Plats and Restrictions

The purpose of this page is to inform and provide comprehensive understanding of property to Newport Hills residents.

What is a plat document?

“Covenants, Condition and Restrictions” (CC&Rs) describe “rules” governing a number of conditions which the owner must abide by as well as a number of conditions which cannot be allowed. They run with the land and apply to all present and subsequent owners. They are designed to not only protect the values of the real estate involved, but also to provide assurance that all owners within the area will abide by the same conditions in order to create and maintain a compatible and attractive group of individualized, quality homes.

Covenants are also commonly used to preserve affordable housing by using income-based restrictions and other qualifications (e.g., household size, employment status). See Puget Sound Regional Council’s summary of affordability covenants here.

The “restrictions” section of our plat documents outline any limitations on how the land can be used or sold. For example, in Newport Hills, plats often contain a restriction that states “No lot or portion of a lot in this plat shall be divided and sold or resold, or ownership change or transferred, whereby the ownership of any portion of this plat shall be less than the area required for the use district in which located.”

The use district is typically a zoning designation that dictates the types of structures and uses that are allowed on the property (i.e. single family zoning). You can find the use district for a particular property in the King County Parcel Viewer under “Property Detail”.

In summary, to fully understand the potential use of a property, it’s important to not only understand the zoning or use district but also to review any restrictions noted in the plat document. These documents combined give a fuller picture of what is allowed and what potential issues could arise when buying or selling a property.

To see all Newport Hills plat documents, scroll to the bottom of this page.