Call (425) 369-8733 — Kirkland Storm & Emergency Tree Service

A Kirkland wind event does not wait for a permit window. If a tree is on the house, on a car, blocking the only way out, hanging over a roof, or split and leaning after the storm, call MTS Tree and Landscape at (425) 369-8733 . The line is answered 24/7. We are a Sammamish tree company. Kirkland is a regular Eastside service area — Downtown, Juanita, Houghton, Finn Hill, Rose Hill, Totem Lake, and the Lake Washington waterfront included. Kirkland is not our home base.

This page is for storm damage and true emergencies only. A stable dead tree, a crown that needs thinning, or a planned backyard removal belongs on our Kirkland tree removal or trimming pages.

Key takeaways

• Call (425) 369-8733 first. Stay out of the drop zone. Do not climb, chain-saw, or pull on a hang-up over a roof.
• If the tree is in or on wires: stay at least 35 feet back (PSE’s stated distance), call 911 for downed lines, then Puget Sound Energy at 1-888-225-5773. Kirkland is served by PSE, not Seattle City Light. MTS does not work live wires. We take the tree once the utility says the lines are safe.
• Private-property trees in Kirkland fall under Kirkland Zoning Code Chapter 95. The city currently treats trees 6 inches DBH and larger as regulated. Landmark trees are 26 inches DBH and larger. Street and park trees are public: report those emergencies to Public Works at (425) 587-3900, not as a private backyard job.
• You can make a failing tree safe. Follow-up filing with the city is still required. Kirkland currently wants a Private Tree Removal Notification within 7 days of an emergency removal, plus evidence of the threat (photos and/or an arborist report).
• We make the site safe, rig or crane the wood off the structure, haul debris, and can help tarp an opening the tree made. We are not a roofing contractor.
• We can photograph and write arborist notes for a homeowners claim. We do not promise the insurer will pay.

What to do right now

1. Get people and pets out of the rooms or yard the tree can still hit. If anyone is hurt or trapped, call 911.
2. Stay back. A cracked fir on Finn Hill or a hung-up maple over a Houghton roof can finish falling without warning. Do not stand under it to “check the damage.”
3. If you see downed or sagging lines, or the tree is on a pole or service drop: stay at least 35 feet away. Call 911. Do not touch the tree, the fence, or standing water near it. Report the electrical emergency to Puget Sound Energy at 1-888-225-5773. Do not call 911 for an ordinary outage with no downed line. Call MTS after the lines are safe.
4. If the tree is in the street, on a sidewalk, or in a planting strip, that is often a public tree. Call Kirkland Public Works at (425) 587-3900. Park trees go to Parks at (425) 587-3300. Private-property trees go to Planning at (425) 587-3600 for city questions — and to MTS at (425) 369-8733 for the work.
5. If it is safe to do so from a distance, take photos: the tree on the structure, the point of impact, the blocked driveway, interior damage if you can reach it without walking under wood. Insurers ask for this. Kirkland also wants evidence of the threat. Do not delay the safety call to stage a photoshoot.
6. Call MTS Tree and Landscape at (425) 369-8733 . Tell us the address, whether anyone is still in the house, whether lines are involved, and whether the only exit is blocked.
7. Do not DIY. A chainsaw in a compression bind, a rope on a hang-up over shingles, or “just dropping it toward the lake” is how a salvageable roof becomes a second claim. Leave the tree where it sits until a crew is on it.

What we do on a Kirkland emergency call

The job is make-safe, then clean-up — not a planned backyard take-down.

• Triage on the phone. Life-safety and occupied structures first. A cedar through a Juanita living room beats a split alder that landed in a side yard and hit nothing.
• Make the tree safe. Cut and rig the parts that can still fail onto the house, the car, or the only way out. Sometimes that is a full removal. Sometimes it is a hang-up, a split leader, or a leaner that has to come down in sections.
• Crane or climbing/rigging when the lot is a Downtown Kirkland infill, a waterfront strip with no drop zone, or a Finn Hill slope that will not take a fall. We use a crane when it is the safer way to get wood off a structure.
• Haul. Storm wood, chips, and the pieces that were on the driveway leave with us unless you ask to keep firewood that is actually safe to keep.
• Tarps, not roofs. If the tree opened a hole, we can help get a tarp over it so weather stays out. Call a roofer for the repair. We will not claim we rebuilt the house.
• City follow-up. Photos, an arborist write-up when Planning wants one, and the after-the-fact Private Tree Removal Notification (within 7 days of the emergency removal, on the city’s current Trees page). Kirkland still wants the file after a true emergency. If the Planning Official later decides the emergency was not warranted, the city can treat it as a code violation. We do not use “emergency” as a shortcut to take down a healthy tree.

We are licensed, bonded, and insured. Climbers and crew leads train to ISA and L&I standards. We do not cut live electrical.

Storm work vs planned removal

A wind-thrown cedar through a Rose Hill garage is an emergency. A 70-foot fir you have been watching for two years is a planned removal, even if it makes you nervous.

Situation	This page	Other page
Tree on house, garage, or occupied room	Yes	—
Tree on a car	Yes	—
Only driveway / only exit blocked	Yes	—
Split, hung-up, or newly leaning over a roof after wind	Yes	—
Debris making the house unsafe to occupy	Yes	—
Dead or declining tree that is still standing and stable	No	Kirkland tree removal
Large or hazardous tree you want off before the next storm	No	Kirkland tree removal
Clearance, shape, or storm-proofing a healthy crown	No	Kirkland tree trimming
Stump left after the emergency wood is gone	After make-safe	Kirkland stump grinding

Emergency work is usually more involved than a scheduled job: night or weekend labor, tight urban access, crane time, and protecting a damaged roof. We give you a number for the work in front of us. We do not invent a citywide price list on this page.

