Tree removal in Mercer Island, Washington

Permit rules for removing a tree in Mercer Island

The city code (MICC 19.10.020) requires a permit before removing any regulated tree: anything 10 in or more in diameter at 4.5 ft, plus exceptional trees at any size, meaning 36 in and up for any species or 6 to 30 in for certain species. Trees under 10 in are exempt unless they are exceptional or were planted as replacements, and so are invasive species and pruning that removes up to 25 percent of the crown. A hazard tree gets a 14-day permit track.

Replacement scales with size. The current application asks for 1 replacement for a tree under 10 in, 2 for 10 to 24 in, 3 for 24 to 36 in, and 6 for a tree over 36 in or any exceptional tree; an older copy of the code shows 0, 1, 2 and 3, so confirm the schedule with the City Arborist at Community Planning & Development (206-275-7605, epermit.tech@mercergov.org). No flat fee is published; the city uses a fee in lieu based on replacement cost when planting on site is not possible.

The penalty for cutting without a permit can reach three times the value of the tree (19.10.160), and single-family development must keep 30 percent of trees for 5 years. The street-tree rule was not verified when this page was checked, so ask before touching a tree in the right of way.

What tree removal costs in Mercer Island

The modeled range below is crew-hours by height band times the crew-hour cost, marked up for work within reach of a structure or with no truck access, with a crane day and stump grinding priced separately. On Mercer Island the replacement schedule is the bigger variable: a 30 in fir means 3 new trees, and an exceptional tree means 6, or a fee in lieu set by replacement cost.

BLS puts the mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area at $33.85 an hour, with a median of $32.75 across 310 workers. That is the labor index behind the model, not a price.

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

The storm that matters most here is recent. On November 19, 2024, a rapidly deepening low offshore drove strong east winds across western Washington, and NOAA filed 7 high-wind reports for King County, with extensive tree damage across the Puget Sound region. Heavy snow is still the county’s top type at 68 of 133 reports since 2016, but that east wind is the more useful reference for a leaning fir on the island.

King County ranks 16 of 39 in Washington. February, December and January are the peak months, and 84 percent of reports fall between November and February. Reports dropped from 54 in the prior three years to 32 in the most recent three, and FEMA’s National Risk Index rates ice storm and winter weather Relatively High here while rating strong wind Very Low, so plan removals for the dry months rather than the week after a storm.

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. It does not change how a removal is done, but it does change what you move afterward: inspect firewood, outdoor furniture and RVs before hauling them from an infested area, report any sighting through the WA Invasives app, and let the state hang a trap on your property if asked.

• 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

Puget Sound Energy serves Mercer Island, and its rules decide who cuts what near a wire. PSE trims near overhead primary lines in the right-of-way, but it does not trim service lines, so the drop from the pole to your house is yours; PSE will do a safety disconnection so you or a private arborist can work near it. The only distance PSE cites is 10 ft, as the range where electrocution is a risk. Outages go to 1-888-225-5773; a downed line is a 911 call. Details: tree removal near power lines.

With the island’s lot sizes and the 10 in threshold, most permitted removals are mature firs and cedars taken down in sections and lowered on ropes, and a crane is called when the drop zone is a roof or a neighbor’s yard; see crane removal. Burning the debris falls under the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, so wood leaves as logs or chips; see yard debris burning rules in Washington.

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

What to do next

Measure at 4.5 ft and check the exceptional-tree list before you assume a smaller tree is exempt. Then call the City Arborist line (206-275-7605) to confirm the replacement count, because that number sets your budget more than the tree’s height does.

If the tree is leaning or has a cracked union, get an arborist risk assessment to support the hazard track. Confirm any company through the Washington license lookup, and see King County for the full storm and hazard record.

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