Thursday, October 1, 2026
The City of Tumwater is seeking a consultant to help update multiple sections of its municipal code that deals with urban forestry.
Associate Planner Dana Bowers made the disclosure at a meeting of the Tumwater Tree Board on Monday, Jan. 12.
The work would update chapters of the municipal code dealing with street trees (TMC 12.24), protection of trees and vegetation (TMC 16.08) and landscaping (TMC 18.47).
The search indicates the city’s intent to restart a long-delayed project that began in 2021, when Tumwater adopted its Urban Forestry Management Plan.
Progress on the updates have stalled since 2023, as the city has been waiting for clarity on the Washinton Wildland-Urban Interface Code, which aims to reduce wildfire risks to people and property. Implementation of the interface code has been delayed.
Bowers said though staff are still waiting for the status of state code, the city has decided to move forward with the updates and modify it later on should there be any conflicts.
“We're not waiting anymore,” Bowers said. “We need to start and do this project, and then if the code does something that contradicts, we will do an update.”
According to a request for proposals published by the city on Jan. 7, the consultant would be responsible for producing three versions of the updates.
The first version would compile all internal edits to ensure the updated codes are consistent with one another and aligned with existing city plans. The second version deals with testing scenarios to evaluate potential impacts of implementing the updated codes. The final version would be a version of the updated codes ready for adoption.
Firms have until Jan. 21 to submit proposals for the work. Afterward, Bowers said it could take as long as three months before the city selects and signs with a consultant.
She added the city would hold a joint work session with the tree board and planning commission in April or May to review draft updates. The initial review would focus on how the codes interact with one another and how they align with the city’s comprehensive plan.
In June, the two bodies would join city officials on a field tour to test how the proposed regulations would apply in real-world development scenarios.
The city aims to complete the update process and bring the revised codes to the city council for adoption by November.
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Taxpayer
I hope the Tumwater Tree Board reviews and adopts new regulations for "street trees" with an eye towards the elimination of street tree regulations that require trees to be planted in proximity to sidewalks that where the roots eventually lift sidewalks.
I see recently along Tumwater Blvd. that "we the taxpayer" had to remove all the trees that "we the taxpayer" paid to plant along with the replacement of all the sidewalks.
The city requires developers to plant trees along sidewalks only then to pass the repair costs onto the homeowner associations. This is not only unfair but insanity
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