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

Washington has heritage tree programs in 18 of 23 verified cities, compared with 12 of 17 in Oregon. Heritage designation typically overrides standard DBH thresholds, so even smaller heritage trees require a removal permit.

Are tree removal permit fees higher in Oregon or Washington?

Across published permit fees, Oregon has a median of $158 (across 2 of 17 verified cities) and Washington has a median of $250 (across 1 of 23). On the published median, Oregon 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 Oregon and Washington?

Oregon documents a replacement obligation in 15 of 17 verified cities; Washington in 16 of 23. Among cities with a numeric ratio, the median is 1:1 in Oregon 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: Oregon vs Washington

A cross-state summary drawn from 17 verifieds Oregon cities and 23 verifieds Washington cities. For city-level detail, see the Oregon ordinance hub or the Washington ordinance hub.

Side-by-side summary

Field	Oregon	Washington
Cities with a heritage tree program	12 of 17	18 of 23
Cities with a replacement ratio	15 of 17 (median 1:1)	16 of 23 (median 1.5:1)
Cities documenting who can apply	17 of 17	12 of 23
Cities publishing processing time	13 of 17	11 of 23
Permit fee (median, where published)	$158 (2 of 17 publish)	$250 (1 of 23 publish)
Cities requiring arborist certification	17 of 17	17 of 23
Cities specifying report sections	17 of 17	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, Oregon or Washington?: Washington has heritage tree programs in 18 of 23 verified cities, compared with 12 of 17 in Oregon. Heritage designation typically overrides standard DBH thresholds, so even smaller heritage trees require a removal permit.
Are tree removal permit fees higher in Oregon or Washington?: Across published permit fees, Oregon has a median of $158 (across 2 of 17 verified cities) and Washington has a median of $250 (across 1 of 23). On the published median, Oregon 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 Oregon and Washington?: Oregon documents a replacement obligation in 15 of 17 verified cities; Washington in 16 of 23. Among cities with a numeric ratio, the median is 1:1 in Oregon and 1.5:1 in Washington. Many cities accept an in-lieu fee per tree when on-site replanting isn't feasible.

Oregon verified cities

+ 9 more Oregon verified cities.

Washington verified cities

+ 15 more Washington verified cities.

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