Tree Removal Permit in Bothell, WA
Permit Summary
Do You Need a Tree Removal Permit?
Exemptions
BMC 12.12.040 exempts specified work from a separate forest practices/land clearing permit, including immediate-danger emergency clearing, dead or diseased trees, invasive nonnative trees outside critical areas and buffers, qualifying residential ornamental trees, and general maintenance/landscaping on developed properties one-half acre or less without bulldozer-type earthmoving equipment, subject to other applicable protections. No separate clearing permit is needed when land clearing is reviewed in a pending development-permit application, provided site alteration does not precede approval. Bothell also advises that ordinary removal generally needs no permit on an existing individual lot under 20,000 square feet, established more than five years ago, without critical areas; retained trees, development conditions, and critical-area rules can still restrict removal.
Protected Trees & Removal Eligibility
Protected Tree Rules
BMC 12.18.030 regulates significant-tree retention during development, including trees in required Type I/II perimeter landscape areas and tree-retention commitments recorded with development approvals. In specified R-C, R-L1, R-L2, and R-M1 through R-M4 zones, the code generally requires retention of at least 20% of qualifying significant-tree diameter inches, with listed alternatives; R-AC, DC, DN, DT, and GDC provisions generally use 15% with alternatives. Critical-area and buffer vegetation, including wetlands, streams, steep slopes, and shorelines, receives separate protections regardless of ordinary lot size exemptions.
When Removal Is Allowed
Permit-regulated clearing must satisfy BMC 12.12.060, including compliance with tree-retention standards, environmental and shoreline provisions, erosion control, and protection of wooded slopes and retained tree groupings. Safety hazards and disease can support removal, but trees designated for retention and vegetation in protected areas are subject to additional approval, qualified assessment, alternatives such as pruning, and/or mitigation. No general entitlement exists to remove protected trees simply because they are on private property.
Replacement Requirements
Replacement Rules
Replanting or restoration is required where an approved development tree-retention requirement is violated or where a hazardous tree is removed from a critical area or buffer. Under BMC 14.04.150(C)(6), nonshoreline critical-area hazard-tree removals require two native replacement trees per removed tree (2:1), within one year under an approved restoration plan; replacements must be at least 1-inch DBH if deciduous or 6 feet tall if evergreen. Under shoreline critical-area BMC 13.13.010(K)(3)(g), the analogous ratio is three to one (3:1) within one year. Under BMC 12.18.030(G), removal or damage of a significant tree designated for retention during development generally requires two 20-foot conifers, four 14-foot conifers, two 4-inch deciduous trees, or four 2.5-inch deciduous trees per affected tree, subject to an approved restoration plan. Certain zones allow alternative tree-retention credits and planting configurations.
Arborist & Professional Requirements
Professional Requirements
Bothell requires a tree-health or hazard report from a certified arborist, registered landscape architect, or professional forester for nonexempt significant-tree removal requests and for tree-removal requests in critical areas or shoreline jurisdiction. Under BMC 12.18.030, tree-retention plans for regulated development must be prepared by a qualified professional, such as a licensed landscape architect, licensed/certified forester or arborist, or Washington State certified nurseryperson; city peer review may be charged to the applicant. Qualified professional justification is required when full removal rather than pruning is proposed for hazardous trees in critical areas.
Public Notice Requirements
Notice Rules
BMC 12.12.030 classifies land-clearing permits without environmental (SEPA) review as Type I and with environmental review as Type II. BMC 11.04.003 requires a Notice of Application for Type II project permits, with a 21-day comment period (30 days for specified shoreline permit types); Type I land-clearing permits do not have the Type II notice-of-application requirement. Other public notice may arise from associated SEPA, shoreline, or development review. Bothell does not describe a blanket public posting rule for all ordinary private-tree removals.
Emergency Tree Removal
BMC 12.12.040(C) exempts removal of trees or ground cover needed to address immediate danger to life or property or substantial fire hazards from its separate land-clearing permit requirement. Within nonshoreline critical areas/buffers, BMC 14.04.150(C)(6)(b)(vi) allows imminent hazard trees to be removed or pruned before written approval, but a compliant restoration plan must be submitted within 14 days afterward. Shoreline critical-area BMC 13.13.010(K)(3)(g)(3)(F) includes the same 14-day restoration-plan deadline. Normal nonemergency critical-area work requires city approval in advance; document hazards through a qualified professional where required.
Development & Special Areas
Development-Related Rules
Development involving land disturbance triggers BMC 12.18.030 tree-retention review unless exempt. An application generally must identify significant trees, proposed removal and retention, disturbance-free root areas and construction protections; protection fencing must be at least four feet high, and the disturbance-free area normally extends to the dripline or 15 feet from the trunk, whichever is greater. A separate clearing permit is not required if clearing is fully reviewed within a pending development permit and no alteration occurs while it is pending (BMC 12.12.040(A)). Retention bonds/sureties may be required for designated retained trees, and unauthorized damage can trigger restoration; clearing permits involve erosion-control and final site inspection requirements.
Special Zone Rules
Wetlands, streams, steep slopes over 40%, other critical areas and buffers, and shoreline areas need city review before nonemergency tree removal even where routine lot clearing is exempt. For nonshoreline critical areas, BMC 14.04.150(C)(6) requires director approval and specifies qualified hazard documentation, mitigation, and restoration; shoreline critical areas are governed by BMC 13.13.010(K)(3)(g) and related shoreline-vegetation regulations. City-owned trees in streets or public rights-of-way are handled by Bothell Public Works; private work within the public right-of-way may also require a right-of-way permit. Verify parcel constraints using the city's COBMap or Planning staff before work.
What You Need Before Applying
Requirements
Determine whether the tree is on a developed parcel, is subject to an approved tree-retention or landscape plan, lies in a critical area or buffer or shoreline jurisdiction, or is associated with development or land clearing. For regulated work, obtain the city's applicable approval before clearing, comply with BMC Chapters 12.12 and 12.18 and applicable critical-area/shoreline provisions, and follow approved erosion-control, retention, restoration, and work-site conditions. Bothell accepts applications online through MyBuildingPermit.
Required Documents
For a Land Clearing application, submit the completed Development Review Billing form (Form D), a map or plot plan identifying existing vegetation and proposed removals (location, type, size, condition), parcel number and address if applicable, north arrow and scale, contours at intervals no greater than five feet, and a tree-retention plan when applicable. Identify any off-site excavated-material disposal location and route. Regulated significant-tree or critical-area requests may require a qualified professional's arborist/hazard report and replanting/restoration plan; a temporary erosion-control plan is required for permit-regulated clearing.