Tacoma residents can get a free street tree planted on their block this fall.

Applications for the city's Grit City Trees program opened Monday, July 13, with a deadline of Thursday, September 3.

The program provides trees at no cost to residents and property owners willing to care for them. Trees go in public rights-of-way and planting strips across all Tacoma neighborhoods.

Tacoma has one of the lowest canopy covers in the Puget Sound region at 20%, according to the News Tribune. The city aims to reach 30% by 2030. Since 2016, Grit City Trees has provided over 2,000 trees across the city.

Two ways to apply

This year's application offers two tracks, according to the city's application form. Tree Explorer takes about five to 10 minutes: applicants describe their goals, and urban forestry staff picks the species. Tree Selector takes 10 to 15 minutes: applicants measure their right-of-way, upload a planting plan and photo, and choose from the city's 2026 tree list.

Lisa Kenny, the city's Community Trees Program Coordinator, said the new Tree Explorer option responds to community feedback that the planting-plan requirement was too complicated for some people. After the deadline closes, she plans to visit each Tree Explorer home and document the site herself.

All applicants need a utility locate ticket number, which they can get by calling 811 or submitting a request online. Renters may apply but must coordinate with their property owner.

Who gets priority

If the program can't fulfill every request, preference goes to residents in Priority Planting Areas. These are neighborhoods rated "Moderate," "Low," or "Very Low" on Tacoma's Equity Index, a map built on 34 indicators including income, voter participation, high school graduation rates, current canopy coverage, and urban heat island data.

The program can deliver the first 150 trees for free, prioritizing those priority-area residents. Others will pick up their trees at the city's Plant Holding Facility at the Recycling and Transfer Center.

What to expect after approval

Approved applicants can expect tree delivery in mid-to-late October 2026, with planting assistance scheduled for late October through early November. The city will distribute watering supplies in April 2027. In exchange, participants commit to watering their trees weekly from April through September for the first three years.

In 2025, the city spent approximately $89,000 in General Fund dollars for 698 trees in priority areas and $18,000 from the Surface Water Utility Fund for 337 trees outside those areas, according to the News Tribune. The program distributed over 70 trees to individual applicants last year.

How to apply

Applications are open at tacomaurbanforestry.formstack.com/forms/grit_city_trees_application_2026. Residents unsure of their right-of-way boundaries can check tmap.tacoma.gov. Questions can go to [email protected] or 253-341-1315. The city asks applicants to reach out at least three business days before the deadline, by Tuesday, September 1.

Kenny told the News Tribune that trees hold personal meaning across generations. "I know my first memory of a tree is the tree in my backyard that my grandma was obsessed with — a magnolia," she said. "Now every time I see a magnolia, I think of her."