Beaverton's Tree Protection: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles tree protection a little differently. In Beaverton, Oregon, there are 2 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Heritage & Protected Trees

Beaverton's Development Code protects Significant Individual Trees, Historic Trees, and Significant Grove/SNRA trees, requiring protective fencing and barring construction, grading, or trenching inside the root zone during development.

Key details: Protected tree types: Significant Individual, Historic, SNRA/Grove trees. Root zone development: Barred without City approval. Fence requirement: 4-ft orange construction fence. Violation penalty: Monetary fine plus mitigation. Designation source: Comprehensive Plan Volume III maps.

Monetary penalties imposed by Beaverton Municipal Court for unlawful removal or pruning of a Protected Tree, plus mandatory mitigation replacement, deposited into the City's Tree Mitigation Fund under § 60.60.07.

Parkway Planting

Beaverton requires street trees along every new land division's frontage before the city will approve the final plat, either through a city-planted fee program or a private planting plan tied to lot spacing.

Key details: Trigger: Required before final plat approval. Detached-dwelling fee basis: 1 tree per 30 linear ft frontage. Other land divisions: Max 30-ft tree spacing along frontage. Plan approval: City Arborist or City Engineer. Applies in: City of Beaverton, Washington County, OR.

Final plat recording is withheld until the required street trees are planted or the per-lot tree fee is paid: noncompliance simply blocks the subdivision from closing.

The Bottom Line

Beaverton's tree protection rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Beaverton is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Beaverton can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.