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CAP_16 / TAX / EVERETT

ADU property tax & rental income tax in Everett, WA

The exact reassessment, levy, and depreciation math we walk every Everett client through before they break ground — pulled from current county assessor data, IRS Pub 527, and Washington's no-income-tax framework. Not tax advice; ground truth for your CPA conversation.

The Everett tax numbers

Build cost (800sqft DADU)
$383k
All-in, this market
Assessment lift
+$300k
Post-CofO reassessment
Levy rate
$9.86/$1k
2025 combined effective
Annual tax delta
+$2,958
≈ $247/mo
Year-1 depreciation
$11,838
27.5-yr SL on basis
Yr-1 net taxable rent
$-366
Directional only

Levy rate is the 2025 combined effective rate for a representative TCA inside Everett (state + county + city + schools + fire/EMS + library + special districts). Your parcel's exact rate varies by TCA — confirm on the county assessor parcel viewer before underwriting.

LEDGER_A / PROPERTY TAX

What the assessor does after CofO

  • New construction reassessment. RCW 84.40.0301 requires the assessor to add the value of the ADU at the next assessment date after CofO. In Everett, that lift is typically ~$300k on an $$383k build.
  • Levy math. Assessed value × levy rate ÷ 1,000. $$300k × $9.86 = $2,958/yr (~$247/mo).
  • 1% cap on regular levies (RCW 84.55). Regular district levies can only grow 1%/yr on the existing base, but new construction value is added on top — that's why your bill jumps the first year.
  • Voted levies + bonds. School bonds, EMS levies, and capital bonds sit outside the 1% cap. Everett bond cycles can move your effective rate ±$0.30/$1k year-over-year.

LEDGER_B / RENTAL INCOME TAX

What flows to Schedule E

  • No WA state income tax. Unlike Oregon or California landlords, Everett ADU owners owe zero state income tax on rental receipts. Federal only.
  • Depreciation (IRS Pub 527). 27.5-yr straight-line on the building basis (~85% of build cost). On this Everett project: ~$11,838/yr of non-cash deduction.
  • Cost-segregation upside. A cost-seg study breaks out 5/7/15-yr property (appliances, flooring, landscaping) for accelerated depreciation — often $$4k of additional Year-1 deduction.
  • Operating deductions. Insurance, maintenance, management, utilities (tenant-paid portion excluded), and HOA dues all deduct against Schedule E rental income.
  • Passive loss rules (IRC §469). If your AGI is under $100k, up to $25k of passive rental losses can offset W-2 income; the allowance phases out by $150k AGI.

Where these numbers come from

  • RCWRevised Code of Washington 84.40.0301 (new construction assessment), 84.55 (1% levy cap), 84.36.381 (senior/disabled exemption), 82.45 (REET).
  • IRSPublication 527 (Residential Rental Property), Publication 946 (How to Depreciate Property), IRC §263A (UNICAP), §469 (passive activity).
  • ASSESSORKing, Pierce, Snohomish, and Thurston County 2025 levy rate publications; parcel-level TCA midpoints used where ranges apply.
  • MARKETBuild cost: Golden State ADU 2023–2025 bid archive scaled by Everett cost multiplier. Rent: Zillow/Apartments.com 1-2BR midpoint, Q4 2025.

We're builders, not CPAs. This page is an underwriting starting point. Confirm every figure with a licensed tax professional before filing or signing a loan.

FAQ

ADU tax questions, answered for Everett

  • Will adding an ADU raise my property taxes in Everett?

    Yes. Under RCW 84.40.0301, the county assessor adds the new ADU's value to your parcel's assessed value at the next assessment cycle after certificate of occupancy. In Everett, expect roughly +$300k of assessed value on an $383k build. At the current combined levy rate of $9.86/$1,000, that's about $2,958/yr extra — roughly $247/mo.

    Go deeper: Everett ADU cost breakdown

  • What's the combined property tax levy rate in Everett?

