What does CX zoning mean in Vancouver, WA?

CX (Community Mixed Use) allows a mix of commercial and residential development along the city's designated corridors, such as Fourth Plain Boulevard and Main Street, generally at moderate height and density.

How do I find zoning for an address in Vancouver, Washington?

The city's Community Development Department maintains an online GIS map that returns the current zoning designation for a searched address or parcel number.

Does Vancouver, WA allow duplexes on single-family lots?

Yes. As a city covered by the state's 2023 middle-housing law (HB 1110), Vancouver allows duplexes and, on many lots, additional middle-housing types on land formerly restricted to single-family detached homes.

Vancouver, Washington · city zoning districts · 10 districts

Vancouver, WA zoning map & districts

Vancouver's zoning is set out in the Vancouver Municipal Code's land use and development regulations and administered by the city's Community Development Department. Residential zones are scaled by allowed density — smaller-lot single-dwelling districts through higher-density multi-dwelling districts — while mixed-use corridor and city-center districts run along Fourth Plain Boulevard, Main Street, and the downtown/waterfront core, and light and heavy industrial districts serve the city's rail- and port-served east side along the Columbia River.

The code Vancouver Zoning Ordinance

Vancouver zoning map

The City of Vancouver's Community Development Department maintains an online GIS zoning map searchable by address; the zoning ordinance text is part of the Vancouver Municipal Code.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Vancouver 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 Vancouver

As Clark County's largest city and a fast-growing node of the Portland–Vancouver metro, Vancouver has focused recent zoning activity on its downtown and waterfront districts — including the redeveloped Vancouver Waterfront project on former industrial riverfront land — and on implementing the state's 2023 middle-housing and ADU laws, which apply to Vancouver as one of Washington's larger GMA-covered cities. Cross-river planning coordination with Portland and Metro (Oregon's regional government) also shapes zoning and infrastructure decisions on the city's south side.

Vancouver zoning districts by family

The 10 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Vancouver, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Vancouver Zoning Ordinance — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 5 districts
R-9	Lower Density Residential	Vancouver's dominant single-dwelling district under the citywide zoning code effective July 2026.
R-6	Lower Density Residential	Smaller-lot single-dwelling district; corrects the dataset's non-existent 'R1-6' code.
R-4	Lower Density Residential	Lower-density residential tier.
R-18	Higher Density Residential	Multi-dwelling district permitting townhouse and small apartment development.
R-22	Higher Density Residential	Density-based multi-dwelling district, roughly 22 units per acre.
Mixed-use 1 district
CX	Community Mixed Use	Mixed-use corridor development along major arterials such as Fourth Plain and Main Street.
Commercial 1 district
CG	General Commercial	General commercial district along arterial corridors.
Downtown / core 1 district
CC	City Center	Downtown/city-center core district, Vancouver's highest-intensity mixed-use zone.
Industrial 2 districts
IL	Light Industrial	Light industrial and warehousing district.
IH	Heavy Industrial	Heavy industrial district along the Columbia River east side.

Vancouver zoning — common questions

What does CX zoning mean in Vancouver, WA?: CX (Community Mixed Use) allows a mix of commercial and residential development along the city's designated corridors, such as Fourth Plain Boulevard and Main Street, generally at moderate height and density.
How do I find zoning for an address in Vancouver, Washington?: The city's Community Development Department maintains an online GIS map that returns the current zoning designation for a searched address or parcel number.
Does Vancouver, WA allow duplexes on single-family lots?: Yes. As a city covered by the state's 2023 middle-housing law (HB 1110), Vancouver allows duplexes and, on many lots, additional middle-housing types on land formerly restricted to single-family detached homes.

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.

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