Yakima, WA Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Outdoor lighting in the City of Yakima is regulated through the Yakima Urban Area Zoning Ordinance (YMC Title 15) rather than a dedicated dark-sky chapter. YMC Chapter 15.05 (Site Design and Improvement Standards) establishes the basic development requirements that serve as the minimum criteria for land-use compatibility. YMC Chapter 15.06 (Off-Street Parking and Loading) requires that lighting be provided to illuminate any off-street parking or loading space used at night and that, when provided, lighting be directed to reflect away from adjacent and abutting properties. Parking lots adjacent to residential districts or uses must be designed with down-shielding and luminaires creating no light pollution upon those properties, and a photometric lighting plan may be required if the parking lot is located adjacent to or abutting residential properties. Outside the City of Yakima, the Yakima County zoning code at YCC Chapter 19.10 (General Zoning Requirements) goes further: exterior lighting for all uses and signs in unincorporated Yakima County shall be directed downward and otherwise arranged, fully shaded, screened, shielded, and of a design that results in the light being directed onto the site and of an intensity or brightness that does not reflect or cause glare or light intrusion into any adjacent or nearby residential use or interfere with the safe operation of motor vehicles. Washington State has no comprehensive statewide dark-sky statute - the Washington State Building Code (RCW 19.27) adopts the IBC and IECC for energy efficiency in lighting but does not impose dark-sky shielding requirements on existing or single-family residential outdoor lighting. Single-family residential exterior lights inside the City of Yakima are generally not subject to YMC 15.05/15.06 standards but remain subject to nuisance review.