Landscaping Rules in Yakima County, WA (2026)
5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Yakima County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
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. Only a genuinely hazardous, dead, diseased or damaged tree qualifies for the county's limited removal exemption, and even that comes with size limits, habitat-placement rules and mandatory replacement.
Yakima County Tree Removal Buffer Rules
Some RestrictionsYakima County Code §§ 16D.03.05(1)(a), 16D.03.07(17)
Cutting down trees and shrubs within a buffer is not covered under this provision. ... (17) The removal of trees that are hazardous, posing a threat to public safety, or posing an imminent risk of damage to private property from critical areas and buffers; provided, that: (a) A dead tree within a buffer may be shortened to the point that the tree will not strike a structure or defined vehicle p...
Weed Ordinances
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 species. This is a real, enforceable duty backed by abatement and liens.
Yakima County Weed Ordinances
Heavy RestrictionsYakima County 2018 Noxious Weed List & Control Policy
LANDOWNERS are responsible for the control of noxious weeds on their property as per RCW 17.10.140 prior to blooming stage, seed maturity and the development of a root system that would enable said weeds to propagate and spread.
Water Restrictions
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 by seniority, and junior rights face curtailment in drought years.
Yakima County Water Restrictions & Landscape Watering Rules
Some RestrictionsRCW 90.03.010
Subject to existing rights all waters within the state belong to the public, and any right thereto, or to the use thereof, shall be hereafter acquired only by appropriation for a beneficial use and in the manner provided and not otherwise; and, as between appropriations, the first in time shall be the first in right.
Rainwater Harvesting
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 properties that install a permissive system can cut the stormwater utility charge tied to that building by 10%, under YCC § 12.09.150(2).
Yakima County Rainwater Harvesting Credit Rules
Few RestrictionsYakima County Code § 12.09.150(2)
Credit for Rainwater Harvesting Systems. Upon review and approval by the Director, owners of new or newly constructed commercial/industrial class buildings that utilize a properly constructed and maintained permissive rainwater harvesting system shall be eligible for a 10% credit applied toward that portion of their stormwater charge arising from the building upon which the system is used. Rain...
Native Plants
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 freely, but listed noxious weeds must still be controlled.
Yakima County Native Plant & Xeriscape Rules
Few RestrictionsRCW 17.10.140(1)
Every owner must perform or cause to be performed those acts as may be necessary to: (a) Eradicate all class A noxious weeds; (b) Control and prevent the spread of all class B noxious weeds designated for control in that region within and from the owner's property; and (c) Control and prevent the spread of all class B and class C noxious weeds listed on the county weed list as locally mandated ...
Landscaping Rules by City in Yakima County
1 cities in Yakima County have their own landscaping rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Yakima County ordinances
See every category we cover for Yakima County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Yakima County Ordinance Hub →