Tree service in Kenmore, Washington

Tree removal permits in Kenmore

Kenmore counts significant trees, defined in KMC 15.25.030(T) as healthy trees 6 inches DBH or larger that are not hazards. On a lot with an existing single-family home outside critical areas, shorelines and native growth protection areas, you can remove a fixed number per year without a permit: 2 trees on lots up to 10,000 square feet, 4 up to 20,000, 6 up to 30,000 and 8 above that. Exceptional trees, defined by species in 15.25.030(K), need a permit regardless of count and pay a tree fund fee set by resolution.

Over the allowance, or inside a critical area, apply to Development Services. Replacement is required, and the code sets a minimum of 30 tree units per acre (18.57.060). The penalties are the reason to check first: up to $2,000 per DBH inch with a $500 minimum, and $2,500 per inch for an exceptional tree. Keep a record of what you remove each year so the count is clear. Other cities are compared in the Washington permit guide.

Every city compared: tree removal permits in Washington.

Source: Development Services (City Manager designee), KMC 15.25.030, 15.25.070(B)(2), 15.25.190; KMC 18.57.030, 18.57.035, 18.57.063, 18.57.110; Ord. 24-0621. Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm records for King County (covers Kenmore)

The storm that shapes Kenmore’s recent record is the east wind of November 2024, described below. Around it, NOAA logged 133 reports for King County, led by 68 heavy snow and 23 high wind, with 13 winter weather and 11 ice storm reports; the county ranks 16th of Washington’s 39. FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county Relatively High for ice (91.1) and winter weather (94.7).

Counts fell from 54 reports in the prior three years to 32 in the latest three, and FEMA scores wind Very Low at 4.5. Neither number anticipated 2024, when an unusual wind direction did more harm than speed alone would suggest. Hazard trees sit outside the significant-tree definition, so a tree the storm left cracked or leaning may not count against your annual allowance; confirm that with Development Services.

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 Kenmore

Puget Sound Energy serves King County outside Seattle, Kenmore included. PSE trims near its overhead primary lines in the right-of-way, but in its own words, PSE does not trim service lines, the wire from the pole to your house. Instead it will do a safety disconnection so you or a private arborist can trim that stretch. PSE cites 10 feet only as the distance at which a tree becomes an electrocution risk and does not publish clearance targets, so call the number on your bill before planning work near a line. Outages: 1-888-225-5773; downed lines: 911. If your bill shows another provider, use the utility directory, and see tree removal near power lines.

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 (once called gypsy moth) is confirmed in the area without a quarantine. If you spot it, report it on the WA Invasives app, check firewood, patio furniture and RVs before moving them from infested places, and agree to host a trap if asked. The pest guide has more.

• 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 Kenmore

Kenmore is in USDA hardiness zone 9a. Replacement plantings count toward the 30-tree-units-per-acre minimum, so a replant is part of the permit math, not an afterthought. Given 68 heavy-snow and 11 ice-storm reports in the county, choose trees with sturdy branch unions, and site tall conifers where an east wind like November 2024’s would not drop them on the house.

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 Kenmore

BLS puts the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners at $33.85 an hour and the median at $32.75, from about 310 workers. That is pay, not a price. Permit work, replacement trees and careful rigging around houses add to crew-hours, and the modeled ranges on the service pages build up 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

Kenmore covers ZIP codes 98028 and 98155. Bothell is 3 miles away, Mountlake Terrace and Kirkland 4, Shoreline 5, Lynnwood 6 and Edmonds 7, and each runs its own tree code; Kenmore’s annual allowance does not apply over the line. County data is on the King County page.

ZIP codes with the most land inside Kenmore: 9802898155

• Bothell3 miles
• Mountlake Terrace4 miles
• Kirkland4 miles
• Shoreline5 miles
• Lynnwood6 miles
• Edmonds7 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 Kenmore

The pages below put Kenmore’s code next to Washington’s modeled ranges. Removal is where the annual allowance, exceptional trees and per-inch penalties matter; trimming covers PSE’s primary-line trimming and the owner’s share of the service line; stump grinding begins with an 811 locate; and the emergency page covers damage from wind like November 2024’s.

• 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 the trunk, confirm the tree is healthy and 6 inches or more, and check whether it is an exceptional species. Count what you have removed this year against the 2-to-8 allowance for your lot size, and check for critical areas or shorelines. Over the allowance, apply to Development Services first. Get a risk assessment for a damaged tree and check the company in the Washington license lookup.