Tree service in Spokane Valley, Washington

Tree removal permits in Spokane Valley

Spokane Valley’s code has no tree-removal permit for private property. SVMC 22.70, the landscaping chapter, applies to nonresidential, multifamily and subdivision projects and contains no removal rule for a homeowner, and no provider registration exists either. The chapter that does bite is SVMC 6.01: removing or damaging a public tree without written permission from the City Manager or a designee is a class 2 infraction under 6.01.060(A), so a tree in the planting strip in front of your house is not yours to cut.

Two other rules still apply on private land. Critical areas under SVMC 21.40 can restrict removal near water, slopes and wetlands, and this site has not yet verified that chapter’s text, so ask the city before touching a tree near any of them. SVMC 7.05 lets the city act on nuisance trees, and the clearview-triangle rule in 22.70.030(C)(2) requires branches at corners to be trimmed up to 7 feet. Statewide rules are in the Washington permit guide.

Every city compared: tree removal permits in Washington.

Source: City Manager or designee (public trees, SVMC 6.01.060), SVMC 6.01.060(A); SVMC 22.70.040, 22.70.060; SVMC 21.40 (critical areas); SVMC 7.05 (nuisance trees). Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm records for Spokane County (covers Spokane Valley)

Spokane County tops Washington for storm activity: NOAA logged 707 reports since 2016, first of 39 counties. Heavy Snow alone accounts for 469 of those, followed by Thunderstorm Wind at 46, Wildfire and Winter Weather at 43 each, and High Wind at 40. January, December and February are the peak months, and 69 percent of reports fall from November through February.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates ice storm risk Very High here and both strong wind and winter weather Relatively High, with wildfire Relatively Moderate. That combination is why Spokane Valley tree work splits into two seasons: snow and ice load from December to February, then summer thunderstorms and fire-season clearance. Volume has eased, 104 reports in 2023 through 2025 against 201 in the prior three years, but the county still leads the state.

NWS forecast zones covering the county: Northeast Mountains; Spokane Area; Washington Palouse.

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 Spokane Valley

The utility serving Spokane Valley is not mapped on this site yet, so there is no outage number or clearance rule to show here. Use the number on your bill for a line that is down or a tree resting on a wire, and check the utilities index for the vegetation-management pages this site has verified so far. Washington’s rule applies either way: only a qualified line-clearance crew may work within 10 feet of an energized line.

Split by address among 4 utilities; majority NOT verified

Source: utility vegetation-management pages linked above; WAC 296-24-960 (WA L&I). Checked 2026-10-02.

Growing conditions in Spokane Valley

Spokane Valley sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a, a colder winter rating than the lowlands west of the Cascades carry and part of why the county’s storm record is dominated by snow rather than wind. Replacement trees should be rated for zone 7 or colder, and a stump ground out after a winter removal is ready for planting once the ground has thawed and drained in spring. No NOAA station normals are mapped for the city yet, so there is no rainfall chart here.

USDA hardiness zone 7a (2023 map, by ZIP code).

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

Labor index for Spokane Valley

BLS puts the mean wage for tree trimmers and pruners in the Spokane-Spokane Valley metro at $25.94 an hour, with a median of $23.98 and 90 people counted in the occupation. It is a wage, not a price. The wage is one input: equipment, insurance, hauling and disposal are priced on top of it, which is why the modeled ranges on the service pages are built from crew-hours (method) rather than from this figure alone.

Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA: $25.94 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).

223 landscaping-services establishments were counted in Spokane 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

Seven ZIP codes cover most of Spokane Valley: 99216, 99206 and 99212 carry the largest shares, with 99016, 99037, 99027 and 99202 making up the rest. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts the city at 108,405 people, up from 102,976 in 2020. Spokane, 9 miles away, is the only neighbor with its own page, so most companies working the Valley are the same ones working the city.

ZIP codes with the most land inside Spokane Valley: 99216992069921299016990379902799202

• Spokane9 miles

County page: Spokane County.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA to place and county relationship files. Checked 2026-10-02.

Tree services in Spokane Valley

The service pages for Spokane Valley cover removal, trimming, stump grinding and emergency work. Removal carries no city permit on private land, which puts the decision on you and your arborist; the cost guide shows what drives the modeled range. Trimming has to respect the 7-foot clearview rule at corners, and emergency work in this county means snow and ice load in January and February more often than wind, with summer thunderstorms a second season.

• 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

If the tree is on private land and outside a critical area, Spokane Valley leaves the decision to you, so the first call is an assessment of whether it needs to come down at all. For a tree in the planting strip or on any public property, get the City Manager’s written permission first; cutting without it is a class 2 infraction.

When you call a company, check its registration through the Washington license lookup and ask how it handles work near power lines, since no utility is mapped for the city yet. Debris burning answers to the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. The county page for Spokane County has the full storm table and hazard ratings.