Yakima's Title 15 zoning code regulates fence height, location, and clear-view triangles, but does not impose a cost-sharing requirement on adjoining neighbors. The City of Yakima Planning FAQ states that a fence 'must be on or behind the property line,' and the Town does not survey property lines or arbitrate private boundary disputes. Boundary and partition-fence issues between neighbors are governed by Washington State common law and statutes (including RCW 16.60 fencing of livestock), not by the Yakima Municipal Code. Property line determination is the owner's responsibility, generally through a Washington licensed land surveyor.
The Yakima Planning FAQ instructs: 'Your fence must be on or behind your property line.' YMC 15.05.020(G) governs the height and location of fences and walls but does not impose any neighbor cost-sharing, notice, or partition-fence obligations. Yakima has no municipal good-neighbor ordinance assigning the finished side of a fence to a neighbor (unlike some other Washington cities); however, fences must comply with the clear view triangle rules of YMC 15.05.040, and street side yard fences in residential districts may not extend past the front corner of the dwelling. Washington State law - including RCW 16.60 (fences for livestock) and common-law trespass and boundary doctrines - governs disputes between neighbors over shared fences, encroachment, and maintenance cost-sharing. The City of Yakima does not perform property surveys and does not mediate neighbor disputes; owners typically retain a Washington licensed land surveyor to confirm boundaries before fence installation. The Planning Division can be reached at ask.planning@yakimawa.gov or (509) 575-6183 for questions about Title 15 compliance.
A fence placed beyond the property line is a private trespass; the City does not enforce this but a court can order removal. A fence in the clear view triangle violates YMC 15.05.040 and 15.05.020(G) and can be cited regardless of neighbor agreement. A 6-foot street side yard fence in a residential district that extends past the front corner of the dwelling into the front yard violates YMC 15.05.020(G).
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See how Yakima's neighbor fence rules rules stack up against other locations.
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