Yakima, WA Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

Yakima addresses driveway parking through two layers of authority. First, the Yakima Urban Area Zoning Ordinance (Title 15 YMC) sets the on-lot residential standards for where vehicles may park, the surfacing and dimensional requirements for driveways and parking pads, and the share of a front yard that can be improved as parking surface. The zoning ordinance also controls where parking lots and driveways serving nonresidential uses may be located; under Title 15, no parking lot or driveway serving a nonresidential use in a commercial or industrial district may be located in a residential zoning district. Second, any new or expanded driveway approach or curb cut connecting a private drive to the public right-of-way requires a right-of-way construction permit from the City of Yakima Engineering Division, with inspection against city standards. Constructing or widening a driveway approach without a permit is a code violation that may require restoration to city standards plus penalties. On the street side, parking that blocks a sidewalk, a public or private driveway, the curb apron, a crosswalk, an intersection, or a fire hydrant is enforceable under Yakima Municipal Code Chapter 9.50 (Parking and Rules of the Road) and under state law RCW 46.61.570 (Stopping, standing, or parking prohibited in specified places), which sets a 15-foot fire hydrant setback and a 20-foot setback from a crosswalk at an intersection. Complaints about blocked driveways or unpermitted curb cuts can be reported to the Yakima Police Department non-emergency line at (509) 575-6200 (parking) or to the Engineering Division (right-of-way permits).