Portland waives some permit fees for properties damaged by trees

Portland Parks & Recreation announced Tuesday that its Urban Forestry Department is waiving fees for tree removal and replanting applications for properties damaged by fallen branches and trees during winter storms earlier this month.

“This fee waiver is in direct response to the recent extreme weather event and the Mayor’s emergency declaration,” bureau staff said in a press release. “Tree permit application fee requirements may be adjusted on a case-by-case basis for future weather events.”

Portland’s tree removal requirements and permit fees came under fire in the wake of the storms, particularly when one family’s home was destroyed by a tree.

Sarah and Joel Bond's home was unlivable after a huge Douglas fir tree they'd been denied permission to remove came down on it in the January storm. The family and neighbors were home, but no one was injured.
*Courtesy Sarah Bond*

Joel Bond told OPB’s “Think Out Loud” last week that the huge Douglas fir had been leaning toward his house, and he and his wife had applied to get it removed in 2021.

“The person who came out said that it had to be diseased, dead or dangerous. I thought we qualified as dangerous because it was leaning,” Bond said.

But the permit was denied. The tree fell on the house on Jan. 15.

The city’s fee waiver applies retroactively to tree damage that happened on or after Jan. 12, and applications will be accepted until Feb. 23.

Portland Parks & Recreation spokesperson Mark Ross said the action was designed to remove the financial and deadline hardships for people whose homes and businesses were damaged.

Property owners can email the city’s Urban Forestry Department or call 503-823-TREE (8733) for more information.

Mayor Ted Wheeler declared a weather emergency in Portland from Jan. 12 through Jan. 16.