Tree service in Mukilteo, Washington

Tree removal permits in Mukilteo

MMC 17.59.020(A) regulates evergreens over 8 inches DBH and deciduous trees over 12 inches, and 17.59.050(A) requires city approval through a tree permit to remove any of them. The cadence is the real constraint: 17.59.050(E) allows one tree permit per lot every 2 years unless the tree is a safety hazard, so a multi-tree plan has to go in as one application or wait. An imminent hazard can come down first with an after-the-fact permit. Topping is banned, and fines run $1,000 to $25,000 per tree.

Every permitted removal needs replacement under 17.59.060(B): 1 tree for 8 to 17.9 inches, 2 for 18 to 29.9, and 3 for 30 inches and up. A fee in lieu is calculated as the tree’s cost plus installation, two years of maintenance and administration; the permit fee itself was not published. Critical areas also fall under MMC 17.52. Public-agency street and utility tree work is exempt under 17.59.030(A), but the code is silent on a private owner removing a right-of-way tree, so ask Planning & Community Development before touching one. The Washington permit guide compares other cities.

Every city compared: tree removal permits in Washington.

Source: Planning & Community Development (director), MMC 17.59.020, 17.59.030, 17.59.040, 17.59.050, 17.59.060, 17.59.070; MMC 17.52 (critical areas). Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm records for Snohomish County (covers Mukilteo)

Ice is the hazard FEMA singles out for Snohomish County. Its National Risk Index (December 2025) rates ice storm Very High at 98.0 and winter weather Relatively High at 94.0, while wind scores Very Low at 7.8. NOAA’s record lines up: of 139 reports, 68 are heavy snow, 18 winter weather and 11 ice storm, with 26 high wind and a single wildfire.

The county ranks 15th of Washington’s 39, and the count has eased, 33 reports in the latest three years against 54 in the three before. The calendar has not: 82 percent of reports fall from November through February, with February the peak month ahead of December and January. An ice-loaded conifer over a roof or driveway is the tree to watch, and documenting it as a hazard matters under a 2-year permit limit.

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 Mukilteo

Snohomish County PUD maintains vegetation around its primary lines and says plainly that it does not maintain vegetation around service lines or stand-alone communication lines. The drop from the pole to your house is yours to keep clear, and any work within 10 feet of a primary conductor has to be done by a qualified electrical worker.

Report outages at 425-783-1001 or through the PUD’s outage center. Public-agency utility tree work is exempt from Mukilteo’s permit, but your own contractor’s work is not; read tree removal near power lines and the utility directory first.

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 Mukilteo

Mukilteo sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b. Replacement at 1 to 3 trees per removal makes planting part of nearly every job, and the county’s Very High ice rating argues for species and spots where an iced limb will not land on a line or roof. Because topping is banned, a tree planted under a line has no legal shortcut later, so place it where it can reach full size.

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 Mukilteo

BLS puts tree trimmers and pruners in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area at a $33.85 mean and $32.75 median hourly wage, about 310 workers. It is a wage, not a price. A 30-inch removal brings 3 replacement trees, and a fee in lieu includes two years of maintenance, so the permit side can rival the crew side; the modeled ranges on the service pages cover the crew-hours.

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

Mukilteo uses ZIP code 98275. Lynnwood and Mill Creek are 6 miles away, Everett and Edmonds 7, Mountlake Terrace 8 and Bothell 11. Each writes its own threshold, so the 8-inch and 12-inch split here may not match the next city over. County data is on the Snohomish County page.

ZIP codes with the most land inside Mukilteo: 98275

• Lynnwood6 miles
• Mill Creek6 miles
• Everett7 miles
• Edmonds7 miles
• Mountlake Terrace8 miles
• Bothell11 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 Mukilteo

Each service page pairs Mukilteo’s rules with Washington’s modeled ranges. Removal covers the one-permit-per-2-years limit and the replacement schedule; trimming covers the topping ban and the PUD’s service-line policy; stump grinding starts with 811; and emergency service covers ice and snow failures and the after-the-fact permit.

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

What to do next

Measure DBH and note whether the tree is evergreen or deciduous before calling anyone. If more than one tree is on your list, plan them into a single permit, because the next one is 2 years out. A tree that may be a hazard should get a risk assessment, which supports the safety exception. Confirm the contractor in the Washington license lookup, and turn down anyone who offers to top a tree.