Tacoma, WA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Before planting any street tree
- Who can apply
- Abutting owner, utility, or City
- Species
- Must be from Urban Forest Manual list
- Max penalty
- $10,000/day per violation
Summary
Tacoma requires a City street tree permit before anyone plants a tree in the planting strip or other public right-of-way, under the 2023 Urban Forestry code, TMC § 9.20.230.
Permit required. Unless an exemption under this chapter applies, it shall be unlawful for any person to, in any manner, plant any street tree without having first obtained a street tree permit from the Director as provided in this chapter.
2. Compliance. Unless an exemption under this chapter applies, it shall be unlawful for any person issued a street tree permit for the purpose of planting a street tree, or an authorized agent on behalf of a person issued such a street tree permit, to in any manner plant any street tree except in conformance with the terms and conditions of such street tree permit and this chapter.
D. Street tree permit application – Planting. The abutting owner, and any authorized agent of the abutting owner, a utility, a public transportation agency, a property owner who is not an abutting owner and required under a project permit to make off-site improvements, and the City, or their authorized agents, may apply for a street tree permit to plant a permitted street tree. A street tree permit may authorize planting of one or more permitted street trees. Before any street tree permit may be issued, the applicant shall submit an application containing the information and declaration set forth in TMC § 9.20.230E below, together with such other information as may be requested by the Director that is reasonably related to the application and approval requirements.
E.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4946110; v22 updated 2026-07-28).
Full Breakdown
TMC § 9.20.230 makes it unlawful to plant any street tree in the right-of-way without a street tree permit from the Director, and unlawful to plant except in conformance with the permit's terms. The abutting owner (or an authorized agent), a utility, a public transportation agency, or the City may apply; the application must include a site plan showing the planting strip, a planting plan with species and method, and, if the abutting owner isn't the applicant, a signed declaration of authorization. Species must come from the Urban Forest Manual's pre-approved list unless the applicant demonstrates a substitute meets the code's climate, visibility, and infrastructure-conflict criteria, and trunk distance from pavement and utilities must follow the Design Manual.
Violations & Fines
Planting a street tree without a permit, or outside its terms, is unlawful under § 9.20.230C and is enforceable as a chapter violation, carrying penalties up to $10,000 per day under § 9.20.520.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to plant a tree in the Tacoma planting strip?
Can I plant any tree species in the planting strip?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tacoma
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Parkway Planting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle parkway planting.