Call for a local estimate(877) 720-7431
WASHINGTON · STATE GUIDE

Tree service in Washington

29 of the 40 Washington cities reviewed can require a permit to remove a tree on your own lot, and every tree-removal business must be registered with L&I. Below: your city’s rule, who may do the work, burn rules, and who to call when a tree is on the line.

Rules checked 2026-10-02 · Sources at the end

Labor index$32.20/hr

BLS mean wage, tree trimmers and pruners, May 2025; an index, not a price [1].

Permit rules29 of 40

Cities reviewed that regulate private trees: 15 for ordinary removals, 14 in specific cases.

Who may do itL&I registered

RCW 18.27.010 counts tree removal as contractor work: bond and insurance required [2][3].

New pestEAB, Aug 2026

First Washington emerald ash borer, Hazel Dell, Clark County, confirmed Aug 19, 2026 [5].

Tree removal permits by city

Washington has no state permit for cutting a tree on your own lot. Cities set the rules by trunk diameter at 4.5 ft (DBH) and lot size, and nearly all regulate critical areas (wetlands, streams, steep slopes) separately. These 29 cities can require a permit; fees and steps are in tree removal permits in Washington.

CityRule for a tree on private landThresholdCode and source
SeattleYes; most lots get 2 Tier 4 trees per 3 years unreviewed6 in DSH (Tier 4)SMC 25.11 [7]
VancouverYes: Level I or III permit; code renumbered July 31, 2026None publishedVMC 20.770 / 20.450 [8]
BellevueYes beyond 1 landmark or 2 to 4 significant trees per year6 in; 24 in landmarkBCC 23.76.035 [9]
KentYes, partly verified: clearing and grading rules6 inKCC 15.08.240 [10]
RentonYes beyond 2 trees per year (5 per 5 years)6 in (8 alder, cottonwood)RMC 4-4-130 [11]
KirklandYes beyond 2 to 4 trees per year; $600 permit6 in; 26 in landmarkKZC 95 [12]
RedmondYes beyond 2 to 8 trees per year6 in; over 30 in landmarkRZC 21.72 [13]
SammamishYes; 2 to 10 trees per year cap8 in conifer; 12 in deciduousSMC 21.03.060 [14]
LakewoodYes on lots of 10,000 sq ft or more; smaller lots exempt9 in; white oak 4 inLMC 18A.70.300 [15]
ShorelineYes; dead or hazard trees exempt with TRAQ form6 inSMC 20.50.310 [16]
LaceyYes, or an exemption for 3 trees per 60 months4 inLMC 14.32.040 [17]
BurienYes beyond 1 to 5 trees per year6 in DSHBMC 19.26 [18]
IssaquahYes; emergency removals without advance permit6 in (8 alder, cottonwood)IMC 18.812 [19]
LynnwoodYes unless exempt (dead, dangerous); many permits no-cost6 inLMC 17.15.100 [20]
TumwaterYes; up to 6 trees per 3 years exemptNot retrievedTMC 16.08.080 [21]
TacomaSome: critical areas onlyNoneTMC 13.11 tip sheet [22]
EverettSome: critical areas; ask Planning about required plantingsNot foundEMC 19.37 [23]
Federal WaySome: must keep 25 tree units per acre6 inFWRC 19.120 [24]
BellinghamSome: landmark trees (interim ordinance)36 inInterim ordinance [25]
AuburnSome: beyond 6 trees per year; critical areasNone statedACC 15.74.050 [26]
MarysvilleSome: critical areas, or clearing over 1,000 sq ftNoneMMC 22E.010 [27]
OlympiaSome: only below 30 tree units per acreTree units by DBHOMC 16.60 [28]
BothellSome: critical areas; lots to 20,000 sq ft exemptOver 8 inBMC 12.18.030 [29]
PuyallupSome: heritage trees onlyDesignatedPMC 20.58.025 [30]
EdmondsSome: subdividable lots or critical areasUnder 4 in exemptECDC 23.10 [31]
Mount VernonSome: land clearing above thresholdsNoneMVMC 15.18 [32]
Walla WallaSome: recorded heritage trees onlyDesignatedWWMC 12.50 [33]
BremertonSome: critical areas onlyNoneBMC 20.14.190 [34]
Port AngelesSome: 7,000 sq ft of disturbance or sensitive areasNonePAMC 15.28 [35]

No permit for a private tree: Spokane [36] and Yakima [37]. No rule found on an official page: Camas, Kennewick, Longview, Moses Lake, Pasco, Pullman, Richland, Spokane Valley, Wenatchee; all regulate street trees, so call planning first.

