Tree removal permit checker

How the checker decides

Each of the 99 cities has one record: whether the city requires a permit for private trees, the size rule in the code’s own words, the conditions, the fee, the street-tree rule, the citation and the date it was checked. The verdict is built from that record and your answers, nothing else.

• Likely needs a permit. The city requires a permit for private trees and your trunk is at or above its size line, or the size line isn’t a single number. Also shown when you tick “street tree” and the city’s street-tree rule calls for a permit or approval.
• Depends on your lot. The city regulates only some trees: by zone, lot size, overlay, tree class, or how many you remove in a year. The conditions are printed so you can check them against your lot.
• Probably not, unless… No general private-tree permit, or your trunk is under the size line. The “unless” list matters: street trees, overlays, heritage trees and development permits have their own rules.
• Rule not verified. The city’s private-tree code couldn’t be confirmed. Call the planning department.

When a city’s size rule is written as text (“significant trees”, tree units, an annual allowance), the tool doesn’t compare numbers. It shows the text.

Measuring the trunk

Portland measures diameter 4.5 ft above the ground and converts from circumference by dividing by 3.14 [1]. A trunk 38 in around is about 12.1 in across, just over Portland’s 12-in line for regulated private trees [2]. Seattle calls the same measurement DSH and regulates from 6 in [3]. On a slope, champion-tree measurers take the 4.5 ft from the middle of the slope at the base [4]; when it’s close, ask the city which side it uses.

What the data covers

40 Oregon and 59 Washington cities, checked 2026-10-02. 20 have a general private-tree permit, 43 regulate some trees, 26 have none for private trees, and 10 couldn’t be verified. Unincorporated county land isn’t covered; see tree removal permits in Oregon and tree removal permits in Washington.

The rules differ more than the verdicts suggest. Salem requires a permit only for significant trees, 30 in DBH or larger, or 20 in for Oregon white oak [5]. Kirkland lets a lot of up to 10,000 sq ft remove 2 regulated trees in 12 months with a notification, and charges $600 plus a 3.5% surcharge for a Tree Removal Permit beyond that [6]. Portland requires a permit to remove a street tree of any size [2].

Before you cut

1. Open the code link in the result and read the section cited. Codes change; the date shows when this record was checked.
2. For a dead or dangerous tree, photograph it first. Portland, for one, handles dead, dying and dangerous trees under its no-notice Type A permit rather than exempting them [2]. A tree risk assessment report is what most cities accept as proof.
3. Ask each tree service who pulls the permit and whether the fee is in the price. Compare bids against the tree removal cost calculator.
4. If the tree could reach the house, run the tree reach calculator; the tree removal hub covers the job itself.

This is a reading aid, not legal advice. The city has the final word.

Every other city’s source is the official page linked in its result.