Yakima, WA Parking Rules: Curb Color Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Yellow curb
- Loading zones and no-parking zones
- Blue curb
- Handicapped parking only
- Who authorizes marking
- City traffic engineer only
- Marking style
- Words stenciled directly on curb
- General parking fine
- $20 base, per YMC § 9.60.030
Summary
Yakima's city traffic engineer, not property owners or businesses, decides where curbs get painted and what the color means: YMC § 9.15.110 lets the engineer replace or supplement signs with stenciled curb markings, and sets a color code where yellow means loading/no-parking and blue means handicapped parking.
The city traffic engineer is authorized: ... 13. To determine the location of loading zones, passenger loading zones, and towaway zones and shall place and maintain appropriate signs or curb markings supplemented with the appropriate words stenciled on the curb indicating the same and stating the hours during which the provisions of this chapter are applicable; ... 33. To authorize the painting and stenciling of curbs in lieu of or in addition to posting signs, to convey parking restrictions in accord with the following color scheme: a. Yellow, loading zones and no parking zones, b. Blue, handicapped parking;
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
110, the city traffic engineer holds broad authority over how curbs are marked citywide. " Item 26 adds that when the engineer sets up a loading, passenger-loading or towaway zone, the engineer must weigh alley entrances, other building approaches, and block-level traffic congestion, and then fix the hours the zone applies. 110 vests the power exclusively in the traffic engineer's office. In Yakima, curb color functions as shorthand for a sign the city could have posted instead, carrying the same legal weight as a posted sign.
Property owners who want a loading zone, disabled space, or restricted curb near their address must petition the traffic engineer's office rather than apply paint themselves.
Violations & Fines
Parking against a properly painted curb (blocking a marked yellow loading zone or blue handicapped space) is enforced the same as any other posted parking restriction: YMC § 9.60.030 sets the base parking-infraction penalty at $20, rising by a $5 late fee if unpaid within seven days and $15 if it remains unpaid after 30 days under YMC § 9.60.040. Unauthorized curb painting by a non-city party isn't a listed infraction, but altering a public curb without authority can be charged under Title 9's general misdemeanor penalty: up to $500 and 90 days in jail under YMC § 9.60.030.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do yellow and blue painted curbs mean in Yakima?
Who decides where curbs get painted in Yakima?
Can I paint my own curb yellow to keep people from parking there?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima
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