Tree service in Tukwila, Washington

Tree removal permits in Tukwila

Ordinance 2569 sets the scale: a significant tree is 6 inches DBH or larger, and an exceptional tree is over 18 inches. On a single-family lot outside critical areas, TMC 18.54 lets you remove, in any 36-month period and without replacement, one tree 18 inches or larger, or two trees between 8 and 18 inches, or four trees between 6 and 8 inches. Past that allowance, replacement follows the city checklist by size: 1 tree for 6 to 8 inches, 1.5 for 8 to 15, and 2 for 15 and up.

Shoreline and critical areas work differently. Under TMC 18.44 and 18.45.158.C.4 only hazardous trees come out there, and a hazard call needs a TRAQ-qualified arborist. An unpermitted removal can be fined $1,000 per tree. Whatever the size, contact the city before cutting any tree of 6 inches or more, through the Community Development Permit Center or the Urban Environmentalist at 206-839-6483. Street-tree rules were not verified. See the Washington permit guide for comparisons.

Every city compared: tree removal permits in Washington.

Source: Community Development – Permit Center; Urban Environmentalist (206-839-6483), TMC 18.54 (18.54.080 replacement); TMC 18.44, 18.45.158.C.4 (shoreline/critical areas); TMC 18.52.120. Checked 2026-10-02.

Storm records for King County (covers Tukwila)

One day defines King County’s recent storm record: the east wind of November 19, 2024. NOAA logged 7 high-wind reports for the county that day, and the regional toll it describes, homes and cars hit, long outages and 2 deaths from falling trees, came from a wind direction Puget Sound trees rarely brace against.

The broader file is snowier than that day suggests. Of 133 reports, 68 are heavy snow, 23 high wind, 13 winter weather and 11 ice storm, and 84 percent fall between November and February, peaking in February, December and January. King ranks 16th of Washington’s 39 counties, reports have fallen to 32 in the latest three years from 54, and FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates ice storm and winter weather Relatively High at 91.1 and 94.7.

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 Tukwila

Seattle City Light is the utility mapped for this part of King County on this site; check your bill to confirm your provider. SCL trims around its distribution and transmission lines, poles, transformers and vaults, and prunes a service line only for the first 10 feet from the distribution connection, leaving the rest to the owner. Its targets are 10 feet for slow-growing and 14 feet for fast-growing trees on distribution lines, 15 feet of overhang, 3 to 5 feet on service lines, 10 feet around transformers and 3 feet around poles.

Call (206) 684-3000 for an outage and 911 for a downed line. The utility directory and tree removal near power lines cover the rest.

Split: SCL ~5,700 residential + 1,000 commercial customers; PSE ~3,800 customers

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, formerly gypsy moth, is confirmed in the area with no quarantine in place. Report sightings through the WA Invasives app, inspect wood, outdoor furniture and RVs from infested states before moving them, and host a trap if the state asks. The pests page has the regional list.

• 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 Tukwila

Tukwila sits in USDA hardiness zone 9a, among the milder zones in the region. Replacement trees under the TMC 18.54.080 ratios should be picked for two loads the county record shows: wet snow and ice through winter, and the occasional east wind like November 2024. Keep fast growers well away from service lines, where Seattle City Light’s targets leave only 3 to 5 feet.

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 Tukwila

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. That is a wage, not a price. A shoreline or critical-area removal adds an arborist’s hazard report, and going past the 36-month allowance adds 1 to 2 replacement trees per removal; the modeled ranges on the service pages start from crew-hours and stack those on top.

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

Tukwila spans five ZIP codes: 98188, 98168, 98178, 98108 and 98032. SeaTac is 2 miles away, Burien 3, Renton 4, Des Moines and Mercer Island 6, and Kent 7. A ZIP code alone does not tell you which city’s code applies, so check the city limits before counting on Tukwila’s allowance. County data is on the King County page.

ZIP codes with the most land inside Tukwila: 9818898168981789810898032

• SeaTac2 miles
• Burien3 miles
• Renton4 miles
• Des Moines6 miles
• Mercer Island6 miles
• Kent7 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 Tukwila

The service pages pair Tukwila’s rules with Washington’s modeled ranges. Removal covers the 36-month allowance and replacement ratios; trimming covers Seattle City Light’s clearance distances; stump grinding starts with 811; and emergency service covers winter snow and the rare east wind.

• 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

Count what you have removed in the last 36 months, measure the tree at breast height, and call the Urban Environmentalist at 206-839-6483 before cutting anything 6 inches or larger. In a shoreline or critical area, a TRAQ-qualified risk assessment comes first, since only hazard trees qualify there. Check the contractor in the Washington license lookup before paying a deposit; at $1,000 per tree, a skipped permit can cost more than the job.