Tree removal permits in Everett: fees, timeline & requirements (2026)
Everything you need to know about pulling a tree removal permit in Everett, Washington — when one is required, what it costs, how long review takes, what documents are required, and which inspections you can expect. Cited to Everett Public Works — Permit Services.
Free lookup, no account needed — your lot polygon, zoning, setbacks and overlays, cited to Everett's source.
When does tree removal need a permit in Everett?
Everett sets no permit to remove a tree on private land outside a critical area: Permit Services says no Public Works permit is needed for the removal itself, and the Planning Division says whether the tree can come down, since a tree required as landscaping may need replacing (the City's FAQ). In a critical area or its buffer, a wetland, stream, fish and wildlife habitat area, or a landslide, erosion or seismic hazard area, nothing is altered before the City's approvals (EMC 19.37.030 A): a hazard tree comes down only when the planning director approves it, with two native trees planted for each one removed (19.37.060 B.3.b); a nonhazardous tree only in the outer half of a buffer, up to 10 percent of the trees there once every five years, with three native trees for each one, through the City's review (B.3.c); and removing vegetation from a wetland, a habitat area or a stream or wetland buffer is otherwise prohibited (B.3.b(6)). Pruning a tree in a critical area needs a permit (B.3.a(1)). A tree in the street right-of-way is a street tree.
From Everett's own code
“No alteration of a critical area may occur until the city has issued all approvals required by this chapter.”Source ↗verified 2026-10-28
What Everett says in its own permit handout
From Tree Removal for Hazardous Trees, published by Everett. This is the jurisdiction's own guidance on its permit process, not the ordinance text — where the two differ, the code governs.
“HAZARDOUS TREE REMOVAL CHECKLIST … For each tree removed, two native trees must be planted somewhere within the critical area or its buffer on the property.”Handout ↗read 2026-09-05
Required submittals
- Site plan with tree locations + DBH
- Arborist report (sometimes)
- Replacement / mitigation plan
Inspection sequence
- Site verification (arborist or planner)
- Final replacement compliance
Contractor specialties needed
General contractor
Who can do this work in Everett?
Kolmo Construction is a licensed Washington general contractor — KOLMOL*753JS, active through April 10, 2027, bonded and insured — working throughout Everett and Snohomish County. Kolmo prepares the drawings and submittals, files the tree removal permit with Everett Public Works — Permit Services, carries the project through review and inspections, and arranges the tree work. Call (206) 410-5100 for an Everett tree removal quote.
Notes & caveats
Issuing body is city planning / urban forestry. Replacement requirements common (e.g. 1:1 or 2:1 by canopy area). Critical-area parcels (steep slope, salmon stream buffer) have stricter rules. Cities treat a dead, dying or hazardous tree differently, so check this city's rule before removing one. Some need no permit for it (Lynnwood: no permit for a dead, diseased or dangerous tree, LMC 17.15.150). Some allow emergency removal if the city is told afterward (Kirkland: within seven days, KZC 95.15). Some still require the permit and waive the fee (Issaquah: no fee when every tree proposed for removal is deemed hazardous).
How to apply yourself
- 1. Confirm your parcel's zoning & overlays. Run an address lookup for your tree removal in Everett — we'll pull your specific lot polygon, zoning, setbacks, and any shoreline, critical-area or historic overlays.
- 2. Assemble submittals: the 3 documents under Required submittals above.
- 3. Submit through the city portal: Everett Public Works — Permit Services ↗
- 4. Track review. Respond to reviewer comments promptly.
- 5. Pay the review fees (Everett's fee schedule sets them) and keep the approval with the job.
Or have Kolmo do it
Kolmo prepares the drawings and submittals, files with Everett Public Works — Permit Services, handles reviewer comments, and arranges the tree work.
Licensed WA general contractor KOLMOL*753JS · bonded & insured
Tree removal permits in Everett — FAQ
When does tree removal need a permit in Everett?
Everett sets no permit to remove a tree on private land outside a critical area: Permit Services says no Public Works permit is needed for the removal itself, and the Planning Division says whether the tree can come down, since a tree required as landscaping may need replacing (the City's FAQ). In a critical area or its buffer, a wetland, stream, fish and wildlife habitat area, or a landslide, erosion or seismic hazard area, nothing is altered before the City's approvals (EMC 19.37.030 A): a hazard tree comes down only when the planning director approves it, with two native trees planted for each one removed (19.37.060 B.3.b); a nonhazardous tree only in the outer half of a buffer, up to 10 percent of the trees there once every five years, with three native trees for each one, through the City's review (B.3.c); and removing vegetation from a wetland, a habitat area or a stream or wetland buffer is otherwise prohibited (B.3.b(6)). Pruning a tree in a critical area needs a permit (B.3.a(1)). A tree in the street right-of-way is a street tree.
How much does a tree removal permit cost in Everett?
Everett's posted fee schedules (the 2026 Planning, Zoning and Land Use schedule, Site Work and building permit fees) have no tree-removal line. Machine clearing a residential lot is a $35 site work permit. Where the tree is in a critical area or the shoreline, the Planning Division (425-257-8731) says which land use review applies and its fee.