Tree service in Des Moines, Washington

Tree removal permits in Des Moines

Des Moines measures trees at 54 inches above ground: an evergreen of 6 inches or more, or a deciduous tree of 8 inches or more, is significant under the city’s guidance (PAM 009) and DMMC 18.195, with alder, ash, cottonwood and willow excluded. Under DMMC 16.25.050(1), no permit is needed if the work sits outside critical and shoreline areas, the tree is not required landscaping, and total clearing stays under 2,000 square feet. Dead, diseased and hazard trees outside critical areas are exempt.

If any of those conditions fails, call Planning, Building & Public Works at 206-870-7576 before work starts. A tree kept as a retained tree under an earlier approval is replaced 3:1 if it comes out (16.25.080), and a fee in lieu covers tree cost, installation, two years of maintenance and fund administration (16.25.085); the permit fee itself was not published. In an emergency you can remove first and notify the city within 7 days (16.25.050(3)). The Washington permit guide compares other cities.

Every city compared: tree removal permits in Washington.

Source: Planning, Building & Public Works (Community Development Director) (206-870-7576), DMMC 16.25.050, 16.25.060, 16.25.070, 16.25.080, 16.25.085; DMMC 18.195; DMMC 12.05. Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm records for King County (covers Des Moines)

Winter is nearly the whole story in King County. NOAA logged 133 storm reports for the county, and 84 percent of them fall between November and February, with February, December and January the peak months. Heavy snow leads with 68 reports, high wind follows with 23, and ice storms add 11; wildfire appears once. The county ranks 16th of Washington’s 39.

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates King County Very High overall and Relatively High for ice (91.1) and winter weather (94.7), but Very Low for wind (4.5). For a Des Moines yard, snow and ice on evergreen crowns is the predictable load. Recent winters have been quieter, 32 reports in the latest three years against 54 before, and many of the county’s forecast zones are Cascade foothills and passes, so not every report describes the lowlands.

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).

Power lines and utilities in Des Moines

Puget Sound Energy is the electric utility for Des Moines. PSE trims near overhead primary lines in its right-of-way, but it does not trim service lines, the span from the pole to your house; that part is the owner’s. What PSE will do is a safety disconnection, so you or a private arborist can trim near the drop with the line de-energized. PSE does not publish a yard-tree clearance distance; the only figure it cites is 10 feet, as the distance where electrocution risk begins, so treat anything closer as work for a qualified line-clearance crew. Report outages at 1-888-225-5773 and downed lines to 911. If your bill names another provider, call the number on it and check the utility directory, and read tree removal near power lines before work near the drop.

Inferred: PSE serves King Co. outside Seattle; city is not among Seattle City Light franchise cities; Tanner Electric Co-op also has rural King Co. territory

Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; WAC 296-24-960 (WA L&I). Checked 2026-10-02.

Pests and quarantines

Spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth)

Spongy moth, formerly called gypsy moth, is confirmed in the area, though no quarantine applies here. Report sightings through the WA Invasives app, inspect firewood, outdoor furniture and RVs before moving them from infested places, and host a trap if the state asks. More is in the pest guide.

• 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.

Growing conditions in Des Moines

Des Moines is in USDA hardiness zone 9a, mild enough for a wide replant list. The county’s 68 heavy-snow and 11 ice-storm reports argue for trees with strong branch attachments. If the removal triggered 3:1 replacement, plan room for three trees before the first one comes down, and keep tall growers away from the service line you are responsible for.

USDA hardiness zone 9a (2023 map, by ZIP code).

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (OSU PRISM ZIP data). Checked 2026-10-02.

Labor index for Des Moines

BLS puts the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners at $33.85 an hour, with a $32.75 median and about 310 workers. That is pay, not price. A job that needs a permit, replacement trees or a fee in lieu adds paperwork and planting on top of crew-hours, rigging and disposal, and the modeled ranges on the service pages start from this wage.

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: $33.85 per hour mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners (BLS, May 2025). This is a labor index, not a price; the modeled crew-hour cost used on this site is $210 (method).

843 landscaping-services establishments were counted in King County in 2023 (Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 561730).

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 37-3013 · U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, NAICS 561730. Checked 2026-10-02.

ZIP codes and nearby cities

Des Moines covers ZIP codes 98198, 98148 and 98023. SeaTac is 4 miles away, Kent and Federal Way 5, Burien and Tukwila 6, and Auburn 8, each with its own tree code, so confirm the jurisdiction before relying on the 2,000-square-foot rule. County data is on the King County page.

ZIP codes with the most land inside Des Moines: 981989814898023

• SeaTac4 miles
• Kent5 miles
• Federal Way5 miles
• Burien6 miles
• Tukwila6 miles
• Auburn8 miles

County page: King County.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA to place and county relationship files. Checked 2026-10-02.

Tree services in Des Moines

The pages below apply the Des Moines code to each job. Removal is where the 2,000-square-foot trigger, critical-area permits and 3:1 replacement matter; trimming a right-of-way tree is capped at 25 percent of leaf area under 16.25.060(3); stump grinding starts with an 811 locate; and the emergency page covers the 7-day notice for storm removals.

• Tree removal (statewide guide)
• Tree trimming in Des Moines
• Stump grinding (statewide guide)
• Emergency tree service (statewide guide)
• Arborists and tree health
• Check a license in Washington

What to do next

Measure the trunk at 54 inches and note whether the tree is evergreen or deciduous. Then check three things: whether the lot touches a critical or shoreline area, whether the tree was required landscaping or retained under a past approval, and how much clearing the job adds up to. If any applies, call Planning, Building & Public Works first. Get a risk assessment for a storm-damaged tree and check the company in the Washington license lookup.