Barndominium Builders in Yakima County, Washington
Rural Yakima County runs from irrigated valley floor near Wapato, Sunnyside and Grandview up to foothill and forest land toward the Cascades, and that range shows up in every barndominium project here. On unincorporated land, Yakima County Public Services issues the building permit and its Planning Division applies the county's rural and resource zoning, while the incorporated cities and towns run their own permit counters. The real gate is water. The Yakima River basin has more water rights than water, so a new house on a new well goes through the county's own water availability process before the permit is issued. We plan around that from the first conversation. Barndominium kits suit owners who will put up the frame themselves on a few acres; a custom plan sizes the equipment bay, loft and living quarters to the parcel; and site preparation covers the pad, driveway and utility trenches on raw ground. Pole barn homes and steel shells both fit the valley, but snow loads climb fast with elevation, so the design starts with the parcel's own criteria. Send us the parcel number and we will map out the zone, the water path and the septic question first.
Yakima County at a glance
- County
- Yakima County
- Building permit
- County building department
- Land use
- County rural and resource zoning
- Wastewater
- Septic permit from the health jurisdiction
- Water
- Private well
Barndominium Builders Near Yakima County
From a turnkey build to a shell you finish yourself, the work starts with the parcel: the access, the building pad, the route to sewer or septic, and the water source. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so each option is priced against your land rather than a rate card.
Turnkey Builds
Turnkey barndominiums in Washington State: one team from land and permits to the finished, inspected house, with water, septic and energy code planned in.
Custom Plans
Custom barndominium plans for Washington State: floor plans and permit drawings with the energy code credits and your site's design values built in.
Site Preparation
Barndominium site preparation in Washington State: clearing, grading, drainage and pads, planned around the well, septic area, wetlands and the climate.
Permitting
Barndominium permits in Washington State: city or county building permit, water supply evidence, septic permit, energy code credits and rural zoning.
Barndominium Kits and Pole Barn Homes in Yakima County
A kit suits an owner who wants to raise the shell with their own crew. A pole barn home sets its frame on posts and trusses (the engineering term is post-frame construction) and suits a wide, simple layout with a shop bay under the same roof; a metal building home uses a bolted steel frame. Which one fits your parcel comes down to the zoning, the site and the design values the local building office publishes, covered below.
Barndominium Kits
Barndominium kits and shell kits for Washington State land: frame, panels and drawings, sized to the design values your city or county sets for the site.
Pole Barn Homes
Pole barn homes and pole barn house kits for Washington State: post-frame buildings with a shop and living space, designed to your county's snow load.
Metal Homes
Metal building homes in Washington State: steel-clad houses finished to the state energy code, with the insulation and condensation details done right.
Building a Barndominium in Yakima County: Permits, Zoning, Septic and Water
On rural land the zoning, septic and water answers often come before the building answer. Here is who decides each part in Yakima County, taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so check them again against your parcel before anything is drawn.
Yakima County Public Services, Building & Fire Safety Division
On unincorporated land, the Building & Fire Safety Division of Yakima County Public Services takes permit applications, reviews plans and inspects construction, including new homes, manufactured homes and modular structures. The cities and towns inside the county issue their own permits, so confirm the parcel is unincorporated before applying. The walk-in counter is closed on Fridays.
Source: Building & Fire Safety, Yakima County (yakimacounty.us)
Yakima County Planning Division
Density outside the urban growth areas is a county decision under its Growth Management Act plan, and the zoning code turns it into lot sizes. The county's rural districts are Remote/Extremely Limited Development Potential (R/ELDP-40), Rural-10/5 and Rural Transitional. In Rural-10/5, lot size and density shift with water availability, septic soils, road access and distance to a fire station.
Source: Chapter 19.11 Resource and Rural Districts, Yakima County Code (ecode360.com)
Yakima Health District
The Yakima Health District handles septic for unincorporated parcels. It first runs a site and soil evaluation on test holes in the proposed drainfield area, then a licensed designer draws the system, and the district issues the on-site sewage permit before installation.
Source: Building a New Septic System, Yakima Health District (yakimacounty.us)
Yakima County Water Resource System (Public Services) and Yakima Health District
The county runs its own water system, the Yakima County Water Resource System, which holds senior water rights and lets a new permit-exempt well draw mitigated water if it is built and metered to county standards. The process runs through a water availability application, a well depth check after drilling, and an adequate water determination by the Yakima Health District.
Source: Yakima County Water Resource System (YCWRS), Yakima County (yakimacounty.us)
- Snow load by parcel
- Yakima County says its design specifications are parcel specific: snow load varies from 20 pounds to well over 200, and areas above a 70-pound snow load need a stamped structural design. The same page lists seismic zone C or D-1 and a 110 mph wind speed, and requires elevation certificates for structures in a FEMA floodplain.
- Adjudicated river basin
- In May 2019 the Yakima County Superior Court completed its adjudication of surface water rights in the Yakima River Basin, covering about 2,300 water rights. The Department of Ecology describes it as the only general stream adjudication completed for an entire watershed in Washington.
Source: Design Specifications, Yakima County (yakimacounty.us)
Source: Adjudications, Washington State Department of Ecology (ecology.wa.gov)
Building on land near Yakima County
Look up the zone and the elevation before the price. A parcel in Rural-10/5 may be held to a ten-acre average if it sits far from a fire station or off a hard-surfaced county road, and ground in the Agriculture district is protected against being split into small lots. Higher up, the snow load can outgrow a standard design and call for stamped structural drawings. For water, budget time for the county water availability steps and the health district's adequate water determination before the house permit. Test holes for the septic evaluation can be dug by the owner or a hired crew. Closer to town, Yakima has city sewer and water, and the Kittitas County and Benton County pages cover the neighboring valleys.
Other places in this part of Washington
Yakima, Wenatchee & Central Washington
Have land in or near Yakima County? Tell us about the parcel and what you want on it, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.
Building in Yakima County: questions
Start the surveyHow much does it cost to build a barndominium in Yakima County?
Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Yakima County?
Can I drill a well for a barndominium in rural Yakima County?
What is the minimum lot size for a house in rural Yakima County?
Keep reading
What usually comes next once you know what Yakima County allows.
Barndominium Cost Guide
Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.
Read itIs a Barndominium Legal in Washington?
Zoning, rural land, septic, water and who inspects, before you buy the land.
Read itHow Long Does It Take?
From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.
Read itSources for this page
The published pages behind the Yakima County facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.
- Building & Fire Safety, Yakima CountyBuilding permit authorityyakimacounty.us
- Chapter 19.11 Resource and Rural Districts, Yakima County CodeLand use and zoningecode360.com
- Building a New Septic System, Yakima Health DistrictSewer or septicyakimacounty.us
- Yakima County Water Resource System (YCWRS), Yakima CountyWater supplyyakimacounty.us
- Design Specifications, Yakima CountySnow load by parcelyakimacounty.us
- Adjudications, Washington State Department of EcologyAdjudicated river basinecology.wa.gov
Other places near Yakima County
Nearby places with their own pages. Across a city limit or a county line the permit office, the zoning, the septic program and the water rules can change, so each is covered separately.
Building in Yakima County?
Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which offices decide it, what the zoning allows, and a plan to fit.