Yakima County, WA Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- RCW 46.61.570, not a county ordinance
- Driveway buffer
- 5 feet from curb radius, no parking
- Fire hydrant buffer
- 15 feet, no standing
- Crosswalk buffer
- 20 feet, no standing
- Violation type
- Civil traffic infraction, RCW 46.63.020
- Enforcing agencies
- Sheriff's Office and State Patrol
Summary
State law, not a county ordinance, sets Yakima County's on-street parking rules. RCW 46.61.570 bars stopping, standing or parking in front of driveways, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, within 20 feet of a crosswalk, on sidewalks, or inside an intersection anywhere in the unincorporated county, with a narrow driveway exception for short residential approaches.
(1) Except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic, or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or official traffic control device, no person shall: (a) Stop, stand, or park a vehicle: ... (ii) On a sidewalk or street planting strip; (iii) Within an intersection; (iv) On a crosswalk; ... (b) Stand or park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except momentarily to pick up or discharge a passenger or passengers: (i) In front of a public or private driveway or within five feet of the end of the curb radius leading thereto, except that a city or county may, by ordinance or resolution, allow residential property owners within their jurisdiction to park, or allow another to park, across the point of ingress or egress of the driveway entering on to the residential property, provided that the driveway is no longer than 50 feet and that such parking does not obstruct a sidewalk, another driveway, or the roadway; (ii) Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant; (iii) Within 20 feet of a crosswalk.
Full Breakdown
570, enforced on county roads by the sheriff's office and the Washington State Patrol. Subsection (1)(a) forbids stopping, standing or parking on the roadway side of another parked vehicle, on a sidewalk or planting strip, inside an intersection, on a crosswalk, in the gap between roadways of a divided highway, or wherever official signs prohibit stopping. Subsection (1)(b) adds a second tier of no-standing zones measured by distance: in front of a public or private driveway or within five feet of the curb radius leading to it, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, within 20 feet of a crosswalk, within 30 feet of the approach to a stop sign, yield sign or traffic signal, and within 20 feet of a fire station driveway (75 feet on the opposite side of the street).
The statute carves out one exception: a county may, by resolution, let a residential property owner park across their own driveway's point of ingress or egress if the driveway is no longer than 50 feet and the parked vehicle does not block a sidewalk, another driveway or the roadway. Subsection (2) confirms that any additional time limit or parking restriction beyond these fixed zones must come from a county resolution, not from this statute itself. Subsection (4) separately bars reserving a portion of a highway for one person's exclusive parking use.
020 designates offenses against traffic and parking statutes, including parking, standing, and stopping offenses, as civil traffic infractions rather than crimes, so a ticket here is resolved through Yakima County District Court's infraction process rather than a criminal case.
Violations & Fines
Parking in a restricted zone under RCW 46.61.570, blocking a driveway, hydrant or crosswalk, is a civil traffic infraction under RCW 46.63.020, not a criminal misdemeanor, and carries a monetary penalty set by the state's infraction schedule rather than a county fine. The Yakima County Sheriff's Office or Washington State Patrol issues the notice, and it is contested or paid through Yakima County District Court like any other traffic infraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park across my own driveway in unincorporated Yakima County?
How close to a fire hydrant can I park?
Is illegal parking a criminal charge in Yakima County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima County
Compare Yakima County to another location·View the Washington parking rules overview
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