Kirkland, WA Tree Removal Services

Kirkland’s canopy is the reason people want the lot — and the reason a large fir, cedar, or bigleaf maple next to a house is a rigging job, not a felling job. MTS Tree and Landscape removes large and hazardous trees across Kirkland with ISA-certified arborists, crane capability, and permit help for private-property work. We are based in Sammamish. Kirkland is a served Eastside city, not our home base.

This page is for planned large and hazardous removals. If the tree is already on the house, on a car, or blocking the only way out, go to Kirkland emergency tree service and call (425) 369-8733.

MTS Tree and Landscape provides permit-aware, ISA-certified tree removal across Kirkland neighborhoods.

Key Takeaways

• 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. People still say “significant tree” for the 6-inch threshold. Use the city’s current words: regulated and landmark.
• Notification and permit are different paths. Notification is only for developed lots that meet every city condition (allowance, remaining trees, not landmark, not HPO, not shoreline setback, not critical area, and more). If any of those fail, you are on a permit — usually hazard or nuisance, with an arborist report.
• Street and park trees are public. Those are not a private KZC 95 backyard job.
• Typical residential removal on the Eastside runs about $600 to $12,000+ depending on size, access, and whether a crane can set up. Kirkland waterfront, Downtown infill, and Finn Hill slopes push the high end.
• Unpermitted removal can cost more than the job. The city publishes penalties separately. We do not invent a dollar fine here. We do not remove a regulated Kirkland tree without the right approval.
• Removing healthy regulated or landmark trees can also freeze later development applications (currently 12 months for regulated, 24 months for landmark, with a hazard/nuisance exception). Ask before you cut if you might build.

Ready to talk through a Kirkland tree? Call MTS Tree and Landscape at (425) 369-8733 or email info@nwmts.com.

Why Kirkland Tree Removal Is Different from Sammamish

Sammamish lots are often large Plateau conifers and city tree-retention rules. Kirkland lots mix three other problems: a waterfront or near-shore strip with no drop zone, a Downtown / Houghton infill yard thirty feet wide, and a Finn Hill slope (sometimes Holmes Point Overlay) where the tree, the house, and the neighbor share one hillside.

You cannot fell to an open yard on most of those sites. The work is sectional dismantling or a small crane if the street or the waterfront staging allows it.

Neighborhoods we regularly work: Downtown Kirkland and the waterfront, Juanita, Houghton, Finn Hill, Rose Hill, and Totem Lake. If your street is not on that list, we still run Kirkland jobs. Call.

How Much Does Tree Removal Cost in Kirkland?

Most single-tree residential jobs in Kirkland fall between $1,500 and $7,000. Tight access and crane time push large trees higher.

Kirkland Tree Removal Cost by Size

Tree size	Height	Typical cost	What we see in Kirkland
Small	Under 25 ft	$400 to $900	Ornamental cherry, plum, small maple
Medium	25 to 50 ft	$900 to $2,800	Alder, birch, medium maple, hemlock
Large	50 to 80 ft	$2,800 to $6,500	Bigleaf maple, cedar, fir in a backyard
Very large	80 ft+	$6,500 to $12,000+	Old fir or cedar next to the house
Crane-assisted	Any large tree, no drop zone	Often +$2,000 to $5,000	Common on the waterfront, Downtown infill, Finn Hill

Costs go up when: the only drop zone is over a roof or the lake; the side yard will not take a chipper; the tree is in wires; the lot is on a steep slope (Finn Hill, parts of Juanita and Houghton); Planning wants an arborist report and replacement planting; or the tree is landmark-size.

These are typical market estimates, not a bid. Get a written Kirkland estimate. Call (425) 369-8733.

Do I Need a Permit to Remove a Tree in Kirkland?

Often yes. Planning and Building currently requires a Tree Removal Notification or a Tree Removal Permit for all regulated trees (6 inches DBH or greater) inside the city. Measure diameter at standard height (about 4.5 feet up the trunk). Do not assume a backyard maple is “small enough.”

This page is a field guide, not a substitute for KZC Chapter 95. Confirm the current path on the city’s Trees page and mybuildingpermit.com. We pull that path before a saw starts.

Notification vs Permit

Tree Removal Notification(developed properties, healthy regulated trees) can be used only when all of the following are true, per the city’s current Trees page:

• The 12-month removal allowance for the property has not been exceeded
• The lot will still hold the minimum number of trees the city requires after the cut
• The tree is not a Landmark Tree (26 inches DBH or greater)
• You are not removing a hedge
• There is no mapped critical area or buffer (wetland, stream, landslide hazard)
• The tree is not in a shoreline setback
• The property is not in the Holmes Point Overlay
• There is no Tree Preservation Covenant or Grove Covenant
• A new residence was not built on the lot in the last 5 years
• The trees were not retained or planted as required landscaping

The city does not currently publish the allowance numbers on that Trees page. Allowance depends on lot size, what you already took in the last 12 months, and what has to remain. We do not guess it from a photo. We check it on the lot.

