Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
Seattle rewrote its tree code in 2023 and it is now one of the strictest in the state. Trees are sorted into four tiers by trunk diameter, and when no development is proposed, removal is generally prohibited — with a long list of exemptions and a small annual allowance for the two smallest tiers. Trees under 6 inches DSH are not regulated at all. Anything larger, get SDCI approval before you cut.
Size threshold
Tier 1: heritage trees. Tier 2: trees 24 inches DSH or greater, tree groves, and specific species. Tier 3: 12 inches DSH or greater but under 24. Tier 4: 6 inches DSH but under 12. Trees under 6 inches DSH are not regulated by SMC 25.11. (DSH = diameter at standard height.)
What's protected in Seattle
- Tier 1 — designated heritage trees. Generally may not be removed unless hazardous or an emergency.
- Tier 2 — trees 24 inches DSH or greater, tree groves and specific species. Generally may not be removed unless hazardous, an emergency, or needed to achieve allowed development capacity.
- Tier 3 and Tier 4 trees, removable at the owner's option but only within the annual caps below.
How to apply in Seattle
- 1
Measure your tree's DSH to find its tier, and check SDCI's GIS maps and resources.
- 2
Submit the application through the Seattle Services Portal at services.seattle.gov.
- 3
Include a site plan, photos of the tree, and an arborist report if your removal category requires one.
- 4
Allow about two weeks for initial review.
- 5
Post the required public notice six business days before work begins.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- Depends on the removal category. No fee for ADA/elderly-access removals, dead trees, and invasive or nuisance species. Half the hourly rate for emergency, hazard tree, insect/pest/pathogen, obvious property damage and code-violation removals. Full hourly rate for vegetation restoration.
- Ordinance
- Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 25.11 — Tree Protection. Current regulations took effect July 30, 2023 (Council Bill 120534).
Worth knowing
- Removal limits when no development is proposed, on developed lots: no more than two Tier 4 trees in a three-year period in Neighborhood Residential, Residential Small Lot, Lowrise, Midrise, Neighborhood Commercial, Commercial and Seattle Mixed zones; no more than three Tier 3 and Tier 4 trees in a one-year period in all other zones.
- All commercial tree work in Seattle — including some pruning — must be done by a registered Tree Service Provider. Ask to see the registration before you hire.
- Only providers holding a current Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) credential may prepare the risk assessment used to justify a hazardous tree removal on private property.
- Exemptions include hazardous trees, emergencies, insect/pest/pathogen infestation, ADA compliance, invasive or nuisance species, thinning of overplanted areas, obvious property damage and dead trees.
- Trees in the public right-of-way are handled by SDOT Urban Forestry under a separate permit, not by SDCI.
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.
- — The hourly rate used to price permits, and penalty amounts. SDCI states only that both property owners and tree service providers may face financial penalties for tree code violations.
- — Which specific species are named in the Tier 2 list, and the definition of a "tree grove."
- — Whether the 2023 tier thresholds have since been amended — SDCI references later code updates we could not read in full.
- — Replacement-tree and payment-in-lieu requirements after an approved removal.