Yakima Property Records
Yakima property records are held by Yakima County through the Yakima County Assessor's Office and Yakima County Auditor. These offices maintain ownership data, assessed values, recorded deeds, parcel maps, and tax accounts for all real property within the city. You can search Yakima property records online through the county's hybrid parcel search and GIS mapping tool, the auditor's document search, or the city's own permit and planning databases at the Yakima official website.
Yakima Overview
Yakima Property Records Overview
Property records for Yakima parcels are managed by Yakima County, not the city. The Yakima County Assessor's Office values all taxable parcels and maintains the official ownership and parcel data. The Yakima County Auditor serves as the recorder for deeds and other instruments. The Yakima County Treasurer handles tax billing and collection. All three county offices hold different portions of the full Yakima property record picture, and all records are open to public inspection.
Under RCW 84.40.020, all real property in Washington must be assessed at 100% of true and fair market value as of January 1 each year. The Yakima County Assessor follows this standard for every Yakima parcel. The assessor's office dispersed tax year 2026 value notice cards to property owners starting September 2025. If you received a notice and want to verify the values, you can pull up your parcel data online through the county's parcel search tools.
The Washington Public Records Act under Chapter 42.56 RCW ensures that all property assessment records and recorded documents are open to the public. Anyone can search Yakima property records without a reason, fee, or formal request for basic parcel data and ownership information.
The City of Yakima Official Website at yakimawa.gov provides access to city-level services including building permits, public records requests, planning documents, and GIS information through the city's geographic information systems department:
The city site handles permit records, zoning applications, and city public records requests, which complement the county assessor and auditor data for complete Yakima property research.
Yakima County Assessor for Yakima Property Records
The Yakima County Assessor's Office is the primary source for Yakima property record lookups. The office maintains parcel data, assessed values, ownership records, sales history, and property characteristics for all taxable parcels. The online hybrid parcel search and map tool lets you search by address, parcel number, or browse the interactive map. Results show ownership, assessed values, sales history, and tax code area. The characteristic parcel search provides more detail on building features for residential and commercial Yakima properties.
The assessor provides extensive documentation on how Yakima County values are calculated. The Valuation and Tax section on the website includes value models for the current year and prior years, mass appraisal techniques, and residential sales prices over time. The 2025 Tax Levy Booklet is available on the site. These resources help Yakima property owners understand how their assessment fits within the broader market and how the levy rate is calculated each year.
Property tax relief programs are available for Yakima property owners who qualify. The Senior/Disabled Exemption recently saw income thresholds increase, allowing more seniors and individuals retired due to disability to qualify. If your 2024 gross household income was under $45,000, you may qualify for a property tax reduction. Veterans with disabilities may also be eligible. Contact the Yakima County Assessor's office to check eligibility and request application forms.
The Yakima County Assessor provides a Boundary Line Adjustment information page and site improvement details on the website. This is relevant for Yakima property owners who need to adjust lot lines, merge parcels, or document site improvements. The assessor's site also includes district segregation and merger records and tax code area information for every Yakima parcel.
Recording Yakima Property Documents
Deeds, mortgages, liens, easements, and other instruments affecting Yakima real estate must be recorded with the Yakima County Auditor. Under RCW 65.08.070, recording protects the buyer's ownership interest by creating constructive notice of the transaction. An unrecorded deed is not legally effective against a later purchaser for value who records first. This makes recording the deed a priority in any Yakima property transfer.
The Yakima County Auditor's office handles recording, elections, and other county functions. For recording-related services on Yakima properties, contact the auditor directly. Documents must meet state formatting requirements under RCW 65.04.045, including margin standards and a completed cover sheet. The auditor also serves as the county officer under RCW 36.22.010 and must record qualifying documents without delay once fees are paid.
Online document search for recorded Yakima instruments is available through the auditor. You can search by grantor name, grantee name, parcel number, or document type. Scanned images of recent documents are viewable online at no charge. Certified copies are available for a fee and can be ordered through the auditor's office by mail, in person, or online.
Yakima Property Tax Records
Yakima property owners pay taxes to multiple taxing districts. These include Yakima County, the City of Yakima, local school districts, fire districts, library districts, and other special purpose districts. Washington uses a budget-based property tax structure. Each district certifies its budget needs, and the levy rate is set to produce that revenue from the total assessed value in the district. The assessor's office publishes an explanation of how this system works and why a rise in assessed value does not always mean a proportional rise in your tax bill.
The Yakima County Treasurer sends out tax statements annually. First half payments are due April 30 and second half by October 31. Missing these deadlines generates interest and penalty charges. For Yakima property owners facing delinquency or seeking a payoff amount, contact the Yakima County Treasurer directly. Information on tax foreclosure sales and tax certificate listings is available through the treasurer's office.
Real estate excise tax under RCW 82.45 applies to all Yakima property sales. Washington's graduated REET structure increases the rate at higher sale prices. The tax is collected at closing before the deed is recorded. The Washington Department of Revenue at dor.wa.gov maintains a statewide directory of county offices including Yakima County for reference.
The Yakima County Assessor provides additional detail on parcel valuations and tax records through the county website. Visit Yakima County Assessor's Office for search tools and assessment data:
The Yakima County Assessor site includes a hybrid parcel search, GIS map, characteristic search, and valuation documentation for all Yakima properties.
Searching Yakima Property Records Online
The Yakima County Assessor's hybrid parcel search is your best starting point for most Yakima property record needs. You can search by address or parcel number and the tool returns ownership data, assessed values, tax code area, and sales history. The GIS mapping tool on the same site gives a map-based view of Yakima parcel boundaries with satellite imagery and zoning context. Both tools are free to use without registration.
For Yakima city-level permit records, planning approvals, and public records requests, the City of Yakima's website at yakimawa.gov provides the right tools. The city has its own GIS division and community development department handling permits, code administration, and neighborhood development records. City permit data is a good complement to the county assessor data when you want to verify what was built and approved on a Yakima parcel.
For recorded deed copies and other instruments, use the Yakima County Auditor's online document search. Search by grantor or grantee name, or by parcel number. Scanned images of recent records are free to view online. Historical Yakima property records are also available at the Washington State Digital Archives at digitalarchives.wa.gov, which holds early Yakima County deed books, plat records, and property record cards going back to the county's earliest years.
Key resources for Yakima property research:
- Yakima County Assessor -- parcel search, assessed values, exemptions
- Yakima County Auditor -- recorded deeds and documents
- City of Yakima -- city permits, GIS, public records
- Washington State Digital Archives -- historic property records
- Washington DOR County Directory -- statewide contacts
Yakima County Property Records
All Yakima property records are maintained by Yakima County. The assessor, auditor, and treasurer each hold separate but linked records for every Yakima parcel. Visit the Yakima County property records page for a complete overview of search tools, office contacts, and resources available to Yakima property owners and researchers.
Nearby Cities
These cities are near Yakima in central Washington with their own property record pages.