Can You Have Chickens in Your Backyard in Yakima?

Can you have chickens in your backyard in Yakima?

The quick answer is 'yeah, sure', but it's not as easy.

Washington State has laws on this.

Naturally, in some places you can have chickens because, well, people do. But do they have to live outside of the city? Do they have to have a permit? Do they have to only have one or two?

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There's a lot to consider when it comes to owning your own chickens.

Fortunately, the Hen House Collection has answers. I mean, they have the words hen house in their name so they should know.

What are the rules for keeping chickens in Yakima?

For the city of Yakima, you can have chicken but only upto 4 hens. No roosters.
They must be kept in your backyard and have fencing for the chicken coop and keep 10 feet from the property line and 5 feet from other structures.

This is for all of Yakima County so if you live in Selah, Sunnyside, Moxee, Zillah, Wapato, Toppenish, and others you should be good.

This seems to be a basic rule for most of Washington State as well.

Spokane, however, is a little different.

According to TheHenHouseCollection.com:

Yes, one chicken is allowed per 1,000 square feet of lot size in Spokane, Washington. For every 2,500 square feet, you can have one small livestock animal, meaning a 5,000-square-foot lot allows for five chickens. Roosters are only permitted in the Residential Agricultural zone.

Other cities in Washington like Seattle and Tacoma have their own rules as well which this website explains clearly.

But if you live in Yakima, you're good with 4.

Just no roosters, please. I mean, the law also says no roosters, but also, y'know, no roosters to wake me up. I have to be up early as it is.