Tree Removal Permit is required when notification does not apply. For trees under 26 inches DBH, the city currently expects the tree to meet hazard or nuisance criteria. Landmark trees have their own instruction guide; some landmark removals can be requested within an allowed landmark path, otherwise they also have to qualify as hazard or nuisance. Permits typically need an arborist report, a replanting plan, and the city’s permit fee. Hazard-tree permits require a TRAQ-qualified arborist. After a complete submittal, the city currently says it inspects and emails a determination within 15 business days.

Private Trees vs Public Trees

• Private tree: on your lot, behind the sidewalk. Planning and Building, KZC 95, mybuildingpermit.com.
• Public / street / park tree: right-of-way or parks. Public Tree Pruning or Removal Permit. Homeowners generally cannot take these down on their own. If you are not sure, Kirkland Maps has a Trees layer, or call 425-587-3600.

Critical Areas, Shoreline, Holmes Point Overlay

Steep slopes, wetlands, streams, Lake Washington shoreline setbacks, and Holmes Point Overlay lots on Finn Hill do not use the ordinary notification path. Plan on a permit, an arborist report, and a longer review. Groves and covenant trees are extra restricted.

Hazard, Nuisance, and Emergency

A hazard tree (city definition, TRAQ assessment) is not the same as “I don’t like it.” A nuisance tree is not a shortcut around landmark rules. An emergency — imminent risk to life or property — is a different page: Kirkland emergency tree service. You can make that tree safe, then file within 7 days. We do not use “emergency” to take down a healthy tree.

Development Hold

If you might build, add an ADU, or short-plat: the city currently will not accept new development permits for 12 months after healthy regulated-tree removal, or 24 months after landmark-tree removal, unless the trees qualified as hazard or nuisance under KZC 95.25(5). A modest addition (under 50 percent of existing footprint) can be an exception. Ask before you spend the allowance on a tree you will wish you had kept.

Kirkland Regulated vs Landmark, in Plain Language

• Under 6 inches DBH: often unregulated for removal, unless it is required landscaping, a covenant tree, in a critical area, or a public tree. Still confirm.
• Regulated (6 inches DBH and up): notification or permit. This is what older talk called a “significant tree.”
• Landmark (26 inches DBH and up): not a notification tree. Permit path. Extra review. Replacement and recording of mitigation trees are common. Do not treat a 28-inch fir like a 10-inch maple.
• Grove / High Retention Value / required landscaping: even tighter, especially on development sites.

Exact species lists, plant lists, and instruction guides live on kirklandwa.gov/trees. We classify the tree on site.

How We Remove a Large or Hazardous Tree on a Kirkland Lot

• 1. Look at the tree, the house, the wires, the slope, and whether this is private, public, HPO, or shoreline.
• 2. Measure DBH. Say whether this is notification, permit, public-tree, or an emergency.
• 3. Write the estimate: climbing/rigging vs crane, chipper access, stump, haul-off, arborist report if the city wants one.
• 4. File or help file through mybuildingpermit.com — site plan, photos, TRAQ hazard report when required.
• 5. Remove in sections. Protect the fence, the garden, the neighbor’s roof, and the waterfront bulkhead.
• 6. Grind the stump if you want it gone the same visit. Plant the replacement tree if the permit requires it.

We are licensed, bonded, and insured. Climbers and crew leads train to ISA and L&I standards. Crane work is used when it is safer and cheaper than a full-day take-down over a roof.

Need the crown reduced instead of the tree gone? See Kirkland tree trimming. Need the stump after an authorized removal? See Kirkland stump grinding.

Insurance After a Kirkland Storm (Planned vs Claim)

If the tree already failed onto the house, garage, or a car, that is an emergency call. Photograph it before anyone moves wood. Homeowners policies often cover removal when a structure is damaged, and often do not cover a tree that is still standing. We can write the arborist notes insurers ask for. We do not promise they will pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does tree removal cost in Kirkland?

Most jobs are $1,500 to $7,000. Large backyard conifers with crane time run higher.

Do I need a permit?

Usually, if the tree is 6 inches DBH or larger. Notification vs permit depends on size, lot, critical areas, HPO, shoreline, and whether it is landmark. Public trees are a different permit. We check before we cut.

What is a “significant tree” in Kirkland?

The live city Trees page currently says regulated tree at 6 inches DBH and landmark tree at 26 inches DBH. “Significant” is the older / informal label for the 6-inch regulated threshold. Use the current terms.

Can I take down two or three trees this year without asking?

Do not plan on that. Even healthy trees on a developed lot currently need a notification, and only if every city condition is met. Landmark trees, HPO, shoreline, and critical areas are not that path.

Who do I call at 2 a.m. if a fir is on the roof?

MTS Tree and Landscape, (425) 369-8733. If lines are involved, 911 and PSE first. Details: Kirkland emergency tree service.

Is stump grinding included?

Usually a separate line. Same visit when we can get the grinder in. Kirkland stump grinding.

Work With an Eastside Crew That Already Knows Kirkland

MTS Tree and Landscape is based in Sammamish and runs King and Pierce County. Kirkland jobs are a normal week for us, not a one-off. Same phone, same insured crew, same rule: we do not start a regulated tree until the city path is clear. Call (425) 369-8733, email info@nwmts.com, or use the quote form.

MTS Tree and Landscape · 4580 Klahanie Dr SE #261, Sammamish, WA 98029 · (425) 369-8733 · info@nwmts.com