# Tree Roots in Seattle, WA: Who Pays? | Who Pays the Repair?

> Seattle tree root/sidewalk damage: City street trees make it the City's problem (about 15-20% of sidewalks); private trees and general wear are the owner's, per the City Auditor's 2021 report.

**Who pays:** shared

Seattle: if a City street tree did it, that's the City's roughly-15-to-20%. Everything else, including private trees, is on the owner, though the City admits it never actually enforces that.

**Boundary:** Split by whose tree. The City of Seattle is responsible for sidewalks adjacent to City street trees (along with City property/structures and City-utility-caused damage), about 15-20% of Seattle's 2,300 miles of sidewalk. The remaining 80-85%, including damage from private trees, is primarily the adjacent property owner's.

**Property owner:** Seattle Municipal Code requires adjacent property owners to keep sidewalks in good repair and safe for travel, per the Seattle Office of City Auditor's official 2021 report: "The remaining 80 to 85 percent are primarily the responsibility of the adjacent private property owners."

**City / agency:** Seattle Office of City Auditor (Oct 28, 2021, "Seattle's Sidewalk Maintenance and Repair Program"): "The City is responsible for repairing and maintaining sidewalks adjacent to City property or structures, affected by City utilities, and adjacent to City street trees. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) estimates that the City is responsible for about 15 to 20 percent of Seattle's sidewalks." The same audit notes the state-law enforcement mechanism against owners "has never been used in Seattle."

**Exceptions:** Damage adjacent to a City street tree: City responsibility; Damage from City property, structures, or City utilities: City responsibility

## Sources
- [Seattle Office of City Auditor: "Seattle's Sidewalk Maintenance and Repair Program" (Oct 28, 2021, official audit report)](https://www.seattle.gov/documents/departments/cityauditor/auditreports/sidewalksauditfinalreportrev2.pdf) — "The remaining 80 to 85 percent are primarily the responsibility of the adjacent private property owners." (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Seattle street trees care duty](https://www.seattle.gov/trees/planting-and-care/street-trees) (accessed 2026-08-19)
- [Seattle Office of City Auditor: "Seattle's Sidewalk Maintenance and Repair Program" (Oct 28, 2021, official audit report)](https://www.seattle.gov/documents/departments/cityauditor/auditreports/sidewalksauditfinalreportrev2.pdf) — "Seattle's Sidewalk Maintenance and Repair Program" (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Seattle Office of City Auditor: "Seattle's Sidewalk Maintenance and Repair Program" (Oct 28, 2021, official audit report)](https://www.seattle.gov/documents/departments/cityauditor/auditreports/sidewalksauditfinalreportrev2.pdf) — "The City is responsible for repairing and maintaining sidewalks adjacent to City property or structures, affected by City utilities, and adjacent to City street trees. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) estimates that the City is responsible for about 15 to 20 percent of Seattle's sidewalks." (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [Seattle Office of City Auditor: "Seattle's Sidewalk Maintenance and Repair Program" (Oct 28, 2021, official audit report)](https://www.seattle.gov/documents/departments/cityauditor/auditreports/sidewalksauditfinalreportrev2.pdf) — "has never been used in Seattle." (accessed 2026-09-27)

_Last verified 2026-09-05. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/seattle-wa-tree-roots/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._