Auburn, WA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit needed
- City engineer approval before planting/removing
- Banned species
- Poplar, willow, cottonwood, ailanthus, big-leaf maple, more
- Sidewalk clearance
- 2 feet, unless in approved planting program
- Sewer clearance
- 100 feet for poplar, willow, elm, cottonwood
- Enforcement officer
- City engineer, per ACC 12.36.020
Summary
Auburn requires city engineer permission before anyone plants or removes a tree or shrub in a public parking strip under ACC 12.36.030. ACC 12.36.040 bans specific species and sets minimum distances from sidewalks, pavement and sewer lines.
No trees or shrubs shall be planted in or removed from any public parking strip or other public place in the city without permission from the city engineer. Plantings for which permission has been granted shall be in accordance with the city of Auburn design and construction standards.
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
030 states that no trees or shrubs shall be planted in or removed from any public parking strip or other public place in the city without permission from the city engineer, and any approved planting must follow the city's adopted design and construction standards. 040 then lists species banned from parking strips outright: poplar, willow, cottonwood, fruit trees other than ornamental types, nut trees, ailanthus, mountain ash and Oregon or big-leaf maple, plus any other tree whose roots injure sewers, sidewalks or pavement or that spreads disease.
The same section sets a spacing rule: no tree may be planted within two feet of a sidewalk or pavement unless it is part of a city-approved comprehensive street tree planting program, and poplar, willow, American elm or cottonwood trees planted anywhere in the city, not just in parking strips, must sit at least 100 feet from public sewers. 080. 090. 100.
Violations & Fines
Planting or removing a parkway tree without city engineer permission, or planting a banned species, violates ACC 12.36.030/.040 and is enforced under Chapter 1.25 ACC. An owner who lets a tree become an obstruction nuisance and ignores a council abatement resolution faces city abatement with the cost billed and liened against the property under ACC 12.36.080.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to plant a tree in the parking strip in front of my Auburn home?
Can I plant a cottonwood tree near my sidewalk in Auburn?
How close to a sewer line can I plant a willow tree in Auburn?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Auburn
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Parkway Planting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle parkway planting.