What does UCX zoning mean in Tacoma?

UCX (Urban Center Mixed-Use) is one of Tacoma's mixed-use "X" districts, permitting a broad mix of commercial, office, and residential uses at higher heights and densities, applied within designated regional or urban growth centers.

How do I find zoning for a Tacoma address?

Tacoma Permit Services publishes an online interactive zoning map searchable by address that returns the current zone designation and links to the relevant Title 13 chapter.

What changed under Home In Tacoma?

The 2023 Home In Tacoma Phase 1 rezone replaced most single-family-only residential zoning citywide with new designations allowing duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and other middle-housing types, ahead of the state's HB 1110 mandate.

Tacoma, Washington · city zoning districts · 13 districts

Tacoma, WA zoning map & districts

Tacoma's zoning is codified in TMC Title 13 (Land Use Regulatory Code) and administered by the city's Planning and Development Services department. In 2023 the city adopted Home In Tacoma Phase 1, a major rezone that replaced most of the city's single-family-only residential zoning with new designations permitting a range of "missing middle" housing types, implemented ahead of and in coordination with the state's HB 1110 middle-housing mandate.

The code Tacoma Municipal Code, Land Use Regulatory Code

Tacoma zoning map

Tacoma Permit Services publishes an interactive online zoning map searchable by address, maintained by Planning and Development Services; the code text is published as TMC Title 13.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Tacoma planning or zoning department.

A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.

How zoning works in Tacoma

Tacoma's commercial and mixed-use zones use a distinctive "X" suffix denoting mixed-use development, where residential is permitted above commercial ground floors, applied along major corridors and around designated centers such as the Tacoma Mall area and the downtown regional growth center. Industrial zoning remains concentrated in the Tideflats and around the Port of Tacoma, one of the larger container ports on the West Coast, where port-dependent and heavy industrial uses are protected from residential encroachment.

Tacoma zoning districts by family

The 13 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Tacoma, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Tacoma Municipal Code, Land Use Regulatory Code — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 3 districts
UR2	Urban Residential 2	Mid-density residential tier under Tacoma's Home In Tacoma rezone.
UR3	Urban Residential 3	Higher-density residential tier permitting missing-middle housing types.
R4	Multiple Family Dwelling	Multifamily apartment district.
Mixed-use 4 districts
NCX	Neighborhood Commercial Mixed-Use	Small-scale mixed-use zone serving neighborhood commercial nodes.
CCX	Community Commercial Mixed-Use	Mid-scale mixed-use corridor district.
UCX	Urban Center Mixed-Use	Higher-density mixed-use zone within designated urban/regional growth centers.
CIX	Community Industrial Mixed-Use	Transitional zone blending commercial and light-industrial uses (dataset previously read 'Commercial/Industrial').
Commercial 1 district
C1	Commercial 1	General commercial corridor district.
Downtown / core 2 districts
DMU	Downtown Mixed Use	Downtown mixed-use district.
DCC	Downtown Commercial Core	Tacoma's most intensive downtown core district.
Industrial 3 districts
M1	Light Industrial	Warehousing, distribution, and light manufacturing (code has no hyphen in the current GIS layer).
M2	Heavy Industrial	Heavier manufacturing uses outside the Tideflats port core (code has no hyphen in the current GIS layer).
PMI	Port Maritime and Industrial	Port-dependent heavy industrial and maritime cargo uses in the Tideflats.

Tacoma zoning — common questions

What does UCX zoning mean in Tacoma?: UCX (Urban Center Mixed-Use) is one of Tacoma's mixed-use "X" districts, permitting a broad mix of commercial, office, and residential uses at higher heights and densities, applied within designated regional or urban growth centers.
How do I find zoning for a Tacoma address?: Tacoma Permit Services publishes an online interactive zoning map searchable by address that returns the current zone designation and links to the relevant Title 13 chapter.
What changed under Home In Tacoma?: The 2023 Home In Tacoma Phase 1 rezone replaced most single-family-only residential zoning citywide with new designations allowing duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and other middle-housing types, ahead of the state's HB 1110 mandate.

Working in Washington? Get on the list.

The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when Washington opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← Washington zoning — who holds the zoning power in Washington, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other Washington cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

Tacoma zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.