Tree Services & Removal in Tacoma, WA
Trees in Washington are one of the reasons why tourists travel far and wide to visit. There are hundreds of native trees in and near Tacoma, Washington; each has specific needs for maintaining the tree’s health and beauty.
Avoid common tree problems by contacting the professional tree maintenance crew at Pacific Arboriculture. We offer a wide variety of tree services in the Tacoma area, from tree limb cutting & pruning to removal. Get a quote for your tree service today!
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Common Tree Service Questions
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Tacoma, Washington Tree Services
Plant Health Management
Trust our professionals to provide expert tree healthcare services, from structural pruning to disease evaluation
Residential Tree Services
Our certified arborists near you can assist with all your residential tree needs, from tree branch removal to brush clearing. Learn more below.
Tree Removal & Stump Grinding
If you have a tree on your property that needs removal, choose Pacific Arboriculture. We specialize in fast, effective tree removal in Tacoma.
24-hour Emergency Services
Fallen limbs or downed trees can pose a risk to your home. Our emergency tree services are available 24/7, so you can get help day or night.
Firewood for Sale
Get fresh or seasoned local firewood for sale in the Tacoma area. Choose from several wood varieties.
Free Wood Chips
Looking for wood chips near you? Sign up for our wood chip delivery to get a fresh load of chips delivered right to your doorstep.
Leave Tacoma's environmental regulations and city code nuances to us
DO YOU NEED A PERMIT?
Tacoma Municipal Code (TMC) 9.18 requires permits for pruning or tree removal in the right-of-way, and TMC 9.20 requires permits for pruning or removal of trees from the right-of-way or public property for view purposes. In most situations, removal of a tree in the right-of-way will require replacement of the tree. Tree Work permits are available at aca.accela.com/tacoma.
TREE REMOVAL REGULATIONS IN TACOMA
| REMOVING TREES | ||
Hazard Tree Removal
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What is a hazard tree? A tree becomes hazardous when one or more characteristics meet or exceed a threshold of risk. Below that threshold, the tree is not considered to be a hazard.
How are the risk factors assessed? Risk factors are assessed during a tree risk assessment performed by a Certified Tree Risk Assessor. What is a tree risk assessment? Tree risk assessment examines the whole tree, or a part of it. It is only undertaken when there is a target (people and/or property within striking distance of the tree or its parts) that might be damaged if the tree or tree part were to fail. |
Environmentally Critical Areas and trees |
Street Tree Removal |
A Tree Work Permit and a barricade permit are required for removal/replacement of trees in the right-of-way. Note that submitting an application does not guarantee you a permit, and that you must have the permit in hand before beginning any removal or major pruning work. In addition, in most situations removal of a street tree will require replacement of the street tree.
Tree removal requires the stump also be removed to at least eight inches below the surface. Tree and stump removal must be completed within 30 days of permit issuance. Failure to obtain a permit or meet the conditions of the permit may result in fines of up to $100 per violation and/or imprisonment in the County Jail for up to 30 days. (TMC 9.18.040). |
Apply for a removal permit here. |
| Private Trees outside of environmentally critical areas | SDCI PERMIT MAY BE REQUIRED In general, you cannot remove exceptional trees (exceptional trees are trees that are of significant size or have historical or ecological value) or cut down more than 3 non-exceptional trees 6’’ or greater in diameter each year unless they are determined to be hazardous through a hazard tree assessment by a certified tree risk professional (see TIP 242 for details) |
Tree Protection |
TREE PRUNING REGULATIONS IN TACOMA
| PRUNING TREES | ||
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Street Tree Pruning |
A permit is required prior to performing any street tree pruning work. Street trees are trees in the public right-of-way, typically between the curb and sidewalk. The permit is available online at no fee from the Permit Center.
The City of Tacoma requires abutting property owners to maintain adjoining rights-of-way in a manner that is safe for the public. The City of Tacoma requires maintaining clearance standards 8 feet above the full width of sidewalk and 14 feet above the full width of streets and alleys. The City of Tacoma, in general, does not maintain trees in the rights-of-way that are not abutting City-owned private property (this includes pruning and removal); exceptions may occasionally be made due to easement stipulations, construction, abatement and other similar reasons. |
The permit is available online at no fee from the Permit Center. You may also call the Permit Center at (253) 591-5030 or send them an email. |
Private Property Tree Pruning |
The City of Tacoma generally has no tree cutting ordinance that regulates the cutting of trees on private properties (pruning or removal). You may need a permit if your property is located in or near critical areas as defined by Tacoma Municipal Code 13.11. Critical areas include critical aquifer recharge areas, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas (FWHCAs), flood hazard areas, geologically hazardous areas, stream corridors, and wetlands. | Please call the Permit Counter at (253) 591-5030 and a Permit Specialist will review your property status to determine if a permit is needed. |
Pruning for Views |
The City of Tacoma does not prune or remove trees to preserve views for public or private benefit.
If you wish to apply for a permit for any pruning or removal to be completed on a tree within a right-of-way or located on City-owned parcels, you may do so here.
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Pruning links |
Standard Types of Pruning |
Structural pruning is the pruning of young trees to develop good structure, including a strong and well established central leader, strong branch attachments, and adequate spacing and distribution of scaffold branches. Young tree pruning occurs on an ongoing basis the first ten years after tree planting.
Crown cleaning is the removal of water sprouts and dead, dying, diseased, crowded, weakly attached and low vigor branches from a tree’s crown. Crown raising for clearance of the street and sidewalk removes the lower branches of a tree in order to provide clearance for vehicles, pedestrians, and buildings. The City of Tacoma requires maintaining clearance standards 8 feet above the full width of sidewalk and 14 feet above the full width of streets and alleys. |
For questions about permits, please contact the Permit Center at (253) 591-5030 or email. |
Tacoma's Tree People
Maintaining trees in and around Tacoma, Washington, is a challenging task because the rich environment that surrounds the city provides for tree growth year-round. If you need to maintain your trees, look no further than Pacific Arboriculture. We are Tacoma’s tree people! Our professional arborists have years of experience in the area, understand the job we are there to do, and follow all safety and legal guidelines to get the job done right every time without worry. You can trust our team to handle your tree service with ease.
Caring for all trees in the follow Seattle zip codes: 98178, 98146, 98136, 98108, 98118, 98106, 98126, 98134, 98116, 98144, 98161, 98104, 98174, 98164, 98154, 98111, 98114, 98124, 98129, 98145, 98170, 98181, 98185, 98190, 98191, 98113, 98127, 98139, 98141, 98165, 98175, 98194, 98101, 98121, 98122
We are all your tree needs!
Superior tree service from planting & pruning to removing & replacing
