Tree removal in Bellevue, Washington

Permit rules for removing a tree in Bellevue

A significant tree in Bellevue is 6 in DBH measured at 4 ft, and removing one takes a Tree Removal Only permit under BCC 23.76.035(A)(6). The 2024 tree canopy amendments, Ordinances 6795 and 6796, set a yearly no-replacement allowance by lot: up to 10,000 sq ft, 1 landmark tree or 2 significant trees; 10,001 to 20,000 sq ft, 1 or 3; over 20,000 sq ft, 1 or 4. A landmark tree is 24 in DBH and up, and beyond the allowance replacement is required.

Two exemptions matter. A tree that a qualified tree professional rates poor or dead is exempt under (A)(9), which is why a written assessment is worth paying for before you apply, and a tree entirely within the public right-of-way is regulated under BCC 14.06 instead of the clearing permit. The fee is not published, only a fee estimator, so ask Land Use Review at 425-452-4188 for the figure before you budget.

One wrinkle: LUC 20.50.046 still defines the threshold at 8 in while BCC 23.76.035 and the city’s tree-removal page use 6 in, so treat 6 in as the rule and ask Land Use Review if your tree sits between the two. Bellevue also requires a registered or licensed provider for paid tree work; ask for proof before the quote.

What tree removal costs in Bellevue

The modeled range below is crew-hours times the Washington crew cost, with surcharges within 10 ft of a structure and where no truck can reach the tree; none of it is a quote. What moves it in Bellevue is the permit path: a tree past the lot’s allowance adds a replacement planting to the removal, and a written poor-or-dead assessment that gets the tree exempted is a cost that saves the permit.

The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners is $33.85 an hour by BLS figures, with 310 employed across the metro; it is a labor index, not a price. Because 84% of King County’s storm reports land November through February, a planned removal booked for late summer is priced as a planned job, and the same tree in January competes with storm work.

Modeled estimate, not quotes (method): crew-hours × $210 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 King County

King County’s storm record is a snow record. Heavy Snow accounts for 68 of the 133 reports NOAA has logged since 2016, more than every wind category combined (High Wind 23, Strong Wind 9), with Winter Weather 13 and Ice Storm 11 behind it; 84% of reports fall November through February and the peak months run February, December, January.

That ranks the county 16 of 39 in Washington, middle of the table, but FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates ice storm and winter weather Relatively High here and wind Very Low, which matches the log: loading, not gales, is what fails trees in Bellevue. The recent three years logged 32 reports against 54 in the prior three.

NWS forecast zones covering the county: Cascades of Snohomish and Northern King Counties; Cascades of Southern King County; City of Seattle; Eastside; Foothills and Valleys of Central King County; Foothills and Valleys of Pierce and Southern King Counties.

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

Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth)

Spongy moth, formerly gypsy moth, is confirmed in King County with no quarantine in place, so wood and chips from a Bellevue removal can leave the property. The homeowner’s part is reporting and inspection: a sighting goes through the WA Invasives app, outdoor furniture, firewood and RVs get checked before they are moved in from an infested state, and the state may ask you to host a trap. Check the bark of a felled tree for egg masses before the rounds are hauled.

• Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth): Report sightings (OR Invasive Species Hotline / WA Invasives app); inspect wood, outdoor furniture, RVs before moving from infested states; host a trap if asked

Source: Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth). Checked 2026-10-02.

How removals are done here

Bellevue’s tree code is written for lots as small as 10,000 sq ft, and the trees on them are not small. Heavy Snow is King County’s top event type with 68 of 133 reports, and wet snow is what snaps leaders out of Douglas fir and western redcedar crowns; a damaged conifer on a lot that size comes down in pieces rigged from the top, because there is no room to fell the stem.

Where a truck cannot reach the back yard the model’s no-access factor applies, and a crane set up in the street is often cheaper than a two-day rig-down; see crane removal below. Puget Sound Energy serves Bellevue; it trims near overhead primary lines in the right-of-way but does not trim service lines, so removing a tree near either wire is yours to arrange around a line-clearance crew, and PSE will do a safety disconnection so a private crew can work near the drop to your house.

After the November 2024 east-wind storm, the exemption for a tree rated poor or dead is the fast lane: a qualified tree professional’s written rating under (A)(9) lets a cracked or uprooted tree go without the permit.

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

What to do next

Measure the trunk at 4 ft: under 6 in it is not a significant tree; from 6 in, count the lot’s yearly allowance before deciding whether to replace or apply; from 24 in it is a landmark tree on the stricter count. If the tree is dead or failing, pay for a written risk assessment first, because a poor-or-dead rating under (A)(9) is the exemption. Then call Land Use Review at 425-452-4188 with the address and the number on this page for the work, and check the company at the Washington license lookup; Bellevue wants it registered as well.

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