    Everett's 2025 combined effective rate is about $9.86 per $1,000 of assessed value. That bundles state schools (RCW 84.52.065), county general, city, school district M&O, fire/EMS, library, port, and any voter-approved special levies. Washington's statutory 1% cap (RCW 84.55) applies to regular levies only — voted bonds and EMS levies sit on top.

    Go deeper: Read: What an ADU does to your property tax in King County

  • Does Washington tax ADU rental income at the state level?

    No. Washington has no personal or business income tax on rental receipts. You still file federal Schedule E (Form 1040) and pay federal income tax on net rental income, but there's no WA state income tax, which is a structural advantage over Oregon, California, or Idaho ADU owners. The city of Everett may impose a B&O tax on rental gross — most cities exempt small landlords; verify with your CPA.

    Go deeper: Read: Seattle ADU rental comps in 2025

  • How does depreciation actually reduce my Everett ADU tax bill?

    IRS Pub 527 lets you depreciate the building portion (land excluded) of a residential rental over 27.5 years, straight-line. On an $383k Everett build with ~85% allocated to improvements, that's about $11,838/yr of non-cash deduction. Combined with operating expenses, most Everett ADUs show a small tax loss in years 1–3 even when cash-flow positive.

    Go deeper: Everett ADU cost breakdown

  • What's my approximate Year-1 net taxable rental income on a Everett ADU?

    Rough math: market rent ~$22,200/yr − depreciation $11,838 − property tax delta $2,958 − ~35% opex (insurance, maintenance, vacancy, mgmt) = about $-366 of taxable rental income in Year 1. Cost-segregation studies can pull more depreciation forward and often push that figure negative for high-bracket filers. Talk to your CPA — these are directional, not advice.

    Go deeper: Everett ADU overview

  • Can I deduct ADU construction loan interest on my federal return?

    Construction-period interest on the ADU loan is generally capitalized into basis under IRC §263A — not deducted in the year paid. Once the ADU is rented, ongoing mortgage interest, HELOC interest used for the build, property tax, repairs, insurance, depreciation, and a portion of utilities all flow to Schedule E as rental deductions in Everett.

    Go deeper: Federal Way ADU financing options

  • Does Everett or King/Pierce/Snohomish/Thurston County offer a property tax exemption for ADUs?

    Snohomish County PUD heat-pump and weatherization rebates ($1,200–$2,800) stack with PSE gas-line decommission credits. Beyond that, no general property-tax exemption exists for ADUs in Everett. WA's senior/disabled exemption (RCW 84.36.381) and the Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) program apply only in narrow cases; MFTE is generally restricted to 4+ unit residential in designated zones.

    Go deeper: Read: What an ADU does to your property tax in King County

  • What about REET (real estate excise tax) when I eventually sell?

    Washington's graduated REET (RCW 82.45) applies to the full sale price at sale, not to the ADU specifically. Adding an ADU raises sale value, which raises REET due — but on a Everett sale the ADU also typically lifts buyer pool and price/sqft. Section 1031 like-kind exchanges (federal) can defer federal capital gains on the rental portion if you trade into another investment property.

    Go deeper: Read: What an ADU does to your property tax in King County

CITY_DOSSIER / EVERETT· 47.9790°N 122.2021°W

Built in Everett — what we know that the spec sheet won't tell you.

A live dossier from our field PMs: the permit counter, the soils, the bylaw that just changed, and the streets where ADUs are already cash-flowing.

Map · Snohomish CountyOpen ↗
Everett
Drive-time from yard · ≈ 35 min via I-5© OpenStreetMap contributors
Population111,475
Median lot6,400 sq ft
ADU permits / yr82 (2024)
Build cost band$330–355 / sq ft
Right now in Everett
Air quality · US AQI
Source · Google Maps PlatformAffects pour windows + finish schedule
LIVE_INTEL / EVERETT · 6 SIGNALS
Pour-feasibility · todayLoading
/ 100 · Awaiting feed
  • Weather feed loading
Derived live · Everett weather + AQI
Sun rhythm · EverettNight
5:24 AM
9:07 PM
15h 43m daylight
Golden hour · 8:19 PM
98% of June peak
NOAA solar formulas · computed
Moon · cure-week planner
Loading

We track lunar weeks for slab pours — clear nights drop ambient temperature faster, which slows surface curing. Schedule wet slabs midweek under waxing light.

