Edmonds, WA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Duty holder
- Property owner along the street
- Notice period
- 14 days to prune after written notice
- Enforcement
- Misdemeanor or civil violation, ECDC 20.110
- Each day
- Counted as a separate violation
- City self-help
- Director may prune and bill owner
Summary
Edmonds property owners along any street must prune private trees and other vegetation on their land so it does not block streetlights, obstruct sidewalk passage, hide traffic signs, or obscure the view at intersections and alley intersections. The public works director can order corrective pruning within 14 days, and noncompliance escalates to misdemeanor prosecution or civil fines under ECDC 18.85.060.
A. Pruning Required. Any property owner who owns property on any street shall prune or otherwise prohibit private trees or other vegetation growing on his property in such manner that they will not block or shade the light from the street lights, obstruct the passage of persons on the sidewalks, obstruct vision of traffic signs, or obstruct the view of any intersection or alley intersection. ... failure to comply is subject to criminal prosecution as a misdemeanor in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 5.50 ECDC or as a civil violation pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 20.110 ECDC.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4444, passed August 3, 2026).
Full Breakdown
060(A) puts the pruning duty on the property owner, not the city: any owner of property on any street must prune or otherwise stop private trees or vegetation from blocking or shading streetlight illumination, obstructing pedestrian passage on sidewalks, obscuring traffic signs, or obstructing sightlines at any intersection or alley intersection. Enforcement begins once the director of public works has actual knowledge of a blocked view. 110 ECDC. If the owner still has not acted when the deadline passes, subsection (B)(2) lets the director have the pruning done directly and bill the cost, which is then reported to the hearing examiner.
040(A) and the hearing examiner adds the city's pruning costs to any civil fine assessed. This is a private-property maintenance duty tied to public sightlines, distinct from the city's own street tree program in the same chapter.
Violations & Fines
A property owner who ignores a 14-day pruning notice faces prosecution as a misdemeanor, with every day the blockage continues counted as a separate violation, or civil enforcement under Chapter 20.110 ECDC with fines assessed by the hearing examiner. Either way, the director of public works may have the pruning done at the owner's expense and add those costs to whatever penalty the hearing examiner imposes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers a tree-pruning order in Edmonds?
How much time do I get to prune after Edmonds sends notice?
What happens if I do not prune my tree after the deadline?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Edmonds
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