Redmond, WA Tree Removal Services

Redmond’s hard removals are not small ornamentals. They are 60- to 100-foot Douglas firs and western red cedars on Education Hill, bigleaf maples over Idylwood roofs, river-corridor trees in critical-area buffers, and campus screening trees that have outgrown a parking lot. Removal here is usually sectional dismantling or a crane, plus a City of Redmond path under RZC 21.72 before a saw starts. MTS Tree and Landscape removes large and hazardous trees across Redmond with ISA-certified arborists, crane capability, and permit help for private-property work.

MTS Tree and Landscape is based in Sammamish. Redmond is a regular service city — tech campuses, Education Hill, Idylwood, and the Sammamish River included.

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

Key Takeaways

• Most private-property removals in Redmond city limits are regulated under RZC 21.72. A Significant Tree is about 6 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet up the trunk. A Landmark Tree is greater than 30 inches DBH.
• Developed neighborhood-residential lots have an annual cap on Significant Tree removals, scaled by lot size (2 / 4 / 6 / 8). Going over the cap, taking a Landmark tree, or working in a critical area needs a Tree Exception Request — not just the basic permit.
• A standing hazard is not the same as a 2 a.m. emergency. Hazards normally need a Hazard Tree Removal Declaration and an arborist assessment before the tree comes down. Trees the city accepts as hazardous do not count against the annual cap.
• Street trees and right-of-way trees are Parks / ROW, not a backyard permit.
• Typical large residential removals in Redmond run about $2,200 to $12,000+ depending on height, access, and whether a crane can set up. Small ornamentals sit lower; this page is not about those.
• Unpermitted removal can cost more than the job. We do not remove a regulated Redmond tree without the right approval.
• 24/7 emergency phone is available when a tree is on a house, blocking the only way out, or in the wires (we wait for Puget Sound Energy on utilities). That work lives on the emergency page.

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

Why Large Redmond Removals Are Their Own Job

Education Hill lots grew up around the firs. Idylwood lots sit between the house, the neighbor, and Lake Sammamish wind. Downtown and Overlake campus sites have no drop zone, loading docks, and after-hours access rules. The Sammamish River corridor adds critical-area and shoreline overlay on top of the tree code.

You usually cannot fell to an open yard. The work is climbing and rigging, or a crane if the street or parking aisle allows it. A 20-foot flowering cherry is a different crew day. If that is your tree, we still bid it — but the page, the permit, and the equipment on this URL are built for the large and hazardous ones.

Neighborhoods we regularly take large trees in: Education Hill, Idylwood, Grass Lawn, English Hill, Bear Creek, downtown / Sammamish River, Overlake and other tech campuses, and the Marymoor edge. If your street is not on that list, we still run Redmond jobs. Call.

How Much Does Large or Hazardous Tree Removal Cost in Redmond?

Most single large-tree residential jobs in Redmond fall between $2,200 and $7,000. Tight access and crane time push old firs and cedars higher. Small ornamentals can be a few hundred dollars; they are not the typical call this page is for.

Redmond Large Tree Removal Cost by Size

Tree size	Height	Typical cost	What we see in Redmond
Medium (not the lead job)	25 to 50 ft	$900 to $2,800	Alder, birch, medium maple, a campus parking-lot tree
Large	50 to 80 ft	$2,200 to $6,500	Education Hill fir or cedar, Idylwood bigleaf maple
Very large / Landmark-scale	80 ft+ or >30" DBH	$6,500 to $12,000+	Old fir or cedar next to the house; exception-request trees
Crane-assisted	Any large tree, no drop zone	Often +$2,000 to $5,000	Common downtown, Overlake campuses, river lots, tight cul-de-sacs
Hazard assessment + declaration	Standing hazard, still up	Arborist report as its own line	Required before most hazard removals; not an emergency surcharge

Costs go up when: the only drop zone is over a roof; the street will not take a chipper; the tree is in PSE lines; the lot is in a critical area (Sammamish River, Bear Creek, Evans Creek, steep slopes); Redmond wants an exception request and replacement planting; or a campus needs after-hours staging and traffic control.

Get a written Redmond estimate. Call (425) 369-8733.

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

Usually yes, if it is a Significant Tree. City of Redmond Development Services (Planner on Call: (425) 556-2494, planneroncall@redmond.gov) limits which trees you can take off a private lot, and how many, under RZC 21.72. The rules change with:

• Diameter at 4.5 feet (Significant vs Landmark)
• Whether the lot is developed neighborhood-residential, commercial / multifamily / industrial, or undeveloped
• Whether the tree is on a Tree Preservation Plan from an old plat
• Whether you are also building
• Whether the tree sits in a designated critical area

Outside of a true emergency, do not assume a tree is “small enough” because it looks like a backyard maple. Measure diameter at 4.5 feet up the trunk. If it is a street tree or in the right-of-way, stop and call Parks / ROW, not a backyard tree permit.

We pull the current Tree Removal Tip Sheet, the right application (Significant Tree Removal, Hazard Tree Declaration, or Tree Exception Request), and file through Plan Review Online (PRO) into Redmond ePermitting Service (REPS). This page is a field guide, not a substitute for the code.

Significant vs Landmark vs Protected

• Significant Tree: about 6 inches DBH and healthy (RZC 21.78 also lets staff treat some 4-inch trees as significant based on age, height, value, or function). Permit required to remove.
• Landmark Tree: greater than 30 inches DBH. Removal needs a Tree Exception Request and an arborist report or other documentation. Replacement is three trees, not one.
• Protected Tree: called out on a Tree Preservation Plan from a land-use approval or subdivision. Same exception path. Common on newer plats and campus sites.
• Hazard Tree: dead, or so affected by a significant structural defect or disease that falling appears imminent, or a tree that currently threatens life or property. Declaration + arborist assessment (or photos if staff agrees) before removal. Hazardous trees do not count toward the annual Significant Tree cap. Replacement still applies.

