Lacey, WA Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)
Key Facts
- Register
- City list of historical trees, LMC 14.32.072(B)
- Who can nominate
- Owner, neighborhood organization, or any person
- Notice period
- Posted on site for ten days
- Appeal standing for removal
- Anyone within three hundred feet of the tree
- Removal permit validity
- One year
- Owner consent
- No owner approval means nomination is disapproved
Summary
The City of Lacey keeps a register of historical trees and bars anyone from removing one. Removal requires a land clearing permit applied for by the property owner or the city, a written justification, a ten-day posted notice period, and a recorded revocation of the historical tree covenant. Neighbors within three hundred feet can appeal to the hearings examiner.
B. Historical Tree Registration. The city shall prepare and thereafter maintain a list of historical trees within the city limits. ... C. Limitation on Removal. Subject to the exceptions enumerated in subsection D of this section, no person shall remove, or cause to be removed, any historical tree. D. Removal Procedures. Historical trees shall not be removed except through the procedures established in this section. 1. Permit Required. No historical tree shall be removed without first applying for and receiving a land clearing permit. The applicant for the permit shall be the property owner or the city. An application for a tree removal permit shall be submitted on a form provided by the city. The applicant must state the justification for removal on the tree removal application; ... 4. Appeal. ... The property owner or any person residing or owning property within three hundred feet of the tree may appeal the director’s decision to the hearings examiner pursuant to Chapter 11.05 LMC; 5. Permit for Tree Removal Timing. Any tree removal permit granted under this chapter shall be valid for one year.
Full Breakdown
LMC 14.32.072 is the City of Lacey's heritage tree rule. A historical tree is a tree or group of trees designated by the city because of its historical value to residents. The stated purpose is to protect trees with historical significance and keep a register of them, because such trees are irreplaceable.
Nomination: the property owner, a neighborhood organization, or any person can nominate a tree by submitting a map, a photograph, and a narrative description with the location, species, approximate age, and the characteristics supporting the nomination. The Community and Economic Development director reviews it with the city tree protection professional, mails notice to the property owner, and posts notice on the site for ten days. The director inspects the tree, considers public comments, and decides. If the owner does not approve the designation, the nomination is disapproved. Any person can appeal the director's decision to the hearings examiner under Chapter 11.05 LMC.
After designation: the owner is notified by first class mail within thirty days and must sign a historical tree covenant, recorded by the Thurston County auditor at the applicant's cost. The covenant stays in effect until a tree removal permit is issued by the director.
Removal: no one can remove a historical tree except through the permit process. If the justification is the tree's health and the director cannot establish by visual inspection that it is dead, diseased, or hazardous, the applicant pays for the city tree protection professional to decide. A healthy tree, or one with a treatable infestation or infection, can be denied. The notice of a decision to allow removal is mailed and posted for ten days, and no work starts while appeals are pending. The owner or anyone residing or owning property within three hundred feet can appeal. A removal permit is valid for one year, and the owner records a revocation of covenant. Historical trees also sit first in the priority list for tree tracts under LMC 14.32.064(D).
Violations & Fines
Removing a historical tree without the permit violates Chapter 14.32, which makes violations a misdemeanor under LMC Title 9, with each day a separate offense. The violator must also pay for revegetation valued by the city tree protection professional, and the hearing examiner can double compensation for a repeat violation. LMC 14.40.040(E) adds civil penalties of $100.00 on the first day, up to $500.00 per day after four days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can anyone nominate a historical tree in the City of Lacey?
Is a covenant recorded on a registered historical tree?
How can a historical tree be removed?
Who can appeal a removal decision?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lacey
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