For a tree that can wait, use Kirkland tree removal services. Call (425) 369-8733 either way if you are not sure.

Kirkland emergency rules, in plain language

This is a field guide, not a substitute for the code. KZC Chapter 95, instruction guides, and fees get updated. We classify the tree on site.

Private trees (Planning and Building, KZC 95). Kirkland currently requires a Tree Removal Notification or a Tree Removal Permit to remove regulated trees — 6 inches DBH or greater. Landmark trees are 26 inches DBH or greater. If a tree poses an imminent risk to life or property, the city currently allows removal without first obtaining a permit, then requires a Private Tree Removal Notification within 7 days, with photos or an arborist report showing the threat. We do not invent a dollar fine. If the city later decides the emergency was not warranted, KMC 1.12.100 can apply. We file the follow-up. We do not skip Planning because it was a Sunday.

Public trees (right-of-way and parks). The tree in the planting strip, on the street, or in a park is not a private backyard job. Kirkland requires a permit before pruning or removing public trees, except that the city describes a narrow “minor pruning” exception for adjacent owners (branches under 1.5 inches, under 15 percent canopy). For public-tree emergencies that need an immediate response, the city’s Trees page and OEM page both point to Public Works at (425) 587-3900 (streets/sidewalks) or Parks at (425) 587-3300 (parks). If you are not sure the tree is yours, check Kirkland Maps (Trees layer) or call (425) 587-3600 before you assume.

Critical areas, shoreline, Holmes Point Overlay. Wetlands, streams, landslide hazard areas, Lake Washington shoreline setbacks, and the Holmes Point Overlay on Finn Hill are extra review even in ordinary conditions. You can still make a tree safe in a true emergency. Follow-up filing is still required, and the city may want more documentation.

Penalties. Unpermitted work is expensive. We do not invent a dollar amount on this page. We also do not skip the paperwork because it was windy.

Downed lines: utility first, then the tree

Kirkland electric service is Puget Sound Energy. PSE is clear: assume every downed line is live. Stay at least 35 feet back. Call 911 for the line. Call 1-888-225-5773 to report the electrical emergency. Kirkland OEM says do not call 911 for a routine outage with no downed line.

MTS Tree and Landscape does not handle live wires, does not move a line, and does not cut a tree that is still energizing a fence, a car, or standing water. Once PSE (or the 911 response) has made the electrical side safe, we take the wood.

If the tree is on your service drop but you are not sure it is de-energized, treat it as live. Call the utility. Then call us at (425) 369-8733.

Insurance after a Kirkland storm

Photograph before anyone moves wood, if you can do it from a safe place. Then call us. Then call the insurer.

Homeowners policies often cover tree removal when a structure is damaged. They often do not cover a tree that fell in the yard and hit nothing. A tree on a car is usually auto, not homeowners. Deductibles, “act of God” language, and neighbor-tree disputes are between you and the carrier.

We can document what we found, what we removed, and why it was an emergency. We can write the arborist notes many adjusters ask for. We cannot promise they will pay, and we will not inflate the file.

When it is not an emergency

If the tree is dead but standing, ugly, too close to the house, or “probably coming down someday,” that is planned work. Same for a crown that needs thinning before the next Pineapple Express, or a stump you want gone after last year’s removal.

• Planned large or hazardous removal: Kirkland tree removal
• Trimming and pruning: Kirkland tree trimming
• Stump grinding: Kirkland stump grinding

If you are standing in the yard at 2 a.m. arguing with yourself, call (425) 369-8733. We will tell you if it can wait until daylight.

Neighborhoods we run in a storm

Downtown Kirkland and the waterfront, Juanita, Houghton, Finn Hill (including Holmes Point Overlay lots), Rose Hill, and Totem Lake. Narrow infill lots near Marina Park, sloped wooded lots on Finn Hill, waterfront strips with no drop zone, and Totem Lake redevelopment sites are normal Kirkland conditions for us.

If your street is not on that list, we still run Kirkland jobs. Call.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Kirkland permit if the tree already hit the house?

You can make an imminent failure safe. The city currently still wants a Private Tree Removal Notification within 7 days, with photos or an arborist report. Public trees go through Public Works or Parks, not the private path. We handle the emergency work and the paperwork. We do not skip Planning because it was a Sunday.

The tree is on the wires. Who do I call?

911 for downed lines. Puget Sound Energy at 1-888-225-5773. Stay 35 feet back. Call MTS Tree and Landscape at (425) 369-8733 for the tree after the lines are safe. We do not cut live electrical.

Will my insurance pay?

Sometimes, when a structure is damaged. Often not, when the tree only hit the lawn. We document. We do not promise a check.

A bigleaf maple split in the wind but is still standing over the roof. Is that an emergency?

If it can still fail onto the house, a car, or the only exit, treat it as one. Do not wait to see if the next squall finishes it. Call (425) 369-8733.

You are in Sammamish. Do you actually take Kirkland storm calls?

Yes. MTS Tree and Landscape is based at 4580 Klahanie Dr SE #261, Sammamish, WA 98029. Kirkland is a regular service area — waterfront, Finn Hill, and Totem Lake included. Same phone, 24/7: (425) 369-8733.

Sammamish-based. Kirkland is a normal week.

MTS Tree and Landscape runs King and Pierce County from Sammamish. We are not a Kirkland storefront, and we do not pretend to be. We are the crew that already knows Eastside access, KZC 95, public vs private trees, Holmes Point Overlay lots, and when to stop for PSE.

24/7 phone. No web form required to start an emergency call.