Street trees are a separate permit everywhere. Seattle needs an SDOT permit to prune or remove any right-of-way tree (SMC 15.43) [38]; cutting a Kent planting-strip tree without a written permit is a misdemeanor (KCC 6.10.080) [10]; Tacoma charges $130 per caliper inch for removed “conflict trees” [39].

Who may do the work

RCW 18.27.010 defines a contractor to include anyone “performing tree removal services” [2]; L&I lists tree removal among the 63 specialties that need registration, with a bond and liability insurance on file [3]. Run the business name or UBI through L&I Verify a Contractor before you hire: it shows registration, workers’ comp, bond lawsuits and safety violations [4]. Pruning-only outfits are not addressed on the L&I page. More in Washington tree service license lookup.

Seattle adds a layer: commercial removal of any Tier 1 to 4 tree, or live branches 4 in and up, needs an SDCI-registered Tree Service Provider with $1M liability naming the City, an ISA Certified Arborist on staff, and a public notice posted 3 business days ahead (6 for a removal), SMC 25.11.100 [7].

Near power lines, state safety law controls. Anyone who is not a qualified line worker must stay 10 ft from overhead lines up to 50 kV (WAC 296-24-960(6)) [40]; only a line-clearance tree trimmer (WAC 296-45-035) [41] may cut inside that zone, with a second trimmer in voice range near conductors over 600 V (WAC 296-45-455) [42]. Crews wait for the utility; see tree removal near power lines.

A climber in a blue shirt and yellow helmet seated on a thick limb, with ropes and rigging hardware clipped to a harness
A climber seated on a large limb with ropes and rigging gear. Photo: Thomas Kinto / Unsplash

Burning yard debris

Most Washington homeowners cannot burn tree debris. WAC 173-425-040 bans residential and land-clearing burning in every urban growth area and every city over 10,000 people [43]. Southwest Clean Air Agency (Vancouver, Longview, Camas) bans yard-debris fires in UGAs and outside them allows a self-issued permit for one pile under 10 x 10 x 6 ft [44]; Northwest Clean Air Agency bans burning in every city and UGA in Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan counties [45]; Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency bars it for most residents [46]; ORCAA requires a permit in Thurston County [47].

On DNR-protected land outside those zones, a written permit is needed for piles that do not meet rule-burn conditions and for any fire within 50 ft of a structure or 500 ft of slash (WAC 332-24-205) [48]; DNR does not permit land-clearing burns [49]. Chip or haul instead: see Washington yard debris burning rules and brush clearing.

Utilities and outage lines

Every Washington utility trims its own primary lines. The pole-to-house wire is usually yours; most utilities disconnect it free, with notice, so a crew can work. Detail: utility tree trimming pages.

UtilityPole-to-house wireOutage line
Puget Sound Energy [50]Not trimmed by PSE; disconnect, 5 business days notice1-888-225-5773
Seattle City Light [51]First 10 ft only; the rest is yours206-684-3000; downed lines 911
Tacoma Power [52]Not stated253-502-8602
Snohomish County PUD [53]Not maintained by PUD425-783-1001
Clark Public Utilities [54]Free disconnect for your crew360-992-3000
Avista [55]Yours; free disconnect, 3 business days notice800-227-9187
Pacific Power [56]Free temporary disconnect1-877-508-5088
Benton PUD [57]Yours; free disconnect888-582-2176
Franklin PUD [58]Yours509-542-5300
Grant County PUD [59]Not stated800-216-5226
Chelan County PUD [60]Yours to the meter; free disconnect509-663-8121
Cowlitz PUD [61]Yours844-965-1319
Peninsula Light [62]Yours outside the 10 ft zone877-853-1388
Mason County PUD 3 [63]Not stated360-426-8255
OPALCO [64]Not stated360-376-3599
Inland Power & Light [65]Not stated509-747-7151

