Yakima County, WA Ordinances (2026)

Yakima County Code § 19.20.150 lets hotels, motels, restaurants, service stations, and fruit stands near Interstate 82 swap one allowable freestanding sign for a larger freeway sign. A…

A garage sale sign is a temporary sign under YCC § 19.20.110 and is limited to one per street frontage, 32 square feet, kept out of parking areas and rights-of-way, and removed within…

Window signs in unincorporated Yakima County do not need a sign permit, application, or fee. YCC § 19.20.040(1) exempts them outright from Chapter 19.20's permitting process, but §…

Yakima County requires building and electrical permits for solar installations. Rooftop systems must meet structural, fire-setback, and electrical code standards, and the array…

In unincorporated Yakima County, RCW 64.38.055 stops homeowners' association covenants and rules from banning solar energy panels outright. A governing document cannot prohibit an…

A one-story detached shed of 200 square feet or less needs no building permit in unincorporated Yakima County under the state-adopted IRC (WAC 51-51), but it must still meet county…

A tiny home on a permanent foundation is a dwelling in unincorporated Yakima County and may use IRC Appendix Q, while a tiny home on wheels is an RV that cannot be a permanent…

Washington's HB 1337 (RCW 36.70A.681) requires Yakima County to allow at least two accessory dwelling units on lots within its urban growth areas, cannot cap ADUs below 1,000 square…

Groups wanting to hold an event at a Yakima County park facility must reserve it in advance through the facility manager or parks department office under Code Section 11.04.040…

Any gathering of 500 or more people in unincorporated Yakima County, from a street fair to a concert, needs a festival permit under YCC § 8.10.030 filed at least 60 days out. Permits…

Anyone building a private driveway or commercial road approach onto a Yakima County road needs a permit first. Code Chapter 10.08 requires a road approach permit from the county…

Yakima County treats blocking a public sidewalk or street as a nuisance violation. Under the county's Property Maintenance Code, using property next to a street or sidewalk in a way…

Yakima County imposes a 2% special excise tax on the furnishing of lodging by hotels, roominghouses, tourist courts, motels and trailer camps in the unincorporated county under Yakima…

A home business in unincorporated Yakima County can post exactly one nameplate: up to 2 square feet inside the Urban Growth Area or the RT and RS zones, and up to 8 square feet…

Yakima County caps how much customer and employee parking a home business can create and bans deliveries or customers arriving by vehicle between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under YCC §…

Washington lets you sell certain homemade shelf-stable foods from a Yakima County kitchen under a WSDA Cottage Food Operation Permit. Unlike many states, Washington requires a…

Washington law bars Yakima County from zoning family day-care homes out of any residential or commercial district. The county may still require building, fire and business-license…

Yakima County allows a minor or major home business inside a single-family dwelling or accessory dwelling unit under YCC § 19.18.240, but caps the floor area used at 30% of the home…

In the Wildland-Urban Interface areas that cover most of unincorporated Yakima County, any outdoor fire needs a written permit unless it is a permanent or portable barbecue, outdoor…

Yakima County's fire code lets the fire code official declare a burn ban whenever conditions make open fires hazardous, but a listed outdoor cooking appliance, smoker, grill or similar…

In unincorporated Yakima County, cutting down a tree inside a critical area buffer (stream, wetland or geologically hazardous area) is not a minor activity you can do without review…

Yakima County doesn't regulate rain barrels on houses, but it does reward rainwater harvesting on commercial and industrial buildings: new or newly built commercial/industrial…

Water is Yakima's defining issue. Washington follows prior appropriation, and the Yakima River Basin is fully appropriated and adjudicated. Irrigation districts deliver seasonal water…

Yakima's arid climate makes native and drought-tolerant landscaping a natural fit, and no local rule forces a grass lawn on an existing lot. You may plant native shrub-steppe species…

Yakima County makes noxious-weed control mandatory. Under state law and the county Noxious Weed Control Board, owners must eradicate Class A weeds and control listed Class B and C…

Existing homes and apartments in unincorporated Yakima County must have smoke alarms in every sleeping area, on each story, and outside bedrooms under the county's adopted Property…

Unincorporated Yakima County adopts the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code and maps every parcel into a risk-factor class based on slope and fuel load, from Non-Rated or Low…

Yakima County bans outdoor fires without a written permit under YCC § 13.12.100, but a fire pit, barbecue or fireplace on inhabited property is exempt if kept at least 30 feet from…