Conway approx · computed
Seismic · 24h within 60 miLoading
USGS earthquake.usgs.gov
On-site clock · Everett
—:—
· Pacific

Loading. Our standard crew window is 7:00–17:00 weekdays — noise ordinances in most Puget Sound cities allow exterior power tools only inside that band.

America/Los_Angeles · live
Build-rules pulseWithin window
7:00–17:00
Power-tool window · Mon–Fri
ADU permits YTD pace

Sunday exterior work is restricted in most Puget Sound jurisdictions. We sequence interior trades around it.

Everett municipal code · annualized
SPEC_02 / CITY_INTEL

Environmental & locational intelligence

03 / SOLAR_POTENTIAL

Rooftop solar at this address

04 / POLLEN_FORECAST

Tree · Grass · Weed (3-day)

05 / WALK_SCORE

0.5-mile amenity density

06 / NWS_ALERTS

Active NWS weather alerts

LOCATIONAL_INTEL / EVERETT
Drive times from EverettLoading

Calculating live drive times to four metro anchors…

Real commute time matters for ADU rent comps — and for our crews. We keep installs within a 60-minute radius of our Puget Sound yard.

Data provenance

Drive times pulled live from the Google Routes API (traffic-aware matrix). Each request is timestamped so you can see exactly when the numbers were last refreshed — no stale brochure data.

Google Routes API · traffic-aware
Street view · EverettLive imagery
Recent Google Street View imagery centered near Everett

Lot context matters as much as zoning. We pre-screen access, slope, and tree canopy from imagery before scheduling the site visit.

Google Street View · proxied
Tidal window · EverettLoading

Waterfront lots: shoreline excavation and barge access windows depend on these. We schedule pours away from extreme low tides when the soils dry unevenly.

NOAA · — mi away
Recent permits · EverettLoading

Open-data signal of nearby construction velocity — useful for ADU comps and for anticipating examiner workload.

data.seattle.gov · ~3 mi radius
Permit counter · Everett
Everett Permit Services
2930 Wetmore Ave, Suite 8A, Everett 98201
Mon–Fri 8a–4:30p
Local zoning quirk

Recent ordinance dropped owner-occupancy requirement — DADUs can be rented independently from the primary residence.

Sourced from Golden State ADU field PMs · WA Lic. GOLDESA747LZ
Best build window
Late April → October

Bar shows pour-friendly months · dot marks the current month.

  • Seismic
    SDC D · Devils Mountain Fault to the north
  • Soil
    Glacial till on uplands; alluvial near Snohomish River delta
  • Climate
    ≈36″ rain · convergence zone can stack squalls in Nov–Jan
  • Topography
    Mostly gentle; Riverside & Bayside drop sharply to the water
  • HOA prevalence
    ≈ 13%
Transit signal
Sound Transit Lynnwood Link (2024) cuts commute by ~22 min

Station-area lots earn the largest rent premium in this market.

School signal
Everett Public Schools

Rental yield estimate: $2,000–2,650 / mo for a 700 sq ft DADU

Local incentive

Snohomish County ADU plan-set rebate program runs annually

Hidden gem

View Ridge DADUs catch Cascades sunrise — premium short-term rentals.

Build cost · Everett vs Puget Sound
+$18 vs regional median
$250 / sqftEverett$343$425 / sqft
Other cities we hold a permit history in
TAX_EVERETT / REAL

Everett ADU tax angles your CPA probably hasn't run — get the brief.

Depreciation, Everett property tax reassessment timing, rental loss carryforward, owner-occupied rules. We'll send a 1-pager you can hand to your CPA.

  • Specific to Everett property tax rules
  • CPA-ready brief, not generic IRS copy
  • Free 1-pager within 48h
Replies within 1 business day
WA Lic. GOLDESA747LZBuilding since 2012
Direct line · Golden State ADU(425) 642-4142

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