Yakima County, WA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- No-light zone
- 150-300 ft of a residential district
- Size cap in buffer
- 160 sq ft per sign face
- Absolute setback
- No billboard within 150 ft of residential
- Standard max size
- 300 sq ft per sign face
- Spacing rule
- 500 ft from another off-premises sign
- UGA rule
- Must match adjacent city's zoning
- Enforcement
- YCC Title 21 Code Enforcement Official
Summary
Yakima County bars illuminated billboards near homes under Code § 19.20.130. Off-premises signs, including billboards, cannot stand within 150 feet of a residential district, and any billboard erected between 150 and 300 feet of one is capped at 160 square feet per face and cannot be lighted at all.
(d) Signs shall not be located within 150 feet of a residential district;
(e) Signs between a 150 and 300 foot radius of a residential district shall be restricted to 160 square feet per sign face and may not be lighted;
(f) Signs shall not be within 500 lineal feet of another off-premises sign on the same street;
(g) Sign height standards shall not exceed that permitted for freestanding signs as provided in Table 19.20-4 of this Chapter;
(h) The total number of combined freestanding signs and off-premises signs, including billboards, does not exceed the number of freestanding signs allowed for the property; and
(i) An off-premises sign, when located within an Urban Growth Area, shall be allowed only when the city's adopted zoning regulations would permit such a sign. (Ord. 7-2013 § 1 (Exh. A) (part), 2015; Ord. 9-2019 (Exh. 3) (part), 2019)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4871853; v6 updated 2026-04-21; through 04-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
130(3) carries the lighting rule for off-premises signs, including billboards. A billboard cannot sit within 150 feet of a residential district under any circumstance. In the buffer zone between 150 and 300 feet of a residential district, a billboard is limited to 160 square feet per sign face, half the 300-square-foot maximum allowed elsewhere, and cannot be illuminated in any way, internally, externally, or by halo lighting. 130, so the Electronic Message Center brightness and dimming rules that apply to other commercial signs do not authorize a lit or digital billboard face inside that buffer.
20-4's freestanding-sign standards. Inside an Urban Growth Area, an off-premises sign is allowed only when the adjacent city's own zoning would permit one, tying county billboard siting to the incorporated cities' sign codes near Yakima, Sunnyside, Grandview, Selah, Toppenish, Union Gap, Wapato, and Zillah. 20.
Violations & Fines
Yakima County Code Title 21 governs enforcement of Title 19 sign standards. The Code Enforcement Official within the Department of Public Services investigates complaints, issues a notice and order to correct an illegally lit billboard, and can pursue a civil infraction or criminal citation under Section 21.01.040 if the owner does not comply. Continued violations bring fines, liens against the property to recover enforcement costs, and referral to Yakima County District Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard near my house in Yakima County be lit at night?
How big can a billboard be near a residential area?
Who enforces Yakima County's billboard lighting rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima County
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