Yakima County, WA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)
Key Facts
- Density bonus
- 115% of gross site area
- Minimum project size, RT district
- 4+ acres
- Minimum project size, SR/R-1/R-2
- 5+ acres with sewer service
- Remainder parcel status
- open space, covenant required
- Barred districts
- MIN, RS, HTC, R-3, B-1, B-2, SCC, LCC, GC, M-1, M-2
- Governing section
- YCC 19.34.035
Summary
Yakima County lets rural and Urban Growth Area subdivisions cluster new lots at a density bonus of 115% of the site's gross area, in exchange for permanently protecting the remainder parcel as open space under a recorded covenant.
(3) Development Standards. Cluster developments of existing lots or creating additional lots shall be conditioned appropriately to meet the development standards of this Title.
(a) Maximum Density. Cluster developments involving new lots in rural and Urban Growth Areas are allowed to the applicable minimum lot size requirements of Chapters 19.11 through 19.13. A density bonus of 115% of the gross area of the site may be used when clustering new lots.
(b) Cluster Lots.
(i) Clusters within or Adjacent to Rural and Resource Lands. To the maximum extent possible, site design shall use the following methods to separate residential development from existing and potential agricultural, forest, and mineral resource uses on adjacent land and the remainder lot:
(A) Use of physical features to separate the cluster lots from farm, mining or forest operations. Examples of such physical features are rock outcrops, ravines or deep draws, irrigation canals, and critical areas;
(B) In the AG zone only:
1. Location of the cluster development on predominantly nonagricultural soils and in non-irrigable areas of the property if evidence is provided documenting that the proposed cluster location reduces adverse impacts to agriculture.
2.
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
035 governs cluster developments, which the county allows to encourage more efficient use of rural and Urban Growth Area land while preserving open space. 13, but the county allows a density bonus of 115% of the gross area of the site when clustering new lots, meaning a project can yield more lots than the straight minimum-lot-size math would otherwise produce. 035(2) restricts where cluster development is available at all, limited to areas such as ten or more acres in qualifying Rural-10/5 land, four or more acres in the RT district, five or more acres in the SR, R-1 and R-2 districts served by community or regional sewer, and land outside or inside Urban Growth Areas depending on water and sewer service, while barring cluster development entirely in the MIN, R/ELDP-40, RS, HTC, R-3, B-1, B-2, SCC, LCC, GC, M-1 and M-2 districts.
035(3)(c)(i)(A) ties the bonus to a recorded restrictive covenant or plat note: the remainder parcel created by the cluster must be designated for open space use only, and the covenant must state the remainder lot stays in open space until the Comprehensive Plan designation changes to allow greater development density. The code illustrates the math directly: a 20-acre parcel with a minimum density of one lot per five acres yields four lots of base density, with the density bonus mechanism applied to that calculation when the remainder is dedicated as the open-space bonus lot.
Violations & Fines
A cluster development that exceeds the 115% density bonus cap, or that fails to record the required open-space covenant on the remainder parcel under Section 19.34.035(3)(c)(i)(A), is subject to denial or conditioning of the plat by the Yakima County Planning Division during subdivision review under Title 19, and a recorded plat that omits the covenant can be rejected by the County Auditor or later challenged as noncompliant with the approved cluster plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What density bonus does Yakima County allow for cluster subdivisions?
What has to happen to the leftover land in a Yakima County cluster development?
Where can I use the cluster density bonus in Yakima County?
Does Yakima County's cluster bonus increase minimum lot size, not just count?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima County
Compare Yakima County to another location·View the Washington zoning overlays & bonuses overview
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