Pests and diseases to know in 2026

Emerald ash borer reached Washington this summer: a specimen collected Aug 3, 2026 in Hazel Dell, Clark County, was confirmed by WSDA and USDA APHIS on Aug 19, 2026, and no Washington quarantine was posted as of Oct 2, 2026 [5]. DNR’s advice: inventory your ash, stop planting it, remove dead and dying ash, do not move firewood [6]. See emerald ash borer in Washington.

Western redcedar dieback is the common west-side call: WSU’s Meddens Lab tracked mortality peaking in 2017 to 2018 with no primary pathogen found [66]; report pockets of two or more mature trees with thinning crowns [67] (western redcedar dieback). Laminated root rot in Douglas fir is quieter: infected trees blow down before crown symptoms show, and WSU recommends removal plus a 50 ft buffer [68] (laminated root rot).

Sudden oak death has no forest outbreak here; WSU Puyallup counts about 45 nursery finds since 2003 plus a few streams and planted shrubs [69]. Spongy moth: Proclamation 26-01 (Apr 27, 2026) set aerial Btk treatment on about 831 acres at Lake Youngs and in Lakewood [70]; firewood from quarantine areas is regulated under WAC 16-470 [71]. More: pests index.

Storm seasons

Tree emergencies cluster between mid-November and February. The Nov 19, 2024 bomb cyclone brought gusts near 60 mph to Seattle and left more than 114,000 Seattle City Light customers without power at the peak; 90,000 were restored within 24 hours, the rest by the following Sunday, slowed by fallen trees and pole replacement [72].

Then insurance. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner says policies usually cover wind and falling-tree damage to the house, but removal and cleanup are usually not covered unless the tree hit a covered structure [73], and debris removal is typically capped at an extra 5% of the dwelling limit [74]. A neighbor’s tree on your roof is a claim on your own policy unless you can prove fault [73]. Read storm damage and tree insurance in Washington and fallen tree removal.

A large uprooted tree with its root plate torn out lying across a two-lane road beneath dark storm clouds
An uprooted tree lying across a road under storm clouds. Photo: Quick PS / Unsplash

Services

  • Tree removal: modeled cost by height, $400 to $6,300 in Washington. Modeled estimate, not quotes (method).
  • Tree trimming: Kirkland counts topping that takes more than 25% of the live crown as a removal [12].
  • Stump grinding: an 811 locate comes first past 12 in deep, RCW 19.122 [75].
  • Emergency tree service: trees on roofs, cars and lines.
  • Land clearing: clearing and grading permits, chip versus burn.
  • Arborist services: TRAQ assessments, which Shoreline [16] and Edmonds [31] require for hazard exemptions.

Washington legal guides

Metros

City pages are listed under Counties and cities below. BLS metro wages: Seattle $33.85, Spokane $25.94; Bellingham, Yakima, Olympia and Kennewick are not published, so the $32.20 state figure applies [1].

Tree services in Washington

Long-run data: Washington storm records, 1950–2026 · Tree permit checker · Tree work safety

Counties and cities

Compare all 39 counties side by side, with storm reports, FEMA hazard ratings and burn authorities, in the Washington county table.

Each county page has NOAA storm records, FEMA hazard ratings, burn rules and utilities; each city page has the local tree permit rule, ZIP codes and nearby cities.

