3 rules for unincorporated Yakima County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
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 CPI, or 10 percent, whichever is less — a 9.683 percent ceiling for 2026.
RCW 59.18.700(1)(a)
Except as authorized by an exemption under RCW 59.18.710, a landlord may not increase the rent for any type of tenancy, regardless of whether the tenancy is month-to-month or for a term greater or lesser than month-to-month: (i) During the first 12 months after the tenancy begins; and (ii) During any 12-month period of the tenancy, in an amount greater than seven percent plus the consumer price...
Since 2021, Washington bars ending a tenancy without an enumerated cause. RCW 59.18.650 applies in Yakima County: a landlord needs a listed reason — nonpayment, lease breach, owner move-in, or sale — plus proper written notice before filing.
RCW 59.18.650(1)(a)
A landlord may not evict a tenant, refuse to continue a tenancy, or end a periodic tenancy except for the causes enumerated in subsection (2) of this section and as otherwise provided in this subsection.
Neither Yakima County nor the City of Yakima runs a rental registration program. Washington lets cities require rental inspections under RCW 59.18.125, but Yakima enforces housing standards by complaint through its property maintenance code, not a landlord registry.
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