Yakima, WA Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

Yakima Municipal Code § 13.20.030 makes it unlawful for anyone to enter or remain in any public park owned by the city between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following day. The council's 1974 declaration of necessity (YMC § 13.20.010) frames the curfew as a response to nighttime park occupancy disturbing the quiet enjoyment of nearby residential properties, calling unregulated nighttime park use a public nuisance affecting public health, comfort, safety and order.

The curfew applies citywide to every "city park" as defined in YMC § 13.20.015: parks and any bodies of water within them, squares, plazas, trails, pathways, golf courses, playgrounds, playfields, ball parks, skateparks, parkways, parking lots, buildings and facilities under the management of the city manager or a designee, including strips of grass or plantings between traffic lanes maintained by the parks and recreation department.

Three exceptions apply: a park use permit issued under YMC § 13.16.100, a right-of-way use permit issued under YMC Chapter 8.20, or presence incidental to an activity conducted by or under the auspices of the city's parks and recreation department. City employees performing their duties are also exempt under YMC § 13.20.030(D).

Conviction requires two conditions precedent under § 13.20.030(B)-(C): the violation must have occurred in a park conspicuously posted with signs warning against nighttime entry, and the person must have already been warned by a police officer of the curfew's conditions before being arrested. Without a posted warning sign and a prior officer warning, a citation cannot result in conviction.