Yakima County, WA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Yakima County's critical areas ordinance, Title 16D of the county code (adopted to implement the state Growth Management Act), governs vegetation inside regulated buffers along streams, wetlands and geologically hazardous areas. 05(1)(a) lists activities allowed without any permit or exemption, such as mowing, weeding and pruning, but expressly states that "cutting down trees and shrubs within a buffer is not covered under this provision," meaning ordinary tree removal in a buffer triggers the county's development authorization review under Title 16D unless a specific exemption applies.

07(17) supplies that exemption, but only for trees that are hazardous, pose a threat to public safety, or pose an imminent risk of damage to private property. A dead tree may be shortened so it can't strike a structure or a defined vehicle parking area, with the remainder left standing for wildlife habitat and nesting; only when that remainder drops under ten feet tall can it be removed completely. A diseased or damaged tree is not automatically exempt; the administrative official decides case by case whether it qualifies.

Felled material should stay inside the buffer as wildlife habitat unless it blocks a maintained vegetation area, and it must be felled toward the outer edge of the buffer and dragged out rather than skidded through it, since heavy equipment is barred from the buffer except in the limited areas identified for minor activities. Any tree that is felled or topped under this exemption must be replaced in a manner the administrative official accepts. Using the exemption still requires a written request to the administrative official describing the work, and the official issues a formal letter of exemption that is kept on file; a denial pushes the applicant into the standard permit process instead.