Tree removal in Portland, Oregon

Permit rules for removing a tree in Portland

Title 11 of the city code (PCC 11.40.020) covers private trees 12 inches DBH and larger. Smaller trees can also need a permit inside environmental overlay zones and plan districts, so check your zoning before assuming a small tree is exempt.

Most homeowner removals fall under Type A, with no public notice: dead, dying or dangerous trees, nuisance species, trunks within 10 feet of a structure, and up to 4 healthy trees under 20 inches per year. Healthy trees 20 inches and larger go through Type B, which adds notice.

Replacement follows size: tree-for-tree under 20 inches, inch-for-inch at 20 inches and up. You can pay into the city fund instead, at $472 per DBH inch or $712 per tree. Questions go to Urban Forestry at 503-823-8733; see the Oregon permit guide.

What tree removal costs in Portland

The permit itself costs nothing now, so the swing in a Portland bill comes from the tree and the replacement. A Type B tree means a notice period before work, and inch-for-inch replanting or a fund payment for a large tree can be a real line item next to the crew’s invoice.

BLS puts the mean tree-worker wage in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro area at $35.04 an hour across about 1,160 workers; that is pay, not price. The modeled range below accounts for local labor; see removal cost.

Modeled estimate, not quotes (method): crew-hours × $225 per crew-hour; ×1.25 within 10 ft of a structure, ×1.3 with no truck access; a crane day adds $1,500–$3,500; stump grinding is separate.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-3013. Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm records for Multnomah County

Multnomah County ranks 5th of 36 Oregon counties for NOAA storm reports, with 208 on file. Heavy snow leads at 66, and winter storms and wildfire tie at 34 each, an unusual pairing for a metro county whose NOAA zones reach into the Columbia River Gorge and North Oregon Cascades.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates ice storm risk Relatively High (91.8) and winter weather Relatively High (85.2), with wind Relatively Moderate. For planned removals, the 73% of reports that land between November and February argue for getting a doubtful tree out before December. See the Multnomah County page.

NWS forecast zones covering the county: East Portland Metro; Inner Portland Metro; North Oregon Cascades; Outer Southeast Portland Metro; Tualatin Valley; West Columbia River Gorge I-84 Corridor.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2016 to June 2026 · NWS zone-county correlation files (2019 to 2026 versions). Checked 2026-10-02. NOAA Storm Events 2016-2026; zone-based events assigned to every county the NWS zone covers using the zone-county correlation file in force on the event date (2019-04-02 file used for 2016-2018).

Pests and quarantines

Emerald ash borer (EAB) · quarantineMediterranean oak borer (MOB)

Emerald ash borer is confirmed in Portland and the area is under quarantine. Raw ash wood from a removal must stay inside the quarantine; it can leave only as chips 1 inch or smaller or as kiln-dried, debarked lumber, and loads should be covered from April 1 to September 30. Mediterranean oak borer is also confirmed: don’t move cut oak firewood more than 10 miles. Details on the Oregon EAB page.

• Emerald ash borer (EAB): OR (ODF/ODA): keep raw ash wood inside the quarantine; move only as <=1-in chips or kiln-dried debarked lumber, or heat 160F core for 60 min with ODA permission; cover loads during flight period Apr 1
• Mediterranean oak borer (MOB): Don't move cut oak firewood >10 miles from source; cut then burn or chip (<=1 in) infested trees including the stump on site; report with photos/location to Oregon Invasives Hotline

Source: Emerald ash borer (EAB) · Mediterranean oak borer (MOB). Checked 2026-10-02.

How removals are done here

Big Douglas firs on tight city lots are the usual reason Portland removals need climbers and rigging rather than a single felling cut, and a crane where there is no room to lower wood. See large tree removal and crane removal.

Snow and ice shape the work too: heavy snow is Multnomah County’s top storm type in NOAA records, and snapped tops leave hangers that crews must clear first. Portland’s electric utility isn’t mapped on this site yet, so check utilities and removal near power lines if wires run through the canopy.

• Crane removal
• Dead tree removal
• Large tree removal
• Near power lines

What to do next

Measure DBH at 4.5 feet, then check for an overlay zone and whether the tree is Type A or Type B. Confirm the contractor’s license through the Oregon license lookup, and if the tree’s health is the question, get a risk assessment first.

Back to tree service in Portland · Tree removal across WA and OR · Tree removal in Oregon · cost guide.