Tree removal regulations in the Puget Sound area

​Check out these resources if you have questions about on tree laws in the Puget Sound area. There’s also a mini dictionary below of terms you may come across that you aren’t familiar with.

State Laws

RCW 64.12.030 --- Injury to or removing trees, etc.—Damages - Info on damage or removal of trees on another’s property

WAC 352-28-010 --- Cutting, collection and removal of natural resources - Info on the removal of trees in state parks

County Laws

Snohomish County

13.50.090 --- Conditions--Tree trimming, removal and replacement (C9) - Info on tree services that must be carried out within the opened right-of-way.

Hazardous Tree Removal - Info for dealing with hazardous trees in various situations, including trees on or near your property and in protected areas.

FAQ’s – Snohomish County Planning and Development Services - FAQ’s that include info on significant tree and critical area restrictions, permitting, tree canopy requirements and hazardous trees.

King County

Forest Practices - Info on growing, harvesting and processing timber and classes of forest practice.

Zoning - Includes info on tree landscaping, retention, and a few tree definitions (hazard trees, broadleaf trees and significant trees).

Skagit County

Clearing, Grading, Grubbing, and Forest Practices = Info on land clearing for property owners.

Hazard Tree Removal - Info on hazard tree removal in critical areas

City Laws

Bainbridge Island

City Tree Regulations

Everett

Chapter 19.35 - LANDSCAPING AND SCREENING REQUIREMENTS
Process/application for Hazardous Tree Removal in Critical Areas
Process/application for Tree Pruning in critical areas
Removing a Street tree
Do I need city approval to prune or remove a tree?
Right of way tree trimming guidelines

Monroe

UDR CHAPTER 22.86 - Regulations on land clearing and forest practices
UDR Chapter 22.46 -Landscaping Standards

Kirkland

UDR CHAPTER 22.86 - Regulations on land clearing and forest practices
UDR Chapter 22.46 -Landscaping Standards

Lake Stevens

Chapter 14.76 - SCREENING AND TREES - Retention and Protection of Large Trees
Chapter 14.08 - Basic Definitions and Interpretations - Includes tree-related definitions
Chapter 14.88 - Critical Areas - Includes info on tree removal in critical areas

Lynnwood

Tree Removal Regulations - has info and links for:

• Classes of tree removal
• Municipal code
• Tree preservation guidelines

Seattle

Tree Protection Code is the main page for info on Seattle city tree regulations. Includes info or links for:

• Exceptional trees
• Environmentally critical areas
• Undeveloped property tree removal
• Developed property tree removal
• Hazard trees
• Tree protection regulations
• Tree and vegetation removal​

Snohomish

Ordinance 1917 - Info on Significant Trees and Tree Retentions
Do I need City approval to cut down a tree on my property?

Tacoma

Info on street tree and hazard tree removals​
Info on Tree Pruning

Definitions of Related Terms

Below are some definitions of terms in the legal world of trees that you might not be familiar with.

Significant Tree

Per King County: “an existing healthy tree that is not a hazard tree (i.e. a tree that does not have a high probability of imminently falling due to a debilitating disease or structural defect) and that, when measured four and one-half feet above grade, has a minimum diameter of:

A. Eight inches for evergreen trees; or
B. Twelve inches for deciduous trees. (Ord. 13576 § 1, 1999).”

Per Bainbridge Island:
“

1. A live evergreen tree 10 inches in diameter or greater, measured 4.5 feet above existing grade; or
2. A live deciduous tree 12 inches in diameter or greater, measured 4.5 feet above existing grade; or
3. In the Mixed Use Town Center and High School Road zoning districts, any live tree 8 inches in diameter or greater, measured 4.5 feet above existing grade; or
4. Any live trees located within a required critical area or critical area buffer as defined in Chapter 16.20 BIMC.

Critical Area

Per King County: “Critical areas are lands with natural hazards or lands that support certain unique, fragile or valuable resource areas.”

​Per Snohomish County
"Critical area" means the following areas:

1. Wetlands;
2. Areas with a critical recharging effect on aquifers used for potable water, including:

1. Sole source aquifers,
2. Group A well head protection areas, and
3. Critical aquifer recharge areas;

1. Fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, including:

1. Streams, including those planted with game fish by a governmental or tribal entity,
2. Lakes, including those planted with game fish by a governmental or tribal entity,
3. Naturally occurring ponds under 20 acres and their submerged aquatic beds that provide fish or wildlife habitat, including those planted with game fish by a governmental or tribal entity,
4. Marine waters,
5. Primary association areas for critical species, and
6. State natural area preserves, natural resource conservation areas, and state wildlife areas;

1. Frequently flooded areas; and
2. Geologically hazardous areas, including:

1. Erosion hazard areas,
2. Landslide hazard areas,
3. Seismic hazard areas,
4. Mine hazard areas,
5. Volcanic hazard areas, and
6. Tsunami hazard areas. (Added by Amended Ord. 02-064, Dec. 9, 2002, Eff date Feb. 1, 2003; Amended by Emerg. Ord. 04-024, Mar. 10, 2004, Eff date Mar. 10, 2004; Amended by Amended Ord. 06-061, Aug. 1, 2007, Eff date Oct. 1, 2007; Amended by Ord. 17-039, July 12, 2017, Eff date Aug. 3, 2017).

Per Washington State Legislature

Native Growth Protection Area (NGPA)

Per Snohomish County: “A Native Growth Protection Area (NGPA), or Critical Area Protection Area (CAPA), is the Snohomish County Code designation for permanently protected property that contains a critical area, a critical area buffer or both.

Broadleaf Tree

Per Merriam Webster: “any deciduous tree (such as the maple or oak) or any of certain evergreen trees distinguished from trees bearing needlelike leaves (such as most conifers) by having relatively broad flat leaves”

​Per King County: “a tree characterized by leaves that are broad in width and may include both deciduous and evergreen species. (Ord. 10870 § 64, 1993).”

Tree Hazard

Per King County: “21A.06.1331 Tree, hazard. Tree, hazard: any tree with a structural defect, combination of defects or disease resulting in structural defect that, under the normal range of environmental conditions at the site, will result in the loss of a major structural component of that tree in a manner that will:

1. Damage a residential structure or accessory structure, place of employment or
2. public assembly or approved parking for a residential structure or accessory structure or
3. place of employment or public assembly;
4. Damage an approved road or utility facility; or
5. Prevent emergency access in the case of medical hardship. (Ord. 15051 § 107, 2004).”

​Per Skagit County: “Hazard trees: those trees with a structural defect, combination of defects or disease resulting in a structural defect that, under the normal range of environmental conditions at the site, will result in the loss of a major structural component of the tree in a manner that will:

1. Damage a residential structure or accessory structure, place of employment or public assembly or approved parking for a residential structure or accessory structure or place of employment or public assembly;
2. Damage an approved road or utility facility; or
3. Prevent emergency access in the case of medical hardship.”

Per Tacoma: “What is a hazard tree? A hazard tree exists when the sum of the risk factors assessed equals or exceeds a determined threshold of risk. Below that threshold, the tree is not considered to be a hazard.
How are the risk factors assessed? Risk factors are assessed during a tree risk assessment performed by a Certified Tree Risk Assessor.”

We're not legal experts and this is information is not to be taken as advice, only as a resource to help you with your research.  Once you are ready to get started, we'd love to help you out.