Which state has more cities with heritage tree programs, Colorado or Washington?

Washington has heritage tree programs in 18 of 23 verified cities, compared with 13 of 14 in Colorado. Heritage designation typically overrides standard DBH thresholds, so even smaller heritage trees require a removal permit.

Are tree removal permit fees higher in Colorado or Washington?

Across published permit fees, Colorado has a median of $50 (across 1 of 14 verified cities) and Washington has a median of $250 (across 1 of 23). On the published median, Colorado is the cheaper jurisdiction — but city-by-city variance is wide, so always check the specific city before filing.

How do tree replacement obligations compare between Colorado and Washington?

Colorado documents a replacement obligation in 13 of 14 verified cities; Washington in 16 of 23. Among cities with a numeric ratio, the median is 1:1 in Colorado and 1.5:1 in Washington. Many cities accept an in-lieu fee per tree when on-site replanting isn't feasible.

Tree removal permit rules: Colorado vs Washington

A cross-state summary drawn from 14 verifieds Colorado cities and 23 verifieds Washington cities. For city-level detail, see the Colorado ordinance hub or the Washington ordinance hub.

Side-by-side summary

Field	Colorado	Washington
Cities with a heritage tree program	13 of 14	18 of 23
Cities with a replacement ratio	13 of 14 (median 1:1)	16 of 23 (median 1.5:1)
Cities documenting who can apply	12 of 14	12 of 23
Cities publishing processing time	12 of 14	11 of 23
Permit fee (median, where published)	$50 (1 of 14 publish)	$250 (1 of 23 publish)
Cities requiring arborist certification	13 of 14	17 of 23
Cities specifying report sections	12 of 14	16 of 23

Counts are over verified cities only — cities awaiting verification or with sparse ordinance text don't contribute to these summaries.

How the two states compare

Which state has more cities with heritage tree programs, Colorado or Washington?: Washington has heritage tree programs in 18 of 23 verified cities, compared with 13 of 14 in Colorado. Heritage designation typically overrides standard DBH thresholds, so even smaller heritage trees require a removal permit.
Are tree removal permit fees higher in Colorado or Washington?: Across published permit fees, Colorado has a median of $50 (across 1 of 14 verified cities) and Washington has a median of $250 (across 1 of 23). On the published median, Colorado is the cheaper jurisdiction — but city-by-city variance is wide, so always check the specific city before filing.
How do tree replacement obligations compare between Colorado and Washington?: Colorado documents a replacement obligation in 13 of 14 verified cities; Washington in 16 of 23. Among cities with a numeric ratio, the median is 1:1 in Colorado and 1.5:1 in Washington. Many cities accept an in-lieu fee per tree when on-site replanting isn't feasible.

Colorado verified cities

+ 6 more Colorado verified cities.

Washington verified cities

+ 15 more Washington verified cities.

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