How Many Significant Trees Can I Take This Year?

Developed neighborhood-residential lots (RZC 21.72.020.B), per the January 2025 tip sheet:

Lot size	Significant Trees per year (with permit)
Up to 10,000 sq. ft.	Up to 2
10,001 to 20,000 sq. ft.	Up to 4
20,001 to 30,000 sq. ft.	Up to 6
30,001 sq. ft. or larger	Up to 8

Exceeding those numbers needs a Tree Exception Request. Developed commercial, multifamily, and industrial lots are capped at no more than five Significant Trees per acre per year, and only for thinning a wooded area that stays wooded, or for maintaining landscaped areas. Campus and Overlake sites live in that column.

New development (including a new house) is a different standard: retain at least 35 percent of Significant Trees, with a Tree Preservation Plan and arborist report.

Eleven or more Significant Trees in one proposal needs a Clear and Grade Permit (Development Engineering, (425) 556-2876), not just the tree form.

Replacement

The tip sheet: each Significant Tree removed requires one replacement tree. Each Landmark Tree removed with exception approval requires three. Replacements should be primarily native to the Pacific Northwest. If you cannot plant on site, the city publishes a replacement-tree fee on its Development Review Fee Schedule — we do not print a dollar amount here because it changes.

Street Trees vs Private Trees

• Private tree: on your lot, behind the sidewalk. RZC 21.72 / Development Services.
• Street tree / ROW: Parks supervision to prune or cut. Right-of-Way Use Permit for work in the public way. Homeowners generally cannot take these down on their own.

Critical Areas

Native Growth Protection Areas/Easements, classified streams and buffers, wetlands and buffers, landslide hazard areas, and floodplains. Sammamish River lots, Bear Creek, Evans Creek, and some steep-slope pockets. Landmark, protected, and critical-area trees cannot be removed or altered unless a certified arborist deems them hazardous, and a Tree Exception Request is in play. For trees in critical areas, the city wants arborist recommendations on mitigation, and the felled wood stays in the critical area or buffer.

Hazard vs Emergency

If the tree is still standing and you want it gone because it is a hazard, that is this page: declaration, assessment, then removal. If it has already failed onto a house, a car, or the only exit, that is Redmond emergency tree service. Redmond still wants retroactive paperwork after a true emergency. We do not use “emergency” as a shortcut for a healthy Landmark fir.

Unincorporated “Redmond” Addresses

Some Novelty Hill / Redmond Ridge addresses people call Redmond are outside city limits. Those lots follow King County clearing rules (K.C.C. 16.82), not RZC 21.72. Imminent hazards may be removed without a clearing permit if you keep before-and-after photos. A non-imminent hazard still needs a certified-arborist write-up and a clearing permit. We check the jurisdiction on the site walk. We do not apply Redmond’s 6-inch / 30-inch rules to a county lot, or the county’s clearing path to a city lot.

How We Remove a Large Tree on a Redmond Lot

• 1. Look at the tree, the house, the wires, the street, and whether you are in city limits or unincorporated King County.
• 2. Say whether this is Significant, Landmark, hazard, protected, critical-area, street/ROW, or an emergency (in which case we send you to the emergency path).
• 3. Write the estimate: climbing/rigging vs crane, chipper access, stump, haul-off, campus or HOA access windows.
• 4. File or help file the PRO / REPS request with a site sketch, photos, and an arborist report when the city wants one. Pay the city’s review fee when it applies. Hazard Tree Declarations are not charged a city fee (January 2025 tip sheet).
• 5. Remove in sections. Protect the fence, the garden, the neighbor’s roof, and campus parked cars.
• 6. Grind the stump if you want it gone the same visit. Plant the replacement tree if the permit requires it. See Redmond stump grinding.

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. For live trees that should stay, see Redmond tree trimming and pruning.

Insurance After a Failure — and Before One

If the tree already hit the house, garage, or a car, that is emergency first: photograph it, call (425) 369-8733, then the insurer. Homeowners policies often cover removal when a structure is damaged, and often do not cover a tree that fell in the yard and hit nothing. A tree on a car is usually auto. A campus or commercial tree is a commercial policy.

If the tree is still standing and you are removing it as a documented hazard, do not assume the insurer will pay to take it down “before it fails.” Many policies do not. We can write the arborist notes. We cannot promise a check.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does large tree removal cost in Redmond?

Most large single-tree jobs are $2,200 to $7,000. Old backyard conifers with crane time run higher. Small ornamentals are less; they are not the typical job on this page.

Do I need a permit?

Usually, for any Significant Tree (about 6 inches DBH). Landmark, protected, and critical-area trees need an exception path. Street trees are Parks / ROW. We check before we cut.

Can I take down three trees this year without asking?

Do not plan on that. Even within the annual cap, a permit is still required for Significant Trees. The cap is 2 to 8 on developed residential lots depending on square footage, and hazardous trees sit on a different form.

What is a Landmark tree?

Greater than 30 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet. Exception request, arborist documentation, three replacement trees.

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 Puget Sound Energy (1-888-225-5773) first. Details: Redmond emergency tree service.

Is stump grinding included?

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

Can you just prune it instead?

Sometimes. Clearance and structural pruning live on Redmond tree trimming. Topping a protected tree is not pruning; Redmond treats topping as removal.

Work With a Redmond Crew That Already Knows the Eastside

MTS Tree and Landscape is based in Sammamish and runs King and Pierce County. Redmond 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 (or county) path is clear. Call (425) 369-8733, email info@nwmts.com, or use the quote form.