Cities (59)

Counties (39)

Sources

  1. BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 37-3013 tree trimmers and pruners, checked 2026-10-02.
  2. RCW 18.27.010, definition of contractor, checked 2026-10-02.
  3. L&I, Register as a contractor, checked 2026-10-02.
  4. L&I, Verify a contractor, tradesperson or business, checked 2026-10-02.
  5. Washington Invasive Species Council, Emerald ash borer, checked 2026-10-02.
  6. Washington DNR TreeLink, Emerald ash borer is here, what now (Sept 8, 2026), checked 2026-10-02.
  7. Seattle SDCI, Tree removal (SMC 25.11), checked 2026-10-02.
  8. City of Vancouver, Tree permits, checked 2026-10-02.
  9. City of Bellevue, Tree removal (BCC 23.76.035), checked 2026-10-02.
  10. Kent City Code 15.08 (tree preservation) and 6.10 (street trees), checked 2026-10-02.
  11. Renton Municipal Code 4-4-130, checked 2026-10-02.
  12. City of Kirkland, Trees (KZC 95), checked 2026-10-02.
  13. City of Redmond, Tree removal (RZC 21.72), checked 2026-10-02.
  14. City of Sammamish, Trees (SMC 21.03.060), checked 2026-10-02.
  15. City of Lakewood, Tree preservation pro tip (LMC 18A.70), checked 2026-10-02.
  16. City of Shoreline, Tree removal (SMC 20.50.310), checked 2026-10-02.
  17. Lacey Municipal Code 14.32, checked 2026-10-02.
  18. City of Burien, Residential tree code fact sheet (BMC 19.26), checked 2026-10-02.
  19. City of Issaquah, Tree FAQ (IMC 18.812), checked 2026-10-02.
  20. Lynnwood Municipal Code 17.15.100, checked 2026-10-02.
  21. Tumwater Municipal Code 16.08, checked 2026-10-02.
  22. Tacoma Permits, Street tree removal and replacement tip sheet, checked 2026-10-02.
  23. City of Everett, Tree removal FAQ (EMC 19.37), checked 2026-10-02.
  24. Federal Way Revised Code 19.120, checked 2026-10-02.
  25. City of Bellingham, Tree protection (interim landmark tree ordinance), checked 2026-10-02.
  26. City of Auburn, Tree maintenance and removal (ACC 15.74.050), checked 2026-10-02.
  27. City of Marysville, Hazardous tree removal requirements, checked 2026-10-02.
  28. City of Olympia, Urban forestry (OMC 16.60), checked 2026-10-02.
  29. Bothell Municipal Code 12.18.030, checked 2026-10-02.
  30. Puyallup Municipal Code 20.58.025, checked 2026-10-02.
  31. City of Edmonds, Handout P46 tree and vegetation removal (ECDC 23.10), checked 2026-10-02.
  32. Mount Vernon Municipal Code 15.18, checked 2026-10-02.
  33. City of Walla Walla, Tree permits (WWMC 12.49, 12.50), checked 2026-10-02.
  34. Bremerton Municipal Code 20.14.190, checked 2026-10-02.
  35. City of Port Angeles, Environmental planning and regulation (PAMC 15.28), checked 2026-10-02.
  36. City of Spokane, Urban Forestry permits (SMC 12.02.960), checked 2026-10-02.
  37. Yakima Municipal Code 8.77, checked 2026-10-02.
  38. Seattle SDOT, Street tree permits (SMC 15.43), checked 2026-10-02.
  39. City of Tacoma, Trees in the right-of-way (Canopy Loss Fee), checked 2026-10-02.
  40. WAC 296-24-960, working near energized lines, checked 2026-10-02.
  41. WAC 296-45-035, line-clearance tree trimmer definition, checked 2026-10-02.
  42. WAC 296-45-455, line-clearance tree trimming, checked 2026-10-02.
  43. WAC 173-425-040, outdoor burning prohibitions in UGAs, checked 2026-10-02.
  44. Southwest Clean Air Agency, Outdoor burning (SWCAA 425), checked 2026-10-02.
  45. Northwest Clean Air Agency, Outdoor burning, checked 2026-10-02.
  46. Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, Outdoor burning, checked 2026-10-02.
  47. Olympic Region Clean Air Agency, Outdoor burning, checked 2026-10-02.
  48. WAC 332-24-205, DNR burn permits, checked 2026-10-02.
  49. Washington DNR, Burn permits, checked 2026-10-02.
  50. Puget Sound Energy, Tree trimming, checked 2026-10-02.
  51. Seattle City Light, Vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
  52. Tacoma Power, Outages and safety, checked 2026-10-02.
  53. Snohomish County PUD, Tree trimming, checked 2026-10-02.
  54. Clark Public Utilities, Vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
  55. Avista, Tree trimming, checked 2026-10-02.
  56. Pacific Power, Vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
  57. Benton PUD, Tree and vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
  58. Franklin PUD, Tree trimming, checked 2026-10-02.
  59. Grant County PUD, Trees, checked 2026-10-02.
  60. Chelan County PUD, Tree trimming, checked 2026-10-02.
  61. Cowlitz PUD, Vegetation management, checked 2026-10-02.
  62. Peninsula Light, FAQ, checked 2026-10-02.
  63. Mason County PUD 3, Trees and power lines, checked 2026-10-02.
  64. OPALCO, Tree trimming, checked 2026-10-02.
  65. Inland Power & Light, Right-of-way clearing, checked 2026-10-02.
  66. WSU Meddens Lab, Western redcedar mortality, checked 2026-10-02.
  67. DNR, ODF and USFS, Western redcedar dieback handout (Sept 2022), checked 2026-10-02.
  68. WSU Hortsense, Douglas-fir laminated root rot, checked 2026-10-02.
  69. WSU Puyallup, Sudden oak death FAQ, checked 2026-10-02.
  70. Governor’s Proclamation 26-01, Spongy moth infestation (Apr 27, 2026), checked 2026-10-02.
  71. WAC 16-470, gypsy moth quarantine, checked 2026-10-02.
  72. Seattle City Light, How City Light responded to the bomb cyclone (Nov 26, 2024), checked 2026-10-02.
  73. Washington OIC, Winter weather and insurance coverage, checked 2026-10-02.
  74. Washington OIC, Debris removal insurance coverage, checked 2026-10-02.
  75. RCW 19.122.031, excavation exemption under 12 in, checked 2026-10-02.
  76. RCW 64.12.030, treble damages for injury to trees, checked 2026-10-02.

