How Close to the Property Line Can You Build a Shop in Rural Spokane County? Setbacks, Height and Lot Coverage (2026)

Short answer: on most rural Spokane County acreage, a shop has to sit at least 25 feet back from the front (street) property line and at least 5 feet from the side and rear lines, and that 5 feet grows by a foot for every foot the building is taller than 25 feet. Before you pick a spot for a new metal building or pole barn, here are the County's zoning numbers for rural lots, how height is measured, how much of the lot you can cover, and the mistakes that most often force a redesign.

This guide covers unincorporated rural zones in Spokane County (Rural Traditional, Rural-5, Rural Activity Center, Urban Reserve and Rural Conservation). Cities such as Spokane, Spokane Valley, Cheney, Medical Lake, Airway Heights, Deer Park and Liberty Lake have their own zoning codes, and the County's urban zones follow different rules.

Step 1: Find your parcel's zone

Every number below depends on the zone. Look up your parcel on the County's SCOUT map, which shows zoning, or call Spokane County Building & Planning. Many acreage lots around Deer Park, Mead, Colbert, Nine Mile Falls, Cheney and the West Plains are zoned Rural Traditional (RT) or Rural-5 (R-5).

Step 2: Setbacks for a shop on rural land

From Table 618-3 of the Spokane County Zoning Code (Lot Standards for Rural Zones):

• Front yard and flanking street yard: at least 25 feet from the property line, in every rural zone
• Side and rear yards: at least 5 feet, plus 1 additional foot for each foot of structure height over 25 feet
• Measured from the property line, not the edge of the road, fence or curb
• No storage in the front or flanking street yards on lots that aren't primary agricultural parcels; outdoor storage elsewhere has to be inside a building or screened from view

A County public notice for a 2025 variance request on a quarter-acre RT lot near Liberty Lake shows these rules in action: it cites the 25-foot front and 5-foot side setbacks the owner needed a variance to reduce. Variances are a separate application with a public notice and a Hearing Examiner hearing, so it is far easier to design the building to fit.

Worked example: a tall RV shop

Say you want a building that is 30 feet tall at its highest point so a motorhome door fits:

• 30 feet minus 25 feet = 5 extra feet
• Side and rear setback = 5 feet + 5 feet = 10 feet minimum

Keep in mind that eaves, gutters and the overhang of a roof extend past the wall line, and your building still has to stay out of any easement.

Step 3: Height limits and how the County measures height

Table 618-3 limits residential buildings to 35 feet in all rural zones. For non-residential buildings the limit varies by zone:

• Rural-5: 45 feet
• Rural Activity Center: 35 feet
• Urban Reserve: 50 feet
• Rural Traditional and Rural Conservation: no height requirement in the table

The County's height handout (BP-70) explains that building height is measured from the average finished grade to the highest point of the roof, with exceptions for items such as skylights and chimneys. On a sloped lot, the high side and low side are averaged, so a building can be taller on its downhill wall than the number you'd expect. Ask us to run the math on a sloped site before you commit to a door height.

Step 4: How much of the lot you can cover

Table 618-3 also caps total building coverage, which counts the house, shop, garage and other buildings together:

• Rural-5: 25% of lot area
• Rural Traditional: 20%
• Rural Activity Center: 50%
• Urban Reserve and Rural Conservation: 20%

On a 5-acre lot (217,800 sq ft), 25% is about 54,450 sq ft of buildings, so coverage rarely limits a shop on acreage. It matters on smaller, older lots: the County's permit exemption list also says adding structures cannot push a property over its lot coverage limit.

Step 5: Easements, utilities and septic

The County's permit exemption handout (BP-25) spells out rules that apply even to small sheds, and they apply to a shop too:

• No structures in land use setbacks or easements
• No building over utilities unless those utilities are upgraded to meet building code
• No building in the County right-of-way without prior approval from Public Works
• Critical areas and shorelines (steep slopes, wetlands and their buffers, shoreline areas) bring extra requirements

Septic tanks and drainfields have their own required separations under the Spokane Regional Health District, so we mark the septic system and any well before we lay out a building.

Step 6: You will still need a building permit

The County only exempts one-story detached accessory buildings used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses with 200 sq ft or less of floor area. Any real shop, pole barn or PEMB needs a building permit, and electrical work is permitted separately through Washington L&I. Our Spokane-area permit guide for shops, pole barns and garages walks through the process, and our snow load guide covers the design loads your building will be engineered for.

Can you run a business out of the shop?

Rural zones treat this carefully:

• Home profession: may not occupy a detached accessory building, so a shop doesn't qualify
• Home industry: may use detached accessory structures that are not, in total, larger than 2 times the gross floor area of the home, with family members plus no more than 2 outside employees, and it is subject to conditions set by the Hearing Examiner

If you're planning a contractor shop or a business use, tell us up front so the building and site plan fit the use you'll actually apply for.

What the building itself costs

Raven's going rate for an installed pre-engineered metal building or pole building in the Spokane area is about $60 to $75 per sq ft. Electrical, plumbing and utility hookups are not included and are extra. Site work such as grading, gravel and driveway approaches varies by parcel. Our shop size guide shows what common sizes run.

Before you pick the spot: a quick checklist

• Look up the parcel's zone
• Find your property corners (a survey is the safest way when corners are missing)
• Mark the septic tank, drainfield, well and buried utilities
• Check the title report or plat for easements
• Decide your tallest door and roof height, then work out the side and rear setback
• Leave room for an apron, turning room and a driveway to the doors

Get a site plan and quote

Raven Buildings designs and builds PEMB metal buildings and pole buildings across Spokane, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties, with the slab poured by our own concrete crew. Because we aren't tied to one steel manufacturer, we source each building from whoever can deliver fastest. Call 509-350-2016 or request a free quote with your address and the building you have in mind, and we'll help you place it on the lot. See our steel building services.

Sources

• Installed pricing: Raven Buildings' current going rate for the Spokane area
• Spokane County Zoning Code (official), Chapter 14.618 Rural Zones, Table 618-3 Lot Standards
• Spokane County Zoning Code Chapter 14.600 zone classifications, 2020 printing (copy used for Table 618-3 and home industry/profession standards)
• Spokane County notice VE-01-25, setback and height variance in the Rural Traditional zone
• Spokane County BP-70 Building Height
• Spokane County BP-25 Permit Exemptions
• Spokane County Building FAQ (setbacks and jurisdiction)
• Spokane County SCOUT map