Yakima, WA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

YMC § 9.47.030(A) declares that "the storage, retention, or presence of any junk vehicle declared to constitute a public nuisance subject to abatement by removal and impoundment as hereinafter provided," with removal costs assessable "against the last registered owner of the junk vehicle if the identity of such owner can be determined," or against the owner of the property where it sits, in which case the cost "constitute[s] a lien thereon." Before removal, subsection B requires the code administration and planning manager to mail a written "Notice of Intention to Abate Nuisance" to the last registered owner and the property owner, giving them 15 days to request a hearing before the Yakima municipal court, and to physically affix the notice to the vehicle itself.

Subsection C lets a recipient request that hearing in writing within the same 15-day window; if timely requested, the court clerk must notify the parties by certified mail of a hearing date set 10 to 30 days out. At the hearing, subsection D has the municipal court judge or commissioner sit as an administrative hearings officer; if the vehicle was placed on the land without the landowner's consent and the landowner never acquiesced to its presence, the court cannot assess abatement costs against that landowner, and any appeal runs to Yakima County district court under RCW 46.55.240.

Subsection F lets the city record a mechanic's-lien-style claim against the property within 30 days of removal, foreclosed the same way as a mechanic's lien under RCW Chapter 60.04. Subsection G exempts a junk vehicle fully enclosed in a building or screened by a six-foot fence and not visible from the street, one lawfully stored on a licensed dismantler's or dealer's fenced lot under RCW 46.80.130, or one still carrying current, valid plates and tabs.