Yakima, WA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Hearing request window
- 15 days from mailed notice
- Hearing scheduled
- 10 to 30 days after request
- Exemption
- 6-ft fence screen or full enclosure
- Appeal route
- Yakima County district court
- Unpaid costs
- Recorded lien like a mechanic's lien
Summary
Yakima treats any junk vehicle on public or private property as a public nuisance: YMC § 9.47.030 lets the code administration and planning manager order it towed, bills or liens the registered or property owner, but exempts a vehicle fully enclosed in a building or screened by a six-foot fence.
Declaration of Nuisance-Authority for Abatement. 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. The costs of such removal and impoundment may be assessed against the last registered owner of the junk vehicle if the identity of such owner can be determined, unless such owner in the transfer of ownership of the junk vehicle has complied with the provisions of RCW 46.12.101, or such costs may be assessed against the owner of the non-city-owned property on which the junk vehicle is stored and, if so assessed, constitute a lien thereon. ... G. Exemption to Certain Owners. This section shall not apply to any junk vehicle kept on private property when one of the following conditions exist: (1) The junk vehicle is completely enclosed within a building as defined by YMC § 15.02.020 or screened from view by a six-foot fence and where it is not visible from the street or other public or private property;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4980636; v1 updated 2026-08-03; through 08-03-2026).
Full Breakdown
" 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. 240. 04. 130, or one still carrying current, valid plates and tabs.
Violations & Fines
Owners who ignore the Notice of Intention to Abate and skip the 15-day hearing window lose the right to contest removal and become liable for abatement costs; the city can foreclose its recorded lien the same way a mechanic's lien is foreclosed under RCW Chapter 60.04. A vehicle can still be saved from abatement at any point before pickup by enclosing it in a building or behind a six-foot screening fence under § 9.47.030(G)(1).
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a "junk vehicle" the city can remove in Yakima?
Can I keep a junk car in Yakima if I can't move it right away?
Who pays for towing an abandoned junk vehicle in Yakima?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima
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