Yakima County requires a Fire Code permit before installing, modifying or using an LP-gas system, but exempts small residential-scale tanks: containers of 500 gallons water capacity or…

On land the Washington Department of Natural Resources protects within Yakima County, from orchard slash to logging debris, a written burning permit from DNR is required before…

Unincorporated Yakima County bans selling, possessing, using or discharging fireworks outright under Yakima County Code section 8.46.015; the only exception is a public display run…

Opening or drinking alcohol in a Yakima County park, or on Yakima Greenway Foundation property in the unincorporated county, is banned outright under Code Section 11.04.510 unless the…

State law, not a county ordinance, sets Yakima County's on-street parking rules. RCW 46.61.570 bars stopping, standing or parking in front of driveways, within 15 feet of a fire…

Yakima County Code Section 9.44.030 bans recreational vehicles, campers, motor homes, boats, trailers and construction equipment from parking on any county road in the unincorporated…

Yakima County treats junk and abandoned vehicles as a nuisance under county code and RCW 46.55. An inoperable, wrecked vehicle stored in public view can be tagged and hauled off after…

Yakima County Code Section 19.22.070 sets the surface a driveway or parking area must have once it serves three or more vehicles: asphalt paving in Urban Growth Areas and other urban…

Yakima County Code § 19.22.060(3) requires off-street loading and truck-queuing spaces for commercial, industrial, and institutional development, sized to Institute of Transportation…

Level 1 and Level 2 home electric vehicle chargers are an allowed accessory use in every zoning district under YCC § 19.18.190, no discretionary review needed. Rapid Level 3 charging…

Yakima County bans commercial vehicles from parking in residential zoned areas under Code Section 9.44.040, except while actively loading or unloading. The rule reaches any truck rated…

Yakima County limits on-street parking to a strict 24 hours under Code Section 9.44.020, and only on the specific county roads listed as open to parking under Section 9.44.010. Leave a…

Unincorporated Yakima County caps most single-family homes at 35 feet in the SR, R-1 and R-2 districts, while multi-family buildings in the R-3 district may reach 50 feet. Yakima…

Setbacks in Yakima County come from two codes: the joint Yakima Urban Area Zoning Ordinance (YMC Title 15) inside the urban growth area, and Yakima County Code Title 19 for outlying…

Unincorporated Yakima County caps building and impervious lot coverage by residential zone: 60% in the SR, R-1 and R-2 districts, 65% in R-3, with an R-3 bonus to 80% for projects that…

Yakima County's Property Maintenance Code makes illegal dumping a nuisance violation: dumping of any kind on public or private property not designated as a legal dump site, or dumping…

Washington does not force households to recycle, but state law (RCW 70A.205) requires Yakima County's solid-waste plan to offer curbside recycling in urban areas. Access is more…

Yakima County itself runs no curbside collection. In unincorporated areas, UTC-certificated private haulers like Yakima Waste Systems and Basin Disposal provide garbage pickup under…

In unincorporated Yakima County, customers on the county water system must repair leaks on their side of the meter as soon as they're discovered and can request a one-time annual…

Yakima County regulates reclaimed water reuse for surface percolation or direct groundwater recharge under its Critical Areas Ordinance. Any water reuse project must follow an adopted…

Yakima County's Property Maintenance Code lets the code official declare a structure unsafe when fire hazards, structural damage or faulty construction threaten collapse, then order…

Property owners along local access roads in unincorporated Yakima County must clear snow and ice from sidewalks themselves under Yakima County Code Section 19.23.045(1)(b)(iii). The…

Vacant land and vacant structures in unincorporated Yakima County must be kept clean, safe, secure and sanitary so they don't create a blighting problem, under the county's Property…

Anyone installing a manufactured or mobile home in unincorporated Yakima County must call for inspections at each stage the Building Official sets, and the Building & Fire Safety…

Yakima County enforces plumbing work under the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code as amended by WAC 51-56, adopted by YCC Section 13.08.010, with two full chapters and the…

Yakima County requires a permit from the Building Official before anyone builds, alters, repairs, moves or demolishes a building, or installs an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing…

Buildings with elevators in unincorporated Yakima County must keep them running to ASME A17.1 standards under the county's Property Maintenance Code, with the current inspection…

