Federal Way, WA Invasive Plant Rules: Tree-of-Heaven Removal (2026)

085 lists nine tree types the city considers risky near infrastructure because of aggressive roots, weak wood, or invasive spread, and sets a minimum planting distance for each from rights-of-way or sewer lines. Tree of Heaven, listed in the code by its scientific name as 'Ailathus altisinia (Tree of Heaven),' carries a 25-foot minimum planting distance, the same distance required for black walnut, willows, catalpa, and basswood; cottonwood, sycamore, poplar, and elm require 40 feet. The section does not ban Tree of Heaven outright anywhere on private property, but it does prohibit planting it closer than 25 feet to a public right-of-way or a sewer line anywhere in the city.

Beyond the setback itself, the code shifts liability onto the planter: subsection (2) makes any person who violates the planting-distance rule responsible for any damage the tree causes, whether that is root intrusion into a sewer line, pavement heaving in a right-of-way, or storm damage from the tree's characteristically weak, brittle limbs. All street trees and other plantings covered by this article must also conform to standard landscaping practices and the city's own planting guidelines, which are the standards city staff apply when reviewing landscape plans submitted with development or right-of-way permits.

Because Tree of Heaven is also a documented host for the invasive spotted lanternfly, the setback effectively doubles as an early buffer against infrastructure damage and pest-vector planting near public property.