Tree service in Federal Way, Washington

Tree removal permits in Federal Way

Federal Way does not count trees one by one; it counts tree units per acre. Under FWRC 19.120.130 a residential lot has to keep at least 25 tree units per acre, and on a developed single-family lot anything under 6 inches DBH is removable without review. At 6 inches and up the question becomes whether the removal drops the lot below the minimum; if it does, replacement planting is required, and if it does not, the removal is allowed. Hazard and nuisance trees are exempt from review under FWRC 19.120.030(9).

The limits sit elsewhere in the code. FWRC 19.145 critical areas are off-limits for removal, and so are trees that an earlier permit required you to keep. The Community Development director issues any decision, no fee was found, and the street-tree rule was not verified, so treat a tree in the right-of-way as a question for the city. Before you book a crew, have someone count the trees staying on the lot, because the tree-unit tally is the whole test. Other cities count differently; see the Washington permit guide.

Every city compared: tree removal permits in Washington.

Source: Community Development (director), FWRC 19.120.020, 19.120.030(9), 19.120.130. Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm records for King County (covers Federal Way)

Storm work in Federal Way runs on a four-month clock. NOAA logged 133 reports for King County since 2016, and 84 percent of them landed between November and February, with February the single busiest month, then December and January. The off-season is real: a removal booked for May through October is a planned job with easier scheduling, while a call in the peak competes with every other storm call in the county.

Snow is the main driver. Heavy Snow accounts for 68 of the 133 reports, High Wind for 23, Winter Weather for 13 and Ice Storm for 11, and FEMA’s National Risk Index rates winter weather and ice storm risk Relatively High for the county while strong wind is Very Low. Taken together, the data says the trees to worry about in Federal Way are the ones carrying wet snow and ice over a roof, not the ones that might blow over on a windy afternoon.

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 Federal Way

Puget Sound Energy serves Federal Way, as it does most of King County outside Seattle; Tanner Electric Co-op also has rural King County territory. PSE’s outage line is 1-888-225-5773, with 911 for any line on the ground. PSE trims near overhead primary lines in the right-of-way, but it states that it does not trim service lines, the span from the pole to your house; for that span it performs a safety disconnection so you or a private arborist can do the work. PSE does not publish a clearance standard and cites 10 feet only as an electrocution-risk distance. Federal Way homeowners billed by another utility should use the number on that bill.

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)

King County is on the confirmed list for spongy moth, formerly gypsy moth, with no quarantine in force. There is nothing to stop a crew from hauling wood or chips out of Federal Way, but the state asks everyone to report sightings through the WA Invasives app, to check outdoor furniture, RVs and firewood for egg masses before moving them in from an infested state, and to host a trap if asked. If a tree you are removing shows heavy defoliation, mention it when you report.

• 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 Federal Way

Federal Way is in USDA hardiness zone 8b on the 2023 map. That zone is comfortable for Douglas fir, western redcedar and bigleaf maple, the species most likely to be the large trees on a lot here, and for most replacement choices a nursery will stock. With no NOAA station normals mapped for the city, there is no rainfall chart; plan on the Puget Sound pattern of wet winters and a dry stretch in July and August, and water any replacement tree through its first two summers.

USDA hardiness zone 8b (2023 map, by ZIP code).

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

Labor index for Federal Way

BLS’s labor index for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro, which takes in Federal Way, is a mean wage of $33.85 an hour for tree trimmers and pruners, a median of $32.75, and 310 workers in the occupation. Wages are one line in a crew’s costs. Fuel, chipper and bucket-truck time, insurance and dump fees stack on top, which is why this site models cost in crew-hours instead of multiplying a wage by a clock; the methodology explains the model.

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

Five ZIP codes carry most of Federal Way’s land: 98003, 98023, 98001, 98422 and 98032. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts the city at 99,729 people, down a little from 101,030 in 2020. Des Moines is 5 miles off, Auburn 6, Tacoma 7, Kent 8 and SeaTac and Puyallup 9, and each applies its own tree rule, so a company that works all of them will not necessarily know Federal Way’s tree-unit test unless you raise it.

ZIP codes with the most land inside Federal Way: 9800398023980019842298032

• Des Moines5 miles
• Auburn6 miles
• Tacoma7 miles
• Kent8 miles
• SeaTac9 miles
• Puyallup9 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 Federal Way

Federal Way has its own page for each of the four services. Removal is the one tied to the tree-unit count, and the cost guide explains the modeled range; trimming near the house wire needs a PSE safety disconnection; stump grinding is the follow-up most people forget to price; and emergency service is the February call after a snow load. Add the arborist page if you want the tree assessed before anyone decides.

• 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

Measure first. A tree under 6 inches DBH on a developed lot needs nothing from the city, and a bigger one needs a tree-unit count, so have the tally in hand before you ask for bids. If the tree is near a wetland, stream or slope, assume FWRC 19.145 applies until Community Development says otherwise, and if it is failing, start with a risk assessment.

When you call a company, run its name through the Washington license lookup, ask who takes the part of the job within 10 feet of a PSE line, and ask where the wood is going; burning falls under the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. The King County page has the full storm record behind the numbers here.