Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
Everett gives a straight answer: tree removal and pruning outside critical areas, on property that is not part of a development, does not require city approval. What flips it to yes is location — critical areas and their buffers — or property type, meaning commercial, industrial, multifamily, and most subdivisions built after 1990 where landscaping was required by code.
What's protected in Everett
- Trees in critical areas and their buffers — streams, wetlands and their buffers, and steep slopes
- Trees on commercial, industrial and multifamily developments
- Trees in most subdivisions and short subdivisions built after 1990, where landscaping is required by code
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Ordinance
- City of Everett Zoning Code Chapter 36 (landscape standards); critical areas regulations
Worth knowing
- In critical areas and buffers, pruning is capped at 33% of the tree's crown. Topping is prohibited unless the tree is under power lines.
- A tree in a critical area that a certified arborist or city staff deems hazardous can be removed with city approval, but two replacement trees are required for each one removed.
- On development-regulated properties pruning does not need approval, but topping and pollarding are prohibited.
- Everett does not require a Public Works permit just to remove a tree. You do need one for related right-of-way work, and a Traffic Street Use permit to close a sidewalk, parking lane or travel lane, or to set a dumpster in the right-of-way.
- The city's own advice: always check with the Planning Division first, because the tree may be protected or may count toward required landscaping.
What we could not confirm
We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.
- — Any diameter threshold — Everett's answer turns on location and property type, not tree size.
- — Permit or approval fees.
- — Penalties for removing a protected tree without approval.
- — The specific code sections within Zoning Code Chapter 36 that apply to tree removal.