KCC 16.82 requires clearing and grading permits before removing significant trees in unincorporated King County, with stricter limits on critical area buffers, steep slopes, and rural retention areas under the Critical Areas Ordinance.
KCC 16.82 caps removal of significant trees on most lots and requires a clearing permit when thresholds are exceeded or development is proposed. On rural and resource lands, tree retention standards in KCC 21A.38 protect forest cover and salmon habitat in basins like the Cedar River and Snoqualmie. Critical Areas Ordinance buffers under KCC 21A.24 restrict cutting near streams, wetlands, and steep slopes. Hazard trees may be removed with arborist documentation, but stump removal in buffers still needs review.
Unpermitted clearing can trigger stop-work orders, replanting at three to ten times the canopy lost, and civil penalties up to $1,000 per tree per day under KCC 23.32.
King County, WA
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King County, WA
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King County, WA
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King County, WA
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King County, WA
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King County, WA
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See how King County's tree removal permits rules stack up against other locations.
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