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

Chapter 14.32 of the Lacey Municipal Code, the Tree and Vegetation Protection / Urban Forest Management regulations, governs tree removal in the City of Lacey, Thurston County, Washington. Section 14.32.040 requires one of three things before timber harvesting or land clearing: a land clearing permit from the director under LMC 14.32.060, approval of the work through a land use application under LMC 14.32.050(A), or an exemption from the director, in which case an exemption notice must be posted at the site.

The code defines a tree as a woody plant with a diameter of four inches or more measured at four and one-half feet above ground (DBH). Land clearing is defined to include topping, which the code calls an unacceptable pruning practice.

The exemptions in 14.32.050 include emergency removal of hazard trees, removal of obviously dead or diseased trees as determined by the city's tree protection professional, clearing within ten feet of the building line of a single-family or duplex dwelling shown on the building permit plot plan, clear vision obstructions at intersections, and city-owned property. The individual lot exemption allows removal of no more than three trees in any sixty consecutive months for solar access, property and utility maintenance, landscaping or gardening. It does not cover historical trees or trees in environmentally sensitive areas, and the city must issue the exemption before any cutting.

A permit issued under LMC 14.32.060 runs with the underlying permit or expires twenty-four months after issuance. The director can extend it once for six months for good cause. A permit notice must be posted on site before work starts. Sites that must replant follow the tree replacement rules in LMC 14.32.066, and trees in homeowners association open space tracts need their own removal permit under 14.32.071, with replanting at ratios set by Table 14-T70. Any city decision under the chapter can be appealed under Chapter 11.05 LMC.