Concrete Patios & Stairs in Kent, WA

Patios & stairs in Kent: what to know

Lake Meridian, Lake Fenwick, Panther Lake, and portions of Big Soos, Jenkins, and Springbrook Creeks fall under Kent’s Shoreline Master Program, and critical area buffers can apply beside them. The code’s building setback line next to a buffer keeps structures such as sheds and homes out, but names uncovered at-grade decks and patios among the things allowed in it.

Inside a FEMA flood hazard area, the issue is fill. Kent’s flood chapter defines fill broadly and allows no net fill, so raising a patio with imported soil can need review on its own. On a slope, the landing and short stair often matter more than the slab.

Permits and rules in Kent

Whether a ground-level patio needs a building permit is a Permit Center answer, and raised slabs, attached work, and stairs are the likelier triggers. Patio area adds to the drainage count, and development in a mapped flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit before it starts. We look up the Permit Center’s position on your slab, plus the flood and critical area maps, before we quote.

Rules change and vary by parcel, so we confirm the current requirements with the city before we start.

How we approach it

Check the parcel against flood and critical area maps before laying out
Keep the slab at existing grade so no fill is needed
Land stair treads and landings on undisturbed, compacted ground on slopes
Add patio area to the 2,000 square foot drainage count early

For the full process, see our Concrete Patios & Stairs page.

Building in the cold months? See our guide to winter concrete pours.

Our patios & stairs work, serving Kent

Examples of our work. We build patios & stairs in Kent and the cities around it. See all of our work

Questions from Kent homeowners

Can I pour a patio near Lake Meridian or Panther Lake in Kent without special review?

Not automatically. Both lakes fall under Kent’s Shoreline Master Program, and buffers can apply near water. The code allows uncovered at-grade patios in the building setback line beside a buffer, which is different from building inside the buffer. We check the shoreline and buffer maps for your parcel first.

Can I build up my Kent yard with fill for a level patio?

In a FEMA flood hazard area, Kent allows no net fill: soil brought in must be balanced by soil removed, and walls count as fill. Elsewhere, large soil moves can trigger the city’s grade and fill and drainage review. We look at cutting the patio into the slope instead.

My Kent yard slopes. Will the city treat my patio as a hazard-area project?

Only if the lot meets Kent’s landslide hazard definition, which includes slopes of 40 percent or more rising 10 feet or more. Mapped hazard areas are a guide, and conditions on the lot govern. We check the city’s maps and measure the slope.