Tree removal permit rules in Yakima County, WA — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
The City of Yakima and Yakima County require no permit to remove a tree on your own established residential lot. In this arid, light-canopy region, tree-removal rules are far lighter than western Washington. Street trees remain city-controlled.
Unlike the heavily canopied west side, eastern Washington's shrub-steppe has never carried strong private tree-protection ordinances, and neither Yakima County nor the City of Yakima requires a homeowner permit to fell a tree on an existing single-family lot. Landscaping and tree requirements attach mainly to new development and subdivisions through zoning, not to an owner clearing a yard. The real limits are the public right-of-way, where street trees are managed by the City's public works and Tree Board and cannot be removed without authorization, and private HOA covenants. Washington has no statewide tree-protection law reaching private removals.
None from the county or city for removing your own tree on an existing lot. Removing or damaging a city street tree without authorization violates municipal code and can require replacement at the responsible party's cost.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Yakima County's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
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