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Thank you for caring about Seattle’s forest. Please use this guide to see if this tree is under threat of illegal removal and what to do next.
If you are experiencing a tree removal or major pruning right now, scroll down to “A Removal is Happening Right Now.” Otherwise, skip to “A Tree is At Risk of Being Removed.”
If a removal is happening right now, please call the following:
If you see a hazardous work environment for tree workers (e.g., no safety gear):
Document everything with video and photos.
Note: A notice of tree work is not the same as a permit. Notices are print-at-home documents that don’t mean anyone has verified the information or legality of the removal. Some notices are for tree work that is unpermitted. These instructions will show you how to tell the difference.
If you already know the address associated with the tree, or a tree is located in the right-of-way, please skip this steps step. Trees in the right-of-way are managed by Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), whereas trees on private property are managed by Seattle Department of Constructions and Inspections (SDCI).
For trees on private property, first find it’s address so you can find the appropriate documents. To find the address:
1. Go to the King County Parcel Viewer.
2. Click on the Basemaps button at the top right of the map. Change it to the latest available aerial map to see the aerial imagery on the map.
3. Type in a street address you know is near your tree in the text box to the leftmost on the same menu as Basemaps.
4. Look for your tree in the satellite data and make a note of its official address.
Some addresses have a higher level of SDCI protection, most notably if they are in Environmentally Critical Areas (ECAs). ECAs are discussed in detail in the FAQ at the bottom of this page.
You can check if the address is in an ECA in order to know if the removal or tree work will need additional permits or a Vegetation Restoration Plan.
Note: you can remove the “Zoning” tick in the “Layer List” section if that helps you see the map better.
If your tree is on private property, you will now search the SDCI website to find relevant permits, if any exist. Your goal is to locate all relevant documentation that makes the tree removal “legal” in the eyes of the city. If any documents are missing, this is our best chance to delay or prevent the tree removal.
1. Go to the SDCI permit site.
2. Enter the address you found above, or search with a specific document ID if you have it, and click Go. Don’t leave the page until the search is finished. Sometimes trees span more than one lot so you may need to try adjacent addresses too.
3. Sort by descending date by clicking on the Date column header until it shows a down arrow.
4. Now you’ll have to dig into the documents. Information related to tree work can be in any document with the following “Record Type” (found in the last column of the table):
If the tree is on the street or in a Right-of-Way, any document about tree work will be in the general City of Seattle Records Search page.
1. Go to the City of Seattle Records Search portal.
2. Enter the address in the text box, click Search.
3. Sort the documents in reverse chronological order by clicking on the Date column header.
4. Look for any SDOT permit and requests for major pruning or removal.
Now that you have all relevant documentation, it’s time to check for any errors, deceptions, or falsehoods.
We have experienced developers intentionally providing an incorrect (much smaller) measurement of a tree’s diameter, hiding arborists’ reports, or saying a tree is sick when it’s healthy in order to get a permit to remove it.
To save trees, it’s important to dig into these records and fact-check them with your own photos, measurements, or aerial data from the King County Parcel Viewer.
If you notice any errors, violations, or suspicious changes to the documentation you’ve researched, submit a complaint to SDCI or SDOT so the issue is on their radar.
Send us an email to info@treeactionseattle.org, and we’ll do our best to help.
You’ll get an email that you can reply to directly and that one of the humans volunteering at Tree Action Seattle will read. Please attach any documents you’ve already found and any pictures you have to your follow up email.
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