Redmond Summit Tree Service clears lots, brush and trees for building sites, ADUs, additions, driveways, fire-safe clearance, and overgrown acreage in Redmond and the rural edges around Union Hill and Novelty Hill. Clearing in Redmond is as much about the rules as the machines: the city regulates how many trees come out and which ones must stay.
Land Clearing Services
- Lot clearing for construction: trees, stumps and brush removed from the building footprint, driveway and utility corridors.
- ADU and addition clearing: smaller, careful clearing around existing homes and protected trees.
- Brush and blackberry removal: Himalayan blackberry, Scotch broom, English ivy and holly.
- Selective thinning: removing smaller, crowded or unhealthy trees so the best trees get light and wind-firmness.
- Stump grinding and root removal in cleared areas (stump grinding).
- Debris processing: chipping on site, hauling, or leaving chips for erosion control.
Redmond’s Clearing Rules in Short
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Removing significant trees (6”+ DBH) on a developed lot | Tree Removal Permit, yearly limits by lot size |
| Removing 11 or more significant trees | Clear and Grade Permit |
| New development (including a new single-family house) | Keep at least 35% of significant trees, tree preservation plan + arborist report, protection fencing during construction |
| Commercial / multifamily lots | Up to 5 significant trees per acre per year for thinning or landscape maintenance |
| Wetlands, streams and buffers | Critical areas: trees generally cannot be removed |
| Unincorporated King County (Redmond Ridge, Novelty Hill) | King County rules apply |
Redmond is rewriting these rules for 2027 to fit middle housing and infill development, so check the latest on our tree code update page.
Protecting the Trees That Stay
On a build site, the retained trees are the ones that cause trouble later if they’re damaged. Good clearing:
- Fences off the root zone of retained trees before machines arrive.
- Avoids grading, trenching or parking equipment under their canopies.
- Thins carefully around them, because trees that suddenly lose their neighbours are exposed to wind they never had.
That last point matters in Redmond: many storm-thrown firs are “edge trees” left standing alone after a lot was cleared around them.
Clearing Process
- Walk the site with your plans: footprint, access, utilities, retained trees.
- Confirm permits (city or King County) and, for construction, the arborist report.
- Mark trees to remove and trees to protect; install protection fencing.
- Fell, chip, haul; grind stumps in the footprint.
- Leave the site ready for your builder, with chips spread for erosion control if needed.
Related Services in Redmond
Questions We Hear
Do I need a permit to clear land in Redmond?
Often, yes. Removing significant trees needs a Tree Removal Permit, and removing 11 or more significant trees requires a Clear and Grade Permit (Redmond Development Engineering: 425-556-2876). New development must retain at least 35% of significant trees and submit a tree preservation plan with an arborist report. Brush and blackberry removal alone generally doesn't need a tree permit.
What about clearing in Redmond Ridge, Union Hill or Novelty Hill?
Those areas are unincorporated King County, so King County's clearing and grading rules apply instead of the city's. Rural parcels may also have critical areas and forest practice rules to consider.
How do you deal with Himalayan blackberry?
We cut and mulch the canes, then remove or grind the root crowns. Blackberry resprouts from roots, so follow-up cutting or replanting with dense native plants is needed to keep it from coming back.