Kent, WA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

060, Protection of Street Trees, bars anyone from planting, installing, or maintaining shrubs, low-growing trees, vines, fences, signs, stakes, or any other object, or creating uneven ground, holes, or hazards, in the planting strips along Kent's streets, aside from temporary protection for newly planted lawns; the director can order removal of anything found hazardous or detrimental to the approved tree planting plan. Subsection B is the operative permit requirement: no person may plant, remove, trim, prune, or cut any tree between the property line and the curb without a written permit from the director, and once permission is granted, the work must be done under the director's supervision.

Subsection C bars interfering with city employees who are planting, maintaining, treating, or removing trees or plants in the planting strips, or removing stone, cement, or other substances from the street, sidewalk, planting strip, or alley. Subsection D separately prohibits willfully injuring or destroying any street or public planting area tree by any means, independent of the permit requirement. 050(B).