Concrete Patios & Stairs in Tukwila, WA

Patios & stairs in Tukwila: what to know

For decks the exemption sheet sets four conditions: 200 square feet at most, within 30 inches of the ground everywhere, standing apart from the house, and not the landing for a required exit door. Patios, slabs, and stairs are not on the list, so a raised slab or steps at the back door are a question for the Permit Center. The city’s zoning page lists low-density residential setbacks of 20 feet front, 10 feet rear, and 5 feet on the sides, and exempt work must still meet them.

Hillside lots add review. The city’s geotechnical guideline lets Community Development require a report for work on sites containing or adjacent to slopes of 15 percent or more. Near the river, filling or grading in a special flood hazard area takes a Flood Zone Control Permit.

Permits and rules in Tukwila

Raised or attached work goes through the Permit Center in Community Development. A Critical Area Designation Permit applies to property with, or within 150 feet of, a confirmed or potential critical area, such as an unstable slope, watercourse, wetland, or coal mine hazard. We look up your parcel’s critical area and flood layers, and we ask the Permit Center how it classifies the slab and steps, 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

Pull the setbacks and the lot’s development area allowance before sizing the patio
Check the critical area and flood maps for the lot’s distance to a hazard
Probe for soft fill on valley-floor lots before setting the patio base
Cut steps and landings to the real grade of a sloped yard

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 Tukwila

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

Questions from Tukwila homeowners

Can I pour a patio over 200 square feet in Tukwila without a permit?

The 200 square foot figure belongs to the city’s deck exemption, which also caps height and bars attachment to the house. A concrete patio is not named there, so we ask the Permit Center how your slab is classified before pouring anything raised.

Does a steep backyard in Tukwila need a soils report before I build a patio?

Possibly. The geotechnical guideline says Community Development may require a report for work on sites containing or adjacent to slopes of 15 percent or more, and the critical areas code requires one on mapped unstable slopes. A flat valley-floor yard is a different case.

Is a patio near the Green River treated differently in Tukwila?

It can be. Development in a special flood hazard area, including filling and grading, takes a Flood Zone Control Permit, and shoreline rules reach 200 feet landward of the river’s ordinary high water mark. We pull the flood and shoreline maps for your lot first.