Landscaping Rules in Auburn, WA (2026)
5 verified landscaping rules for Auburn, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Auburn declares any tree, shrub or vine that overhangs a sidewalk, street or alley a public nuisance under ACC 8.20.010 if it creates a sight-distance hazard or blocks full use of the right-of-way. Code enforcement can order the owner to trim the growth, and unresolved violations escalate to civil penalties and city abatement under ACC 8.20.030 and 8.20.040.
Auburn Sidewalk Tree Clearance Rules
Some RestrictionsACC 8.20.010
Vegetation left uncut and/or in an unkempt stage may cause safety hazards, fire hazards, and/or pest harborages, and may interfere with, annoy, injure or endanger the comfort, repose, health or safety of others, or unlawfully interfere with, obstruct or tend to obstruct, or render dangerous for passage a street or highway; or in any way render other persons insecure in life, or in the use and e...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Auburn requires developers to retain every "significant tree" (six-inch evergreens or four-inch deciduous trees) standing in a project's required perimeter landscaping area under ACC 18.50.045, and pruning that strips more than half a tree's live crown counts as removal, triggering the same enforcement track as an unauthorized removal.
Auburn Significant Tree Removal Rules
Some RestrictionsACC 18.50.045
A. Retention. In the required perimeter landscaping area, applicants shall retain all significant trees. A significant tree means a healthy evergreen tree, six inches or more in diameter measured four feet above grade, or a healthy deciduous tree four inches or more in diameter measured four feet above grade. Alders and cottonwoods are excluded from this definition. ... Significant trees may al...
Weed Ordinances
Auburn caps lawn grass on occupied residential lots at six inches under ACC 8.20.010(C); taller grass, weeds, brush or dead vegetation citywide is a declared public nuisance. The RC residential conservancy zone is exempt. Code enforcement can order abatement, bill the owner for the cutting, and place a lien on the property if the bill goes unpaid.
Auburn Grass and Weed Height Limit
Some RestrictionsACC 8.20.010(C)
Vegetation left uncut and/or in an unkempt stage may cause safety hazards, fire hazards, and/or pest harborages, and may interfere with, annoy, injure or endanger the comfort, repose, health or safety of others...thus constituting a public nuisance. ... C. Grasses (lawn) within the yards of occupied residential properties which are not maintained at a height of six inches or less are also decla...
Water Restrictions
Auburn has no standing odd/even watering-day schedule. Instead, the mayor can order water use restrictions and conservation measures under ACC 13.14.020 during a drought, utility damage, or other threat to supply, subject to city council ratification, with violations enforced as civil infractions or, on repeat, misdemeanors.
Water Use Restriction Rules in Auburn
Significant RestrictionsACC 13.14.020; 13.14.060
The mayor may order water use restrictions and conservation measures when necessary to protect the public health, safety, and welfare during a water shortage or emergency caused by drought conditions, city water utility damage or destruction, or any other cause threatening to disrupt or diminish the city's water supply below its ability to meet normal water demands. ... The first violation of a...
Composting
Auburn bans mixing yard debris into the garbage or recycling stream and requires food scraps and yard waste to go into a city-approved compostables cart, with plastic bags treated as a banned contaminant even for compostable material.
Auburn Yard Debris and Compostables Cart Rules
Some RestrictionsACC 8.08.120
A. It shall be unlawful to dispose of residential or commercial yard debris by commingling yard debris with the garbage or recycling set out at curbside for collection by a service provider(s) under contract with the city. B. Compostables carts are provided for residential and commercial recycling of compostables and ease of curbside set-out for collection by the city-contracted service provide...
Looking for King County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Auburn city rules.
Landscaping Rules in King County →