Kirkland, WA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

25 sets Kirkland's baseline allowance for removing regulated trees (six inches DBH or larger, not on the Prohibited Plant List) on private property outside of an active development application. 1 scales the yearly allowance to lot size: up to 2 trees on a lot of 10,000 square feet or less, up to 3 trees on 10,001 to 20,000 square feet, and up to 4 trees on lots over 20,000 square feet, each within a rolling 12-month period, subject to a matching minimum number of regulated trees that must remain.

To use this no-permit path, the owner submits a tree removal notification form to the Planning and Building Department, which reviews it to track canopy loss and confirm compliance; it is not itself a permit. 23), when removal would drop the property below its minimum required tree count, when trees sit in a park, right-of-way, wetland/stream buffer, landslide hazard area, the Holmes Point Overlay Zone, or a shoreline setback, or when trees were previously required to be retained or planted under a prior permit or covenant.

3 replacement standards. Filing a removal permit or notification also blocks the City from accepting a development permit application on that property for 12 months (24 months for a landmark tree) unless the Planning and Building Director grants an exception.