Tree service in Edmonds, Washington

Tree removal permits in Edmonds

The Planning Division’s handout P46 sets out when Edmonds needs a permit. On a single-family lot, it is only if the lot is large enough to subdivide or holds a critical area; developed multifamily and commercial lots need permits regardless. Maintenance removal of a tree under 4 inches DBH is exempt. A hazard tree removal needs an arborist report, and in a critical area that means an ISA-certified arborist’s Level 2 risk report, with replacement at 2 to 1 under ECDC 23.10.080.

The cost side is what makes Edmonds different. ECDC 23.10, as amended by Ordinances 4218 and 4227, sets fines of $1,500 per tree under 12 inches, and a fee-in-lieu applies to removed trees 24 inches and larger. One gap: the significant-tree DBH could not be retrieved for this page, so ask Planning at 425-771-0220 whether your lot is subdividable before you cut anything large. The Washington permit guide covers the statewide rules.

Every city compared: tree removal permits in Washington.

Source: Planning Division (425-771-0220), ECDC 23.10 (Ord. 4218, 4227); ECDC 23.40-23.90. Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm records for Snohomish County (covers Edmonds)

Snow and ice drive Snohomish County’s record, and the most recent big episode was a snow event. NOAA logged 139 reports since 2016, rank 15 of 39 in Washington, led by Heavy Snow at 68, High Wind at 26, Winter Weather at 18 and Ice Storm at 11. FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the county’s ice storm risk Very High at a score of 98.0, winter weather Relatively High, and strong wind Very Low.

Ice is the threat to plan around in Edmonds. A glaze on a broadleaf crown or a tall conifer can split leaders and drop limbs across roofs and wires, and 82 percent of county reports fall from November through February, with February, December and January the peaks. The count has dropped lately, 33 reports in 2023 through 2025 against 54 in 2020 through 2022, but one ice event is enough to fill a crew’s calendar.

NWS forecast zones covering the county: Cascades of Snohomish and Northern King Counties; Downtown Everett / Marysville Area; Foothills and Valleys of Snohomish and Northern King Counties; Foothills and Valleys of the North Cascades; Lowlands of Western Skagit and Northwestern Snohomish Counties; Shoreline / Lynnwood / South Everett Area.

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 Edmonds

Snohomish County PUD serves the county, with its outage line at 425-783-1001. The PUD maintains vegetation around its primary lines, but in its own words it does not maintain vegetation around service lines or stand-alone communication lines, so the drop to your house is your responsibility. Any work within 10 feet of a primary conductor must be done by a qualified electrical worker, which a general tree crew may need to bring in.

Snohomish PUD serves all of Snohomish County

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

Growing conditions in Edmonds

Edmonds is in USDA hardiness zone 9a, mild for the Puget Sound shore, so the replacement list is broad. No NOAA station normals are mapped for the city, so this page has no rainfall chart. On a critical-area lot the 2:1 replacement rule applies, so plant in fall, choose trees that will not grow into the service drop, and space them for the size they will reach.

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 Edmonds

Edmonds uses the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro for its labor index: BLS puts the mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners at $33.85 an hour, the median at $32.75, and the occupation count at 310. That is a wage, not a quote. The modeled ranges on the service pages are built from crew-hours plus equipment, insurance and disposal, per the methodology, and an arborist report or fee-in-lieu would sit on top.

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).

443 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Snohomish 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

Three ZIP codes cover most of Edmonds: 98026, 98020 and 98043. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate is 42,748 people, nearly level with the 42,853 of 2020. Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace are 3 miles away, Shoreline 4, and Kenmore, Mukilteo and Bothell 7, each with its own page and its own tree code.

ZIP codes with the most land inside Edmonds: 980269802098043

• Lynnwood3 miles
• Mountlake Terrace3 miles
• Shoreline4 miles
• Kenmore7 miles
• Mukilteo7 miles
• Bothell7 miles

County page: Snohomish County.

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

Tree services in Edmonds

Edmonds has a page for each of the four services. Removal is where the subdividable-lot test, fines and fee-in-lieu matter, and the cost guide covers the modeled range; trimming covers the PUD’s 10-foot rule and the service-line gap; stump grinding finishes a removal; and the emergency page is built around ice and snow calls. The arborist page covers the Level 2 risk report a critical-area hazard tree needs.

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

What to do next

Ask Planning two questions first: is your lot subdividable, and does it hold a critical area. If both answers are no and the tree is on a single-family lot, Edmonds has no permit for you. When either is yes, get the permit, and for a hazard tree in a critical area, the ISA Level 2 report through a risk assessment.

Then check the company through the Washington license lookup, confirm a qualified electrical worker for anything within 10 feet of a primary line, and ask about debris, since burning falls under the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. The Snohomish County page has the full storm and hazard record.