Washington general contractor marketing that shows your L&I number and sells the dry months early

Washington now makes larger cities allow more homes on one lot. For a general contractor, that means a new buyer: the owner or small investor who wants to add a second, third or fourth unit.

Washington's middle housing law, passed as HB 1110 in 2023, sets the floor. Cities of 75,000 people or more must allow at least four units on most residential lots. Near a major transit stop, or with two affordable units, the floor rises to six. Cities of 25,000 to 75,000 must allow at least two.

Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Bellevue and Vancouver all sit far above 75,000 in the Census Bureau's 2025 city estimates. The law counts people with the state's own estimates, not the Census, but none of the five is close to the line.

Timing differs by county. Cities comply at their next comprehensive plan update. Under the state's update schedule, that fell due at the end of 2024 for King, Pierce, Kitsap and Snohomish, and at the end of 2025 for Clark. Spokane County's turn is December 31, 2026. Extensions exist and some cities moved early, so read the city's own code before an ad names a date.

Backyard units have a rule of their own. Cities and counties must allow at least two accessory dwelling units on lots in urban growth areas that allow single-family homes, under the state's ADU law. They cannot make the owner live on the property. That opens the door to owners who plan to rent both units.

What this changes in your marketing:

• One page per city. A Tacoma owner wants Tacoma's lot rules, not Seattle's. Each page links the city's code and shows a project you built there.
• Parking answered up front. Within half a mile of a major transit stop, a city cannot require off-street parking for middle housing, under the same middle housing law. It is often the owner's first question.
• A site check before a price. The first offer is a visit that looks at setbacks, utilities and access. A square-foot price comes after.

Washington's energy code shapes how a new home or addition gets built, and it changes again in 2027. A page that explains it plainly answers the question a buyer will ask anyway.

The 2021 Washington State Energy Code took effect March 15, 2024. It works on credits. A builder picks options from a list until the home reaches its total.

The residential energy code text sets 8.0 credits for a medium-size home. An addition of 150 to 500 square feet needs 2.0. Heat pump heating is worth 3.0 of those credits. A gas furnace that only meets federal minimums adds nothing.

So gas stays legal, it just costs the builder credits elsewhere. Say it that way on the page. An owner who heard "no gas allowed" from someone else will trust the builder who explains the trade-off.

A new code is already scheduled. May 3, 2027 is when the 2024 codes take over, per the code council's home page, with the energy chapters due for final adoption around November 20, 2026. Which code a given permit falls under is a question for the city, so ask before a page promises one.

A bid that did not close is worth a second call. Washington has its own rules for that call and for any text, and they are stricter than many owners expect.

• Calls. In the first 30 seconds of a sales call, say who you are, which company you are with and why you called. It may not reach anyone earlier than 8 in the morning or later than 8 at night where they live, under Washington's telephone sales law. A homeowner who asked for the call is outside it, and so is a customer whose purchase is under 12 months old.
• Registration. A contractor registered with L&I does not also register as a telephone seller when the deal falls under contractor law, per the state's exemption list.
• Texts. A text that promotes a job needs the person's clear, advance consent, under the state's text message law. A past bid is not consent.
• The cost of a stray text. The person who gets an unlawful one can claim $100 per message, or more if their real loss is higher, under the text law's damages section.
• Recorded and AI voices. A recorded sales message that lands in voicemail still counts, under Washington's autodialer law.
• Recording a call. Every party has to agree. An announcement at the start, captured on the recording, covers it under the state privacy law.

This is not legal advice. Confirm with counsel before a campaign goes out. Federal consent rules are in our texting and AI answering playbook, and the Washington page covers the state as a whole.