Tree removal in Seattle, Washington

Permit rules for removing a tree in Seattle

The city code (SMC Chapter 25.11, amended in 2023 and again by Ord. 127300 in 2026) sorts trees by trunk size. Tier 4 runs 6 to just under 12 inches DSH, Tier 3 is 12 to just under 24, and Tier 2 is 24 inches and up, plus groves and species named in Director’s Rules. Tier 1 covers heritage trees. Anything under 6 inches is unregulated.

On a lot with no development underway, the limits are tight: in NR, RSL, LR, MR, NC, C and SM zones you may remove at most 2 Tier 4 trees every 3 years, and in other zones up to 3 Tier 3 or Tier 4 trees per year. Hazard trees can come out with a replacement tree. SDCI charges nothing for dead-tree or ADA and elderly-access removals; hazard, emergency and pest removals bill at half the Land Use hourly rate.

The registry rule is the part homeowners miss. A listed provider carries $1M in general liability, has an ISA arborist, uses a TRAQ-qualified assessor for hazard work and posts notice at the site 3 or 6 days ahead. See the Washington permit guide for how this compares statewide.

What tree removal costs in Seattle

Three things push a Seattle job around the modeled range below. Registry compliance means the crew carries the insurance and staff the code demands, and a posted notice period of 3 to 6 days rules out same-day work on most healthy trees.

Labor is the other lever. BLS puts the mean tree-worker wage in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area at $33.85 an hour, with about 310 people employed in the trade; that is a wage, not a price. Replacement planting, required for regulated removals, adds a line item too. See how removal costs are modeled.

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

Timing is the clearest signal in King County’s record. NOAA logged 133 storm reports for the county, and 84% of them fall between November and February, with February, December and January the peak months. Heavy snow alone accounts for 68 reports, ahead of 23 high-wind and 11 ice-storm entries.

FEMA’s National Risk Index backs that up: ice storm risk rates Relatively High (score 91.1) and winter weather Relatively High (94.7), while wind rates Very Low. For a planned removal, that points to booking in late summer or early fall, before snow loads and ice test a leaning tree. The county ranks 16th of 39 in Washington by report count; see the King County page.

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 the area, though no quarantine applies here. Removal itself is unaffected, but check firewood, outdoor furniture and RVs arriving from infested states and report sightings through the WA Invasives app. More on the pests page.

• 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

Tier 2 trees, 24 inches and larger, are usually conifers standing close to houses on narrow lots, so crews take them down in sections: a climber rigs each piece to a lowering line rather than felling the trunk whole. Where there is no drop zone at all, a crane lifts pieces over the roof; see crane removal and large tree removal.

Overhead wires change the method again. Seattle City Light keeps 10 to 14 feet around distribution lines but prunes service drops only for the first 10 feet from the pole connection, so a tree leaning over your own service line is your job. Read removal near power lines before booking.

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

What to do next

Measure the trunk at standard height first, since that decides the tier. Then confirm the company is on SDCI’s provider registry and check its contractor license with the Washington license lookup. For a tree you suspect is failing, ask for a risk assessment before you call for removal; it decides whether the hazard path applies.

Back to tree service in Seattle · Tree removal across WA and OR · Tree removal in Washington · cost guide.