How Yakima Handles Business Licensing & Operations: A Practical Guide

Yakima maintains 119 local ordinances across all categories, and 7 of those deal specifically with business licensing & operations. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Yakima falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Auto Repair on Residential Property

Yakima flatly prohibits auto repair as a home occupation, along with kennels, vehicle painting and ten other uses judged too likely to outgrow a residential lot.

Key details: Auto repair: Never allowed as home business. Also banned: Kennels, vet clinics, body shops. Applies to: All residential zoning districts. Legal basis: YMC § 15.04.120(H).

Operating an auto repair business, or any other § 15.04.120(H) prohibited use, from a residential dwelling is not permit-eligible and can be pursued as a zoning code violation subject to denial and code enforcement action.

Compared to other cities, Yakima takes a harder line on auto repair on residential property. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Adult Entertainment

Yakima requires a city license to operate adult entertainment, confines the use to the M-1 zone, and bars it within 800 to 1,500 feet of schools, parks or similar uses.

Key details: License required: Yes, annual, from code administration. Zoning district allowed: M-1 (light industrial) only. School/park/church buffer: 800 feet. Similar-use buffer: 1,500 feet.

Unlicensed operation is unlawful and subject to prosecution and license denial/revocation for up to a year; siting outside the M-1 district or inside a spacing buffer is a zoning violation.

This is one of the stricter rules in Yakima's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Massage Establishments

Yakima requires every massage or reflexology business to hold a valid, non-transferable business license under YMC 5.52, subject to denial or revocation for trafficking convictions, unlicensed practice, or nuisance operations.

Key details: License required: Under YMC Chapter 5.52. Business hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. only. License transferability: Non-transferable, cancels on sale. Violation penalty: Gross misdemeanor. Enforcing agency: Yakima Police Department.

Operating a massage or reflexology business without the required license, or violating this chapter's licensing, hours, or inspection provisions, is a gross misdemeanor under YMC § 5.31.180, in addition to license denial or revocation.

Tattoo & Body Modification

Yakima makes it a misdemeanor to tattoo anyone under eighteen, with no separate shop license required since the licensing sections of Chapter 5.76 were repealed.

Key details: Minimum age: 18 for tattoos. Penalty: Misdemeanor. Defense: Verified photo ID only. Shop licensing: Repealed 2003: none required.

Tattooing a minor under eighteen without a valid age-verification defense is a misdemeanor under YMC § 5.76.025, enforced regardless of the operator's actual knowledge of the minor's age.

This is one of the stricter rules in Yakima's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Towing Companies

Tow companies that want Yakima's police-directed impound business must first be appointed as an agent of the police chief under YMC § 9.47.020: an application, ongoing compliance reports, and a $5,000 surety bond filed with the city clerk to protect owners from a negligent or dishonest operator.

Key details: Surety bond: $5,000, filed with the city clerk. Appointing authority: Yakima chief of police. Records retention: Minimum 3 years per vehicle. Fraud penalty: 2x towing/storage fees plus costs, fees. Insurance: City must be listed as additional insured.

An operator who tows for the city without the chief's appointment, the $5,000 bond, or without maintaining the required transaction file loses eligibility for municipal referrals and risks immediate cancellation of any existing appointment under § 9.47.020(A). Owners defrauded by an operator, including through a bounced-check redemption, can recover twice the towing and storage fees plus costs and attorney's fees under YMC § 9.47.040(H)(4), which cites RCW 46.55.120(1)(e).

Pawnbrokers

Yakima pawnbrokers must obtain a city license backed by a $1,000 bond before opening, on top of the standard business license.

Key details: Bond required: $1,000, city-attorney approved. Minimum license term: 1 year, nontransferable. Property hold period: 30 days before resale. Violation class: gross misdemeanor.

Operating as a pawnbroker without the license, or violating the register/reporting/holding requirements, is a gross misdemeanor under YMC § 5.54.100; the license can also be revoked by the city manager.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Yakima actively enforces its pawnbrokers requirements.

Secondhand Dealers

Anyone buying or reselling used personal property in Yakima more than twice a year, or running a resale event lasting over four days, must hold a secondhand dealer license. Revocation follows a city manager hearing, and violations are a gross misdemeanor.

Key details: License required after: more than 2 sales/year or 4+ consecutive days. License term: one year. Consigned property hold: 30 days before disposal. Daily transaction report due: before noon, on police chief's request. Buyer age restriction: no purchases from persons under 18.

Violating any provision of Chapter 5.64, including the register, daily-report, thirty-day hold, or prohibited-purchase rules, is a gross misdemeanor under § 5.64.100, and the city or any individual may also pursue civil remedies. Separately, the city manager can revoke a dealer's license for chapter noncompliance or a qualifying larceny/stolen-property conviction after a notice-and-hearing process under § 5.64.040.

This is one of the stricter rules in Yakima's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

The Bottom Line

Yakima is tougher than many cities when it comes to business licensing & operations. Out of the 7 rules covered here, 5 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Yakima, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that Yakima can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.