Auburn, WA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Nuisance trigger
- Overhang creating sight-distance or right-of-way obstruction
- Grass height limit
- 6 inches on occupied residential lots
- Abatement notice
- 10 calendar days before city can abate
- Appeal window
- 10 calendar days to director of CD&PW
- Cost recovery
- Unpaid abatement becomes a property lien
Summary
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.
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 enjoyment of property, thus constituting a public nuisance. A. Trees, plants, bushes, shrubs, vines, other vegetation or parts thereof which overhang any sidewalk, street, alley or other public way which are growing in such a manner as to cause a sight distance hazard or to obstruct or impair the full use of the sidewalk, street, alley or other public way are declared to be a public nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 7023, passed July 6, 2026).
Full Breakdown
010, adopted by Ordinance 6515 in 2014, declares overgrown vegetation a public nuisance in several specific circumstances. Subsection A targets trees, plants, bushes, shrubs and vines that overhang a sidewalk, street, alley or other public way and grow so as to create a sight-distance hazard or obstruct the public's full use of that right-of-way. The same section separately reaches dead or overgrown vegetation that becomes a fire hazard, grass over six inches tall on occupied residential lots (subsection C, RC-zoned property exempted), and required landscaping that a property owner lets die or over-prune (subsections E and F).
020 adds a parallel nuisance for business property, covering vegetation that obstructs the vision of drivers or pedestrians on a sidewalk or right-of-way. 050 for repeat violations. 050 bills the owner for the full abatement cost, which becomes a lien on the property enforced like a labor-and-material lien. 060 gives the owner 10 calendar days to appeal the abatement notice to the director of community development and public works, who must set a hearing within 30 calendar days.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring an ACC 8.20.030 notice to trim overhanging or hazardous vegetation is a civil infraction, or a civil penalty under Chapter 1.25 ACC, and repeat violations can be charged as a misdemeanor under ACC 1.25.050. If the owner still does not comply, the city can abate the nuisance directly, bill the full cost of the work as a lien against the property, and refer unpaid bills to a collection agency under ACC 8.20.050.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to trim a tree that overhangs the sidewalk in Auburn?
What happens if I ignore the trim notice?
Can I appeal a notice that my tree is a nuisance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Auburn
Compare Auburn to another location·View the Washington landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Tree Trimming in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle tree trimming.