Yakima County, WA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

230 lets the county authorize a Historic Landmark Allowable Use Permit when a more intensive use, one not otherwise listed as permitted, administrative or conditional in the zoning district, would encourage rehabilitation and preservation of a historic landmark. To qualify, a property must be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, recognized as historically significant by the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP), or documented as having local historic significance by a qualified historian or DAHP. A Type 2 or 3 application must include a statement of the landmark's historic significance, a description of its physical condition, a statement of need, scaled plans and specifications, the sizes and locations of existing and prior structures, the historic and intended use of each structure, black-and-white 8x10 exterior photographs showing where alterations would occur, and matching interior photographs and floor plans for any proposed interior work.

To approve the permit, the county must find the use conforms to the Comprehensive Plan, that the district's normally permitted uses do not allow the proposed use, that the use will help preserve the landmark's significant physical characteristics, and that the physical changes needed will not substantially alter or diminish its historic significance. Under Subsection (2), the county can also require the owner and permit holder to follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation for any restoration or adaptive reuse work.