Yakima building permits
Department contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Yakima, Washington.
Last verified 2026-09-16 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Phone
- 509-575-6000
- Website
- Official site
Codes adopted
The State Building Code is in effect in every county and city in Washington, and its minimum performance standards may not be diminished locally. A local amendment that affects single-family or multifamily residential buildings is not effective unless the State Building Code Council approves it; amendments to non-residential provisions carry no such approval requirement.
- THE 2021 WASHINGTON STATE BUILDING CODE, NAMED. YMC 11.04.010: "The city of Yakima hereby adopts the 2021 Washington State Building Code, including Sections 101 through 111 of Appendix E (Supplementary Accessibility Requirements), Appendix G and Appendix J, as published by the International Code Council, Inc., as adopted and maintained by the State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-50 WAC".
- THE 2021 RESIDENTIAL CODE, WITH TINY HOMES. YMC 11.22.010: "The city of Yakima hereby adopts the 2021 Washington State Residential Code, including Appendix Q (Tiny Homes), as published by the International Code Council, Inc., as adopted and maintained by the State Building Code Council in Chapter 51-51 WAC". Camas also specifically adopts Appendix Q; most cities in this guide do not.
- THE CODE PINS ITS OWN VOCABULARY. Both adoptions add that any reference to "the International Building Code, the building code, the Washington State Building Code, or this code" means the 2021 edition "as referred to herein" - so a stray reference elsewhere in the title cannot quietly mean a different edition.
- Title 11 also carries separate chapters for Energy (11.05), Mobile Homes (11.06), Signs (11.08), Existing Building (11.12), Electrical (11.16), Fuel Gas (11.18), Mechanical (11.32), Property Maintenance (11.40), Plumbing (11.44), Chronic Nuisance Properties (11.45) and Control of Moved Buildings (11.50). NONE OF THOSE WERE READ FOR THIS ENTRY.
- RCW 19.27 - the Washington State Building Code applies statewide.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit
Required for construction in Yakima. The city adopts the 2021 Washington State Building Code by name and amends the residential exempt-work list generously.
See fee scheduleFence
Yakima exempts fences up to seven feet from a building permit - a higher threshold than neighbouring cities in this guide.
See fee scheduleShed or Detached Accessory Structure
Yakima exempts detached non-habitable accessory structures up to 200 square feet.
See fee scheduleVerify a Contractor Licence
Washington contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is a STATE record; Yakima does not issue it.
See fee schedule
Yakima's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Yakima yet is the record of permits actually issued — the history you'd search by street address. That is a gap in our coverage, not a statement about any particular property.
Your email, and the place — never an address. We only use it to tell you when Yakima lands. Privacy.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-07)
- 14units
13 buildings · $3.5M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 256units
12 of 12 months reported · #11 in Washington coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-07)
- 139units
94 buildings · $31.4M valuation
7 month(s) reported to Census
- Full year 2025
- 341units
263 buildings · $86.5M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-07 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Washington building activity
Tips & gotchas
- YOUR SNOW LOAD DEPENDS ON YOUR ELEVATION: 20 psf minimum uniform roof snow load up to 1,166 feet, 25 psf above. Find your site elevation first.
- Above 1,166 feet you may use a case-specific analysis instead of the prescriptive loads.
- Yakima is the second city in this guide whose snow figure varies inside the city - Bellevue is the other. Asking which city you are in is not enough.
- Fences up to 7 feet need no building permit - higher than Tukwila's 6 feet, and Everett requires one for any fence.
- Sheds up to 200 square feet are exempt, but only if NON-HABITABLE and detached.
- Retaining walls are exempt only to 4 feet measured from the BOTTOM OF THE FOOTING, and never if they support a surcharge.
- The 85 mph wind speed carries no nominal-or-ultimate label. Airway Heights publishes 85 as a GUST; they are not necessarily the same quantity.
- Yakima's code lives on ecode360, not codepublishing - the codepublishing address redirects.
- Fees AND the building valuation behind them are both set by council resolution, outside the code.