Seattle, WA: Tree Service Ordinance
Policy Title: Ordinance 126554
Year Adopted: 2022
City: Seattle, WA
Main Citation: Ordinance 126554
Description:
Prior to 2022, the City of Seattle lacked city-wide arborist registration requirements, which was resulting in the considerable loss and damage to the urban canopy, causing disparate impacts on those already experiencing environmental injustices relating to access and climate effects. Sponsored by Councilmembers Dan Strauss and Alex Pedersen, the Seattle City Council approved an ordinance adding a tree service provider registration procedure and requirement. According to Wes Brinkley, the former Chair of Seattle’s Urban Forest Commission, the updated code serves to remove loopholes and imprecision. If the code can “say up front exactly what [arborists] have to pay, then trees on a property become a component of a property’s value — not subject to challenges of perspective — which removes trees from being a risk.”
The ordinance establishes an application process for tree service providers operating within the City of Seattle and a public registry. Each applicant must meet a specific set of requirements, including possessing a current and valid Seattle business license, having at least one employee who is a International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist, and acknowledging in writing the City codes applicable to commercial tree work to be added to the public registry. After acceptance into the registry, the registration will last for one year, requiring providers to renew annually.
At the time of this ordinance, public notice requirements stated that the provider must post signage at least three days in advance of conducting any commercial tree work in a safe and publicly visible location with details of provider registration. However, new provisions went into effect in April 2023, adjusting this requirement. Now, a notice must be physically posted at the site only during the time the provider is conducting work and five days after the work is completed. Prior notice is now only available online on the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections’ (SDCI) website. Later that year, the 2023 Tree Protection Ordinance was approved, which included increased penalties for illegal street cutting and for unregistered tree service providers. However, there are existing concerns about the influence of developers and loosened regulations–the impacts of these ordinances on reducing unregulated cuttings and unregistered businesses must be assessed in the coming years.
Impact:
No impact assessment for the Ordinance exists at this time.
Additional Resources:
Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections: Trees & Codes
Building Connections: “Updates to Seattle Tree Service Provider Regulations”
Office of the City Clerk Ordinance Information
The Urbanist: “Seattle Tightens Regulations on Tree Service Providers”