Residents priced out of traditional single-family homes in unincorporated Pierce County will soon have a new ownership option: cottage housing, capped at 1,250 square feet, on individual lots they can buy and sell like any other home.

The Pierce County Council voted unanimously on June 23 to approve a code amendment creating cottage housing as a new category of single-family use in the county's urban unincorporated areas. The regulations take effect August 1.

The change matters because cottage developments allow up to twice as many homes on a parcel as traditional single-family zoning permits. Each unit sits on its own subdivided lot, meaning buyers build equity in real property rather than sharing ownership through a homeowners' association or condo structure.

"We need to build more housing of all kinds faster to achieve Pierce County's affordable housing goals," Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello said. "Cottage housing makes homeownership more accessible for everyone by diversifying the types of available housing and creates pathways for homebuilders that didn't exist before."

Picture clusters of small homes grouped around a shared courtyard, park, or community garden. Residents share a common parking area and connect via pedestrian pathways. Each home also has its own private yard or outdoor space.

The code sets standards for setbacks, height, massing, parking, lot orientation, and relationship to neighboring properties. It also includes universal design guidelines requiring no-step entries and accessible pathways.

Pierce County needs more than 100,000 new housing units by 2044 to meet projected demand, according to the county. Of those, 77,000 should serve households needing affordable options.

The cottage housing code is one piece of a broader push. The Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Act, passed in 2023, funds housing through a 0.1% sales tax and has generated more than $33 million, helping create 1,325 affordable units countywide through separate programs. The county also secured more than $2.7 million in state funding through the Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program for three projects delivering more than 400 affordable homes in Puyallup, Spanaway, and Frederickson.

The cottage housing code is an optional development tool. No one is required to build cottages, but the legal pathway now exists where it did not before. Ten cities and towns across Pierce County already have cottage housing regulations; the new code extends that framework to unincorporated areas.

Developers and property owners interested in cottage projects can contact Pierce County Planning & Public Works for guidance on the new standards.

Council Chair Jani Hitchen, who represents District 6, presided over the unanimous vote. During community outreach, residents expressed strong interest in amenities like community gardens and playgrounds within shared open spaces and supported flexibility for cottage developments at both small and large scales.

Residents who want to weigh in on future cottage housing projects in their neighborhoods can participate through the standard land-use permitting process once applications are filed with Pierce County Planning & Public Works after August 1.