Port Townsend, WA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Sidewalk clearance
- 8 feet minimum
- Street clearance
- 15 feet minimum
- Classification
- Public nuisance
- Civil penalty
- $250 per day
- Minor nuisance fine
- $66/$114/$209 escalating
Summary
Port Townsend requires eight feet of tree and vegetation clearance above sidewalks and 15 feet above streets, or it's a nuisance.
Vegetation, or parts thereof, that hang lower than eight feet above any public walkway, path or sidewalk; or hang lower than 15 feet above any street; or that are growing in such a manner as to obstruct or impair the free and full use of any public walkway, sidewalk, or street.
6. Vegetation within the clear vision area, as defined by PTMC 12.04.030, that blocks or impairs motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian visibility.
7. Grass in the public right-of-way greater than 12 inches in height or other vegetation in the public right-of-way not maintained to requirements established in PTMC 12.04.075(C), as amended.
8. Roadside ditches in which the grass is greater than 12 inches in height; or contains vegetation other than grass that interferes with the city’s periodic maintenance of ditches, unless the vegetation was permitted as a rain garden or stormwater treatment facility.
B. Buildings, Structures, and Improvements.
1. Any building, structure, dwelling, or improvement, or portion thereof, that is decayed, dilapidated, unsafe, damaged, or in disrepair, to the extent that it poses a threat of collapse, structural failure, or falling.
2. Any partially constructed building, structure, dwelling, or improvement, or portion thereof that has been left unattended and unfinished for more than 90 continuous days.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3364, passed May 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
City code declares it a nuisance when vegetation hangs lower than eight feet above any public walkway, path, or sidewalk, or lower than 15 feet above any street, or otherwise obstructs full use of the right-of-way. The same nuisance section also flags trees and shrubs that block visibility or access to streets, sidewalks, sewers, utility poles, fire hydrants, or other public improvements. Property owners are responsible for keeping overhanging branches trimmed to these heights.
Violations & Fines
Enforced under Chapter 1.20 PTMC: civil penalty of $250 per day of violation, or criminal penalty up to $1,000 and/or 180 days in jail; minor nuisances draw escalating $66/$114/$209 civil infractions after 21 days' notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high must my tree branches be over the sidewalk?
What about branches over the street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Townsend
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