Comparing quotes? Check these eight things first.

Two quotes for the same tree can differ by thousands. The gap is usually in what's included, not the cutting.

01A current certificate of liability insurance, sent by the insurer
02A state license you looked up yourself: Oregon CCB or LCB, Washington L&I
03Who is on site: an ISA Certified Arborist, or a crew lead with years on the job
04Haul-away, chipping and cleanup written in, not assumed
05The stump: ground, left, or priced as a separate line
06Who pulls the city permit, and whether the fee is in the price
07What happens if a fence, roof or lawn gets damaged
08Your written approval before any extra work is added
Check any company yourself

We don't vet or license anyone. These are the official lookups; each takes about a minute.

WhatWhereWhat it shows
Oregon CCB licenseCCB license searchActive status, bond, insurance on file, complaints
Oregon LCB licenseLCB verify a licenseLandscape contracting license, which covers tree work
Washington contractor registrationL&I VerifyRegistration, bond, workers' comp, lawsuits, violations
ISA Certified ArboristISA directoryCurrent certification and credential number

How to read them: Oregon guide · Washington guide

Check any company yourself

We don't vet or license anyone. These are the official lookups; each takes about a minute.

WhatWhereWhat it shows
Oregon CCB licenseCCB license searchActive status, bond, insurance on file, complaints
Oregon LCB licenseLCB verify a licenseLandscape contracting license, which covers tree work
Washington contractor registrationL&I VerifyRegistration, bond, workers' comp, lawsuits, violations
ISA Certified ArboristISA directoryCurrent certification and credential number

How to read them: Oregon guide · Washington guide

Westcoast-Tree.org is an independent information site. If you call a number on this site, the call goes to a tree service that covers your area and we may be paid a referral fee by that company. We don't perform tree work and we don't vet, license or insure anyone. Cost figures are modeled estimates, not quotes (method). Not affiliated with the former Westcoast Tree Care Inc of Tumwater, WA.

Call for a local estimate(877) 720-7431