Every door into a rented dwelling unit, rooming unit or housekeeping unit in unincorporated Yakima County must carry a deadbolt with at least a 1-inch throw that opens from the inside…

Yakima County requires street-facing landscaping, including trees spaced no more than 30 feet apart, on new development along public road frontages under Code § 19.21.030. Frontages…

Under RCW 59.18.650, landlords in unincorporated Yakima County cannot evict a tenant, refuse to renew, or end a periodic tenancy without one of twenty state-listed causes, from unpaid…

Washington's 2025 rent stabilization law now caps annual residential rent increases in Yakima County. After the first year, a landlord may raise rent by no more than 7 percent plus…

In unincorporated Yakima County, any landlord who agrees to supply heat must maintain at least 68°F in every habitable room, bathroom and toilet room under the county's Property…

In unincorporated Yakima County, fences are capped at four feet in the required front setback in every zoning district, with the allowed rear/side height varying by district: six feet…

Yakima County exempts retaining walls up to 4 feet tall, measured from the footing to the wall top, from building permits under the amended International Building Code, unless the wall…

Yakima County lets rural and Urban Growth Area subdivisions cluster new lots at a density bonus of 115% of the site's gross area, in exchange for permanently protecting the remainder…

Yakima County Code Section 19.30.030(7) bans marijuana production, processing and retail sales outright in every zoning district of the unincorporated county. There is no…

Unincorporated Yakima County follows Washington's state medical cannabis law, RCW 69.51A.210, for home cultivation. A qualifying patient or designated provider can grow up to six…

Yakima County Code Enforcement, part of the Department of Public Services, works from written citizen complaints or referrals from other regulatory agencies under YCC § 21.02.030. The…

Yakima County Code Enforcement caps the correction period in a notice and order at 30 days under YCC § 21.03.010(4), but promises no fixed timeframe for opening an investigation: §…

Yakima County Code § 6.20.020 lists the conditions residents most often report to code enforcement: polluted waterways, uncovered garbage, unsanitary animal enclosures within 300 feet…

Yakima County's noise ordinance treats a car alarm as a warning device: it is exempt from the county's noise-disturbance ban only while sounding, and only for up to thirty minutes per…

Running a generator loud enough to be plainly audible inside a neighbor's dwelling, or generated within 200 feet of one, is unlawful noise under YCC § 6.28.030 if it annoys or…

A designated historic landmark in unincorporated Yakima County can get a more intensive use than its zoning district allows only through a discretionary Historic Landmark Allowable Use…

Dogs must be licensed and kept under control in Yakima County. The county code requires adult dogs licensed and prohibits running at large, and cities add leash rules. Under RCW…

Rural, unincorporated Yakima County is permissive about poultry and livestock on agricultural and larger-lot land. The City of Yakima allows up to four hens and no roosters, with coop…

Washington bans keeping most dangerous wild animals, so no Yakima County resident may acquire big cats, bears, primates, or venomous reptiles. RCW 16.30 prohibits possessing or…

Beekeeping fits Yakima County's agricultural character and is broadly allowed, with cities setting hive placement and setbacks. Washington requires anyone owning one or more hives to…

Yakima County doesn't require every dog to carry a microchip, but a chip works as identification in the places the code actually regulates: it can shorten an impounded dog's recovery…

Yakima County has no breed ban: dangerous-dog status turns on a dog's own behavior, graded Level 1 through 6, under YCC § 8.36.160. Owners of a Level 2 through 6 dog face escalating…

Yakima County doesn't cap how many dogs a household may own outright. Once you keep more than six dogs, or run what the code calls a "hobby kennel" of up to ten adult dogs, YCC §…

Yakima County bars veterinary clinics and animal hospitals from operating as home businesses anywhere in the unincorporated county. YCC § 19.18.240(4)(j) and (4)(s) name veterinary…

A residential pool, spa, or hot tub in unincorporated Yakima County must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high, with no opening a 4-inch sphere can pass and gates that…

Yakima County adopts the 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code countywide under YCC § 13.02.010(11), and a residential pool needs a building permit from the Building and Fire…

Minors under 17 can't loiter in public places in unincorporated Yakima County between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. from May through October, or between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. from November through…

Yakima County parks close on hours the parks director sets and posts at each park's entrance and office, and those hours can change by season. Code Section 11.04.030 makes it unlawful…

Short-term rental guests must obey the same noise limits as residents: WAC 173-60's 55 dBA daytime and 45 dBA nighttime for residential property, with only brief exceedances allowed…

