Yakima County, WA Property Maintenance: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- YCC § 19.23.045(1)(b)(iii)
- Who clears it
- Property owner, not the county
- Where it applies
- Sidewalks on local access roads in subdivisions
- Fixed deadline
- None stated; no set hour count
- Infraction filing window
- 48 hours after issuance (§ 21.04.030(6))
- Response deadline
- 15 days to pay or request hearing
- Willful no-show
- Charged as a misdemeanor
Summary
Property owners along local access roads in unincorporated Yakima County must clear snow and ice from sidewalks themselves under Yakima County Code Section 19.23.045(1)(b)(iii). The Unified Land Development Code puts the maintenance and repair burden on the owner rather than the county, and violations funnel into the county's Title 21 civil infraction process, which can reach district court within 48 hours of a citation.
A note shall be placed on the final document indicating that developers shall replace all cracked or damaged sidewalks during construction of buildings and road improvements in a timely fashion at no cost to the public. The property owner is responsible for snow and ice removal, maintenance and repair of sidewalks in such fashion on local access roads.
(iv) Yakima County has a tiered sidewalk program for local streets:
(A) Sidewalks are required on both sides of a local access street, unless the entire street will never serve more than 30 lots or housing units, whichever is greater.
(B) Sidewalks are required on one side of streets serving up to 30 housing units or lots, based upon maximum density allowed by zoning, that have no potential to be extended under connectivity standards.
(C) No sidewalk if a permanent non-through street serves less than ten homes (or units).
(D) The location of sidewalks when only provided on one side of the street shall be on that side of the street that provides logical and continuous connections, as determined by the Reviewing Official.
(E) As an alternative to the above sidewalks, the County may approve a separated multi-use trail along local access streets, as provided in Section 19.23.030(10).
(c)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4871853; v6 updated 2026-04-21; through 04-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
Yakima County Code Section 19.23.045 sets urban public road standards for the county's Unified Land Development Code, and its sidewalk subsection controls who maintains a walk once a subdivision plat installs one. Subsection (1)(b)(iii) states plainly that the property owner is responsible for snow and ice removal, maintenance and repair of sidewalks on local access roads. The same sentence pairs that duty with the developer's separate obligation to replace any sidewalk cracked or damaged during construction of buildings and road improvements 'in a timely fashion at no cost to the public,' so the county draws a clear line between construction-era repairs, which fall on the developer, and ongoing upkeep, including snow and ice, which falls on the owner.
The provision sits inside the county's tiered sidewalk program: sidewalks are required on both sides of a local access street unless the street will never serve more than 30 lots or units, on one side only for streets serving up to 30 units with no room to extend, and not at all on a permanent non-through street serving fewer than ten homes. Wherever a sidewalk exists under that program, the snow-clearing duty in Subsection (1)(b)(iii) attaches to it.
The code sets no fixed hour count or storm-driven deadline for clearing a walk. Enforcement instead runs through Yakima County Code Title 21, Code Enforcement. Under Section 21.04.030, the Code Enforcement Official, sheriff, Fire Marshal or Public Services Director may issue a Civil Infraction to a responsible property owner, filed in Yakima County District Court within 48 hours of issuance, excluding weekends and holidays.
Violations & Fines
A Civil Infraction under Yakima County Code Section 21.04.030 must be answered within 15 days of service, either by paying the prescribed penalty or requesting a hearing, which the court must schedule between 7 and 90 days out. Failing to respond lets the court enter a default judgment for the penalty. Willfully skipping a signed promise to appear is charged as a misdemeanor, and refusing to pay after a court order can bring civil contempt proceedings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to shovel the sidewalk in unincorporated Yakima County?
Is there a deadline to clear snow from a Yakima County sidewalk?
What happens if I ignore a snow-removal Civil Infraction in Yakima County?
Does this rule apply inside the city of Yakima?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima County
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