
Bellevue at a glance: 4 units per lot by right, up to 6 with the city's bonus, plus up to 2 ADUs under HB 1337. Source: LUC 20.20.538 Table C.1 (Ord. 6851).
What Bellevue's adopted code allows
Bellevue allows 4 units per lot by right in its low-density residential districts, and up to 6 within a quarter-mile walk of major transit. Floor-area ratio (0.5, dropping to 0.3 above 10,000 sf) is usually the binding constraint on what fits.
The details: 6 within a quarter-mile walk of a major transit stop. These are Bellevue's city-wide standards, per LUC 20.20.538 Table C.1 (Ord. 6851); the exact figure for a specific parcel — its zone, lot size, transit proximity, and critical areas — is what a Civexa report resolves.
What actually fits: floor area, height, and setbacks
HB 1110 and the city code set the right to a number of units; the zone's building envelope sets what physically fits. Floor-area ratio, lot coverage, height, and setbacks together decide whether those homes pencil as detached cottages, a townhouse row, or a stacked-flat building. Civexa models Bellevue's base residential height at about 32 feet, which — with setbacks and floor-area limits — caps how many of those homes physically fit. Civexa computes this envelope for Bellevue zone by zone, so the unit count you see is one the zoning can actually hold.
What can shrink it: critical areas
Steep slopes, wetlands, streams, and flood zones can override the unit math on a specific parcel. A lot that qualifies for the maximum on paper may be constrained once environmentally critical areas are mapped. Civexa screens FEMA flood, slope, and county critical-area layers for every Bellevue address so you find this out before you make an offer, not after.
Get the exact number for your Bellevue parcel
The figures above are Bellevue's city-wide rules. The number that matters is the one for your address — its zone, lot size, transit proximity, and critical areas. Civexa turns that into a full feasibility report in about a minute: unit count, buildable envelope, a preliminary pro forma, utilities, and permit path.
Run a Bellevue feasibility report →
Frequently asked
How many units can I build on a residential lot in Bellevue?
Bellevue allows 4 units per lot by right in its low-density residential districts, and up to 6 within a quarter-mile walk of major transit. That is per LUC 20.20.538 Table C.1 (Ord. 6851). The exact number for a specific parcel still depends on its zone, lot size, transit proximity, and critical areas — run a Civexa report for the parcel-level figure.
Can I add ADUs on top of that in Bellevue?
Washington's HB 1337 allows up to two accessory dwelling units on a residential lot. In some cities they count toward the middle-housing total and in others they are separate — your Civexa report applies Bellevue's specific rule.
What unlocks the maximum in Bellevue?
6 within a quarter-mile walk of a major transit stop.