Yakima County, WA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Chapter 10.08 of the Yakima County Code, Approaches to County Roads, Construction and Maintenance, requires a permit before anyone builds, modifies or reconstructs a private connection to a county road. Section 10.08.020 requires permits for both commercial and noncommercial road approaches and allows the county engineer to grant them at any location except on designated limited-access roads, so long as the approach will not conflict with the safety and free movement of road traffic. Section 10.08.030 sets who may apply: the property owner, purchaser or lessee with the owner's consent, or an authorized agent, filing directly with the county engineer's office.

Section 10.08.040 makes the permittee responsible for maintaining the approach between the road shoulder or pavement edge and the right-of-way line and gives the county the right to inspect the installation at any time and require repairs at the permittee's expense. Design standards differ by class: Section 10.08.050 requires commercial approaches to use culvert pipe no smaller than 12 inches in diameter and 24 feet long, with cleanouts every 100 feet, while Section 10.08.060 sets noncommercial driveways at a minimum 20-foot width at the shoulder line with the same drainage-pipe minimums.

All construction materials and drainage work are subject to the county engineer's approval under Section 10.08.080, and Section 10.08.090 lets an applicant appeal a denied permit to the Board of County Commissioners, whose decision is final. Building or altering a road approach without this permit is a misdemeanor under Section 10.08.100, punishable by a fine of up to $300 or up to 90 days in jail, or both.