Shoreline, WA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Commercial, office, industrial, multifamily, arterial residential
- Species
- Must come from City-approved street tree list
- Location
- May be planted within the street right-of-way
- Standards source
- Set by street classification in Engineering Development Guide
- Owner duty
- Preserve replanting space for future street work
Summary
In the City of Shoreline, developments that trigger frontage improvements under Chapter 20.70 SMC must plant street trees along commercial, office, industrial, public-facility, and multifamily frontages, and along any residential frontage on an arterial street, under SMC § 20.50.480, using only species from the City-approved street tree list.
A. When frontage improvements are required by Chapter 20.70 SMC, street trees are required for all commercial, office, public facilities, industrial, multifamily developments, and for residential developments on all arterial streets. B. Frontage landscaping may be placed within City street rights-of-way subject to review and approval by the Director. Adequate space should be maintained along the street line to replant the required landscaping should subsequent street improvements require the removal of landscaping within the rights-of-way. C. Street trees and landscaping must meet the standards for the specific street classification abutting the property as depicted in the Engineering Development Guide including but not limited to size, spacing, and site distance. All street trees must be selected from the City-approved street tree list.
Full Breakdown
SMC § 20.50.480(A) requires street trees whenever a project triggers frontage improvements under Chapter 20.70 SMC, Engineering and Utilities Standards, for all commercial, office, public facilities, industrial, and multifamily developments, and for residential development fronting an arterial street; a single-family lot on a purely local residential street is not swept into the requirement. Subsection (B) allows the frontage landscaping itself to be placed within the City street right-of-way, subject to the Director's review and approval, but requires the applicant to keep adequate room along the street line so the required trees and landscaping can be replanted if a later street widening or utility project forces their removal.
Subsection (C) ties the actual planting standards, size, spacing, and sight-distance requirements, to whatever the Engineering Development Guide specifies for the particular street classification fronting the property, and requires every street tree to be chosen from the City-approved street tree list rather than left to the applicant's preference. This right-of-way planting requirement sits within Subchapter 7, Landscaping, alongside the separate screening standards in SMC §§ 20.50.460 and 20.50.470 that govern Type I and Type II buffer landscaping around parking lots and property lines, and existing significant trees may be credited toward similar requirements under SMC § 20.50.460(C) when retained instead of replaced.
Violations & Fines
Installing street trees that are not on the City-approved list, or failing to provide required frontage street trees when a development triggers frontage improvements, is enforceable as a Development Code violation under SMC § 20.30.770, exposing the responsible party to a Class 1 civil infraction or, for a willful violation, a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Shoreline home need street trees?
Can I pick any tree species for my street frontage?
Can street trees be planted in the public right-of-way?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shoreline
Compare Shoreline to another location·View the Washington tree protection overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Parkway Planting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle parkway planting.