Tree Protection in Edmonds, WA

Edmonds maintains 114 local ordinances across all categories, and 3 of those deal specifically with tree protection. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Edmonds falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Parkway Planting

Planting, removing or pruning any tree in an Edmonds street right-of-way, parking strip or planting strip requires a permit from the director of public works under ECDC 18.85.020. The director issues the permit only if the work matches the 1982 Edmonds Street Tree Plan, the applicant shows competence in tree care, and the proposed method and workmanship are adequate.

Key details: Permit required: To plant, remove or prune any street tree. Issuing authority: Director of public works. Governing plan: Edmonds Street Tree Plan (1982). Second violation: Misdemeanor under ECDC 18.85.030(B). Protection zone: No excavation within 10 ft of a street tree.

Planting a street tree without a permit, or against the street tree plan, lets the director of public works remove the noncompliant tree; ECDC 18.85.030(B) makes a second such violation a misdemeanor. Damaging an established street tree, tying hardware to it, letting harmful substances reach it, burning near it, or excavating within 10 feet of it under ECDC 18.85.040 is a separate offense the director enforces directly.

Heritage & Protected Trees

Edmonds runs no separate heritage or landmark tree registry. Instead, ECDC 17.130.020 defines a "specimen tree" as one of exceptional size, form or rarity, and ECDC 17.130.060(D) places specimen trees first in the mandatory retention priority list applied to every developing site in the city.

Key details: Significant tree threshold: 6 inches diameter at standard height. Specimen tree: Exceptional size, form or rarity. Retention priority: Specimen trees rank first to save. Retention rate: 30% single-family / 25% multifamily. No formal registry: No separate heritage-tree designation exists.

Removing or damaging a specimen tree outside the retention and protection plan process, or without documented infeasibility, is a violation of Chapter 17.130 ECDC, punishable as a misdemeanor under ECC Chapter 5.50 plus a civil penalty of $1,500 per tree under 12 inches in diameter, or the appraised value for larger trees, deposited into the city's tree fund.

Protected Tree Species

ECDC 17.130.050 bars removing any "protected tree," one designated for retention on an approved plan or permanently protected by easement or covenant, anywhere in Edmonds: on vacant lots pending development, during permitted demolitions, and inside critical areas, buffers or native growth protection easements, with narrow exceptions only for documented hazard or nuisance trees.

Key details: Protected tree: On approved plan or covenant/easement. Vacant lots: No pre-development clearing allowed. Demolitions: Removal barred beyond what's necessary. Critical areas/buffers: Removal barred except under Ch. 23.10 ECDC. Only exception: Documented hazard or nuisance trees.

Removing a protected tree outside the hazard, nuisance, or approved-modification exceptions is a misdemeanor under ECC Chapter 5.50 and triggers civil penalties under ECDC 17.130.100 of $1,500 per tree under 12 inches in diameter, or the tree's appraised value for larger trees, with damages potentially tripled under RCW 64.12 and deposited into the city's tree fund.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Edmonds actively enforces its protected tree species requirements.

The Bottom Line

Edmonds'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 Edmonds is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Edmonds's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.