Yakima County, WA Fire Regulations: Wildfire Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- YCC Ch. 13.12 (WUI Code, 2018 ed.)
- Risk classes
- Non-Rated/Low, Moderate, High, Extreme
- Low class threshold
- Slope under 8%, light fuels
- Extreme class threshold
- Slope over 30%, heavy fuels
- Permit-exempt shed
- ≤200 sq ft, 50+ ft from structures
- Enforcing officials
- Building official and fire marshal
Summary
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 up to Extreme Hazard. The classification, set under Chapter 13.12, drives construction standards, water-supply requirements and permit conditions administered by the building official and fire marshal.
§ 13.12.050. Amendment to Chapter 3, Section 302, Wildland-Urban Interface Area Designations. ... 302.1 Declaration. Specific boundaries of natural or man-made features of Wildland-Urban interface areas shall be as shown on the Wildland-Urban interface area map. These areas shall include all areas of Yakima County as identified by risk factor classification according to Appendix C. Risk factor classifications are identified as follows: Non-Rated or Low* – Slope less than 8%, light fuels. Moderate Hazard* – Slope greater than 8%, but less than 20%, medium fuels. High Hazard* – Slope greater than 20%, but less than 30%, heavy fuels. Extreme Hazard* – Slope greater than 30%, heavy fuels. * Risk factor classifications are not absolute.
Full Breakdown
12 adopts Appendices A and C of the 2018 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code countywide. 050, the county's wildland-urban interface boundaries follow the adopted Wildland-Urban Interface area map, and every area within it is assigned a risk-factor classification: Non-Rated or Low (slope under 8%, light fuels), Moderate Hazard (8% to 20% slope, medium fuels), High Hazard (20% to 30% slope, heavy fuels), or Extreme Hazard (over 30% slope, heavy fuels). The classification is not treated as absolute; the fire marshal can apply judgment on a given site.
070, though the section exempts accessory structures of 200 square feet or less (including communication towers, utility substations and small wind turbines) and agricultural buildings, provided each sits at least 50 feet from any building with habitable space. 030 excuses one-story detached tool sheds and similar accessory buildings from needing a WUI permit at all if the roof area is 200 square feet or less and the structure sits more than 50 feet from the nearest adjacent structure. 090. 060. 150 directs that the most restrictive provision controls.
Violations & Fines
The WUI code carries the same enforcement authority as the county building code: the building official and fire marshal can issue orders and hold the powers of a law enforcement officer under § 13.12.020. Because § 13.12.150 makes the most restrictive standard control whenever county rules conflict, a project inside a mapped High or Extreme Hazard area cannot use a less restrictive standard adopted elsewhere in the code to avoid the WUI construction requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Yakima County decide which wildfire risk zone my property is in?
Do I need a permit to build a shed in a wildfire zone?
Who enforces the wildfire zone building rules in unincorporated Yakima County?
What happens if two county fire rules conflict in a wildfire zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima County
Compare Yakima County to another location·View the Washington fire regulations overview
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