Yakima, WA Tree Protection: Tree Ordinances (2026)

YMC Chapter 8.77 (Public Tree Ordinance) is the City's main urban-forestry ordinance. Key provisions: (1) Jurisdiction — covers trees on public property, public rights-of-way, and to a limited extent on private property. (2) Tree Board — established by Ordinance 2016-032 on December 6, 2016; develops and administers the written plan for care, preservation, pruning, planting, replanting, removal, or disposition of trees in City parks, along City streets, and in other City-owned public areas. Members as of recent rosters include Jheri Ketcham, Daniel Layton, Scot Stephens, and Ken Tolonen, staffed by Eric Crowell, Senior Planner. (3) Approved species list — Public Works maintains the approved street tree list; the Tree Board reviews and recommends changes; no other species may be planted as a street tree without written Tree Board permission. (4) Spacing — small 30 ft, medium 40 ft, large 50 ft. (5) Owner duties — every owner of a tree overhanging a city street or right-of-way must prune branches (maintain 8 ft over sidewalk/street under YMC 6.56), and must remove all dead, diseased, or dangerous trees, or broken or decayed limbs that constitute a menace to public safety. (6) Topping — unlawful as a normal practice to top any street tree, park tree, or other tree on public property. (7) Interference — unlawful to prevent, delay, or interfere with City employees, Tree Board members, or contractors planting, cultivating, mulching, pruning, spraying, or removing public trees. (8) Contractor license — must hold all necessary WA State licenses and a Yakima business license to do commercial street-tree or park-tree work. (9) Hazardous private trees — City may cause removal of dead/diseased private trees that threaten safety or harbor insects/disease threatening other city trees. Yakima is a Tree City USA (2017).