Any short-term rental in unincorporated Yakima County needs a conditional use permit before it can host paying overnight guests. Yakima County Code § 19.18.420 defines a short-term…

Yakima County caps how many guests a short-term rental can sleep by tying the number to the International Building Code rather than a flat headcount. County Code § 19.18.420(5)(a)…

Short-term rental operators in unincorporated Yakima County must hold the state and local business licenses the operation requires and collect the county's lodging tax. YCC §…

Every short-term rental in unincorporated Yakima County must provide one off-street parking space for each guest unit before the county will approve it. County Code § 19.18.420(5)(b)…

Every exterior light fixture on a use or sign in unincorporated Yakima County has to be shielded and aimed downward onto the site under YCC § 19.10.040(10), so it doesn't spill glare…

Washington has no state dark-sky law, so Yakima relies on its Urban Area Zoning Ordinance. Site lighting must be shielded and directed away from neighbors, with down-shielding required…

Yakima County bars illuminated billboards near homes under Code § 19.20.130. Off-premises signs, including billboards, cannot stand within 150 feet of a residential district, and any…

Yakima County keeps no county-wide do-not-knock registry. A posted "No Soliciting" or "No Trespassing" sign carries legal weight: a solicitor who enters or stays after that notice can…

Door-to-door sellers in Yakima County's cities, including Yakima, Sunnyside, and Selah, generally need a peddler or solicitor license from that city. Everywhere in the county…

Yakima County requires a license from the county licensing official before any adult entertainment facility opens, and separately requires 800 feet of separation from residential…

Yakima County does not run a general towing license: instead the sheriff appoints qualified tow truck operators as county agents to handle abandoned vehicles, each posting a $3,000…

Washington's Growth Management Act, not a home-grown Yakima County ordinance, is why erosion and other geologic hazards get regulated here: RCW 36.70A.060(2) forced the county to adopt…

New homes and substantial improvements in Yakima County's mapped special flood hazard areas must sit at least one foot above the base flood elevation, with mechanical and utility…

Any land-disturbing project of one acre or more in unincorporated Yakima County, or a smaller phase of a larger development, needs Public Services Director approval of a stormwater…

Any dock, bulkhead, shoreline armoring, or structure built within shoreline jurisdiction of the Yakima River, Naches River, or other shorelines of the state in unincorporated Yakima…

Docks and piers within Yakima County's shoreline jurisdiction must be the minimum size needed for the use, and multi-unit residential development must share a joint-use dock rather…

Washington state law bars new or rebuilt residential structures inside designated floodways, and Yakima County's own flood hazard ordinance must satisfy that state standard or the…

Yakima County bans camping, storing camp gear, or occupying camp facilities on county-owned property under YCC § 8.08.030, unless the site is posted to allow it. Violations are…

In unincorporated Yakima County, keeping a dog that habitually barks, growls, yelps, howls or whines loudly enough to disturb the peace and quiet of neighbors violates Yakima County…

Washington's Department of Ecology noise regulation, WAC 173-60-040, sets Yakima County's quiet hours: between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., every decibel limit that otherwise applies to a…

Washington exempts daytime construction noise from state limits, but that exemption disappears at night. In unincorporated Yakima County, construction sound loses its WAC 173-60…

Yakima County does not ban leaf blowers. Yard-maintenance sound is exempt from state noise limits during the day (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) under WAC 173-60, so timing is what matters most.

Amplified music in unincorporated Yakima County must stay within WAC 173-60 property-line noise limits (55 dBA day, 45 dBA night for residential). No person may let sound intrude onto…

Yakima County's Fire Marshal's Office requires an operational permit before running a mobile food preparation vehicle, defined to include itinerant food vendors, whenever the unit's…

Yakima County protects working farmland by forcing new houses, schools and other 'especially sensitive' uses to set back 60 to 500 feet from adjoining agricultural, forest or mineral…

Yakima County caps yard and garage sales at two per dwelling unit per year under YCC § 19.18.020(9), with each sale limited to three days. The rule treats a garage sale as an accessory…

Yakima County allows social card rooms only in zones that already permit them and never within 500 feet of a school, church, or park. County Code § 19.18.430 sets that buffer, while…

Yakima County's Property Maintenance Code requires every structure and exterior property to stay free of rodent harborage and infestation. Once rodents show up, the owner must…