Some Houghton houses were built larger than today's floor area limits.
The reason is a change that took effect on January 1, 2023. Until then, single-family lots inside the former City of Houghton had no floor area ratio limit, also called FAR. Their size was governed by setbacks and height limits alone.
Why Houghton had its own rules until 2023
Houghton merged with Kirkland in 1968. The Houghton Community Council stayed on with the power to approve or reject Kirkland's land-use decisions inside the old Houghton city limits. As recently as November 2017, voters chose to keep the council, with 76.95% voting yes. Then the state ended community municipal corporations altogether. Under HB 1769, the Houghton council sunset on July 9, 2022.
Over the years, the council's vetoes had left a set of rules inside the old Houghton boundary that differed from the rest of Kirkland. A May 2022 city staff memo counted 13 of them. Among them: Houghton had no single-family FAR limit, it never adopted Kirkland's garage-design and front-porch rules, it allowed more boat and trailer parking on private property, and it still used older tree and landscaping rules because the council had vetoed Kirkland's newer ones.
The City Council adopted Ordinance 4811 on September 20, 2022. It amended more than 20 zoning code chapters, including those on trees and on general development standards, and it took effect January 1, 2023.
Kirkland's floor area caps by zone
Kirkland's low-density zoning chapter caps floor area at a share of the lot:
| Zone | Maximum floor area as a share of lot size |
|---|---|
| RS 35, RSX 35 | 20% |
| RS 12.5, RSX 12.5 | 35% |
| RS 8.5, RSX 8.5 | 50% |
| RS 7.2, RSX 7.2 | 50% |
| RS 6.3 | 50% |
| RS 5.0, RSX 5.0 | 50%, up to 60% on the first 5,000 sq ft if the roof and side-setback criteria are met |
When the city was preparing the 2022 changes, staff told the Planning Commission they had found multiple examples of single-family homes in the former Houghton area that were more than 30% over the proposed cap.
In 2022, staff described newly nonconforming homes as legal nonconformances.
Kirkland's middle-housing ordinance
Kirkland's 2025 middle-housing ordinance, O-4905, was adopted June 17, 2025. It allows four units per lot in residential zones, adds townhomes, stacked flats and four-unit homes to the housing types allowed in low-density zones, and removes size limits on second ADUs.
Under KZC 113.25, the maximum floor area for middle housing in low-density zones "is equal to the base zoning allowance for Detached Dwelling Units in the zone." Lot coverage and height are set the same way.
Change continues nearby. In December 2025, the City Council adopted a development plan for the city-owned Houghton Village property that would work under existing zoning, without a rezone. CBRE listed the property for sale in July 2026.
This post is general information about Kirkland's zoning code, not legal, tax or financial advice. Before acting on these rules, confirm how they apply to your property with the City of Kirkland, an attorney or a design professional.
Connect with Ankush Homes.
