REALTOR®–Proposed Lot-Splitting Policy Advances in King County

Advocating strongly for policies that increase housing supply and housing affordability—especially for middle-income buyers in the King County Comprehensive Plan update—REALTORS® proposed a lot-splitting comprehensive plan amendment in targeted jurisdictions. The amendment would allow for the development of detached single-family residences and middle housing types through the splitting of a single residential lot into two residential lots. The underlying zoning would remain the same, and the ability to split a lot would offer an ownership alternative to a condominium declaration for ADUs and DADUs.

We argued that allowing an existing residential lot to be split into two lots can offer many advantages to both the existing homeowner and to prospective homebuyers. It can provide current owners the opportunity to maintain homeownership in changing life circumstances, while also providing new homebuyers with a more affordable ownership opportunity. Additionally, lot splitting will provide additional opportunities for sales to affordable housing providers or homeownership facilitators that may be exempt from state real estate excise tax under chapter 82.45 RCW.

In an important win, King County Councilmember Sarah Perry, who chairs the Local Services and Land Use Committee has added lot-splitting to the Comprehensive Plan update. As the council continued to debate the proposal, we will be working to secure adoption of the lot-splitting provision.