When was Yakima County founded?

Yakima County was founded in 1865, formed from Klickitat County and Walla Walla County, and named after Yakama.

What is the county seat of Yakima County?

The county seat of Yakima County is Yakima.

Is there an online parcel map for Yakima County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 105,429 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Yakima County's boundary or name changed?

Yakima County was created in 1865 from Klickitat County and Walla Walla County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Klickitat County, Kittitas County and Skamania County.

Who issues building permits in Yakima County?

The county's page on building permits: Food Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Who issues septic and well permits in Yakima County?

The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

We do not have flood maps for Yakima County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

County · code 53077

Yakima CountyWashington

Yakima County is a county in Washington state with its seat in Yakima. It was formed on January 21, 1865, from Klickitat and Walla Walla counties and is named after the Yakama people.

Founded1865
County seatYakima
Named forYakama
Land area4,295 sq mi + 16 sq mi water
Population256,728 2020 Census
Parcels mapped105,429 checked 15 October 2026

Open the free map Click any parcel in Yakima County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1865 from Klickitat County and Walla Walla County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Yakima County was created by Washington Territory from Klickitat and Walla Walla counties on January 21, 1865. Over the following decades, Yakima exchanged land with neighboring counties including Stevens, Skamania, and Klickitat through boundary adjustments and the creation of Kittitas County in 1883. When Washington became a state in 1889, Yakima County continued as a Washington county, and Benton County was created from Yakima in 1905.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

1865
Yakima County created Yakima created by Washington Territory from Klickitat and Walla Walla.
from Klickitat from Walla Walla
21 January 1865 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1864-1865, 12th sess., pp. 47-48
1867
Gained territory Yakima gained from Stevens, lost to Klickitat, Skamania, Walla Walla, and Non-County Area 3.
from Stevens from Klickitat from Skamania from Walla Walla
31 January 1867 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1866-1867, 14th sess., p. 50
1869
Gained territory Yakima gained from Klickitat and Skamania.
from Klickitat from Skamania
2 December 1869 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1869, 2nd biennial sess., sec. 1/p. 297
1873
Gained territory Yakima gained from Klickitat.
from Klickitat
14 November 1873 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1873, 4th biennial sess., p. 571
1889
Became part of Washington Yakima continued as a Washington county when the state of Washington admitted to the Union and Washington Territory eliminated. 11 November 1889 · U.S. Stat., vol. 25, ch. 180[1889], p. 676; U.S. Stat. pres. proc., vol. 26[1889], p. 10; Van Zandt, 155-156

Show all 11 changes (6 more)

1865
Yakima County created Yakima created by Washington Territory from Klickitat and Walla Walla.
from Klickitat from Walla Walla
21 January 1865 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1864-1865, 12th sess., pp. 47-48
1867
Gained territory Yakima gained from Stevens, lost to Klickitat, Skamania, Walla Walla, and Non-County Area 3.
from Stevens from Klickitat from Skamania from Walla Walla
31 January 1867 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1866-1867, 14th sess., p. 50
1868
Gained territory Yakima gained small area from Skamania, lost to Klickitat.
from Skamania from Klickitat
18 January 1868 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1867, 1st biennial sess., p. 60
1869
Gained territory Yakima gained from Klickitat and Skamania.
from Klickitat from Skamania
2 December 1869 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1869, 2nd biennial sess., sec. 1/p. 297
1873
Gained territory Yakima gained from Klickitat.
from Klickitat
14 November 1873 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1873, 4th biennial sess., p. 571
1879
Lost territory Yakima lost to Lewis.
to Lewis
13 November 1879 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1879, 7th biennial sess., pp. 213-214
1883
Lost territory Yakima lost to creation of Kittitas.
to Kittitas
24 November 1883 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1883, 9th biennial sess., pp. 90-93
1886
Gained territory Yakima gained from Kittitas.
from Kittitas
4 February 1886 · Wash. Terr. Laws 1885-1886, 10th biennial sess., pp. 168-169
1889
Became part of Washington Yakima continued as a Washington county when the state of Washington admitted to the Union and Washington Territory eliminated. 11 November 1889 · U.S. Stat., vol. 25, ch. 180[1889], p. 676; U.S. Stat. pres. proc., vol. 26[1889], p. 10; Van Zandt, 155-156
1905
Lost territory Yakima lost to creation of Benton.
to Benton
8 March 1905 · Wash. Laws 1905, 9th leg. sess., ch. 89/pp. 185-191
1970
Gained territory Yakima gained small portion known as the "Cliffdale Area" from Kittitas as the result of a special election held 29 April 1970.
from Kittitas
31 December 1970 · Abbott, 157-158

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Yakima

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 105,429 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 24 September 2026 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Yakima County yet.
Buildings Reference

Roof outlines traced from aerial imagery from FEMA Response Geospatial Office with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Good for seeing what is on a lot; not accurate enough to set a fence from.
checked 18 October 2026

Official: from the office that keeps the record
Good enough: a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback: a guide only; check the official record
Missing: nothing public found yet

People and land

Yakima by the Census

Population

256,728 2020 Census count

Housing units

90,504 2020 Census count

Land area

4,295 square miles

Water area

16 square miles

People per sq mi

60 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Who to ask before you build, dig or sell

Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.

Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.

Records

Assessor and property recordsfrom yakimacounty.us · checked 13 October 2026
Clerk of court: deeds and platsfrom yakimacounty.us · checked 13 October 2026

Permits

Health department: septic and wellfrom yakimacounty.us · checked 13 October 2026
Food Permitsfrom yakimacounty.us
Building Permitsfrom yakimacounty.us
YCWRS - Water Availability - Well Permitfrom yakimacounty.us
Yakima County Water Resource System (Well Permit)from yakimacounty.us

Zoning and code

Planning and zoningfrom yakimacounty.us · checked 13 October 2026
Critical Area Ordinance Updatefrom yakimacounty.us
Public Services Related Ordinancesfrom yakimacounty.us
Zoning & Subdivisionfrom yakimacounty.us
Zoning & Subdivision Documentsfrom yakimacounty.us

County government

County government
The official website of Yakima County.
yakimacounty.us

See your own lot on these maps

Open Yakima County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.

Open the free map no sign-in Pro early access

Questions

Common questions about Yakima County

When was Yakima County founded?: Yakima County was founded in 1865, formed from Klickitat County and Walla Walla County, and named after Yakama.
What is the county seat of Yakima County?: The county seat of Yakima County is Yakima.
Is there an online parcel map for Yakima County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 105,429 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Yakima County's boundary or name changed?: Yakima County was created in 1865 from Klickitat County and Walla Walla County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Klickitat County, Kittitas County and Skamania County.
Who issues building permits in Yakima County?: The county's page on building permits: Food Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Yakima County?: The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Yakima County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

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