Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
In Fresno the answer turns on what kind of lot you own. On a developed single-family lot, the Citywide Development Code exempts your trees from the removal permit requirement, with three carve-outs: designated Heritage Trees, parkway and public right-of-way trees, and any tree required as a condition of a development approval or building permit. On every other kind of private property, any tree 12 inches or more in diameter, or 38 inches or more in circumference measured four feet above grade, is a Protected Tree and needs a Tree Removal Permit from the Planning and Development Department. The street tree in front of your house belongs to the city and is handled separately by Public Works.
Size threshold
Fresno Municipal Code Sec. 15-2308-C.2(c): "Any tree which measures 12 inches or greater in diameter or 38 inches or greater in circumference, measured four feet above the adjacent grade, except for developed single-unit residential properties." Sec. 15-2308-C.2(b) applies the same numbers to multi-trunk trees with at least one qualifying trunk.
What's protected in Fresno
- Heritage Trees
- Any tree 12 inches or greater in diameter (38 inches circumference) at four feet above grade, except on developed single-unit residential property
- Multi-trunk trees with at least one trunk at that size, except on developed single-unit residential property
- Parkway trees and any trees located on public property
- Any tree required to be planted or retained as a condition of approval of a development application or a Building Permit
- Trees required or memorialized under a Development Permit
How to apply in Fresno
- 1
File an application with the Planning and Development (DARM) Department with a written explanation of why the tree should be removed.
- 2
Include a tree survey plan showing the number, location, species, and size measured four feet above grade of each tree (required for all properties except developed single-unit residential), photographs of the trees, an arborist report, and the signature of the property owner plus HOA approval where applicable.
- 3
Include a replanting plan. Replacement counts are set by Table 15-2308-E-4: two 24-inch box trees for a 12 to 24 inch diameter tree, three 36-inch box trees above 24 inches, and four 48-inch box trees for a Heritage Tree. An in-lieu fee based on fair market value may be paid instead, before the permit issues.
- 4
Pay the permit fee where one applies.
- 5
The Director renders a decision within ten business days of a complete application. The decision is mailed to the applicant and to all owners of record within 300 feet, and the site is posted with a sign for at least ten calendar days stating the decision, the appeal period, and how to appeal.
- 6
Keep the approved permit on site at all times before and during removal. Appeals go in writing to the City Clerk within 10 days. An unused permit is void after one year.
- 7
For a street or parkway tree instead, complete the Public Works Street Tree Removal and Pruning Permit, mail or email it to the Landscape Division Forestry section, and send the $295 per-tree check.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- City of Fresno Master Fee Schedule, Land Use and Zoning, effective 07/01/2026: "Tree Removal Permit - fee not required for Single Family Homes $234.26." For a street tree, the Public Works permit form (rev. 07/2025) states a "Tree Removal Permit fee of $295.00 per tree removal... this Permit Fee does not cover the cost of removal and is only for the permit. This fee is refundable once a new tree has been planted by the property owner and is inspected by the City."
- Penalties
- FMC Sec. 15-2308-I: anyone who removes a Protected Tree in violation of the article must apply for and obtain a Tree Removal Permit and pay a double application fee, replace the trees with reasonably equivalent value and the largest size feasible per Table 15-2308-E-4, pay the licensed arborist's fees, and "Pay a civil penalty to the City, with the funds placed in the City's tree planting fund, in the amount of $2,500 or the actual monetary value of the tree(s), as determined by a licensed arborist, whichever is less." FMC Sec. 13-311 imposes a parallel double-fee and replacement requirement for street trees.
- Ordinance
- Fresno Municipal Code Chapter 15 (Citywide Development Code), Part III, Article 23 (Landscape), Sec. 15-2308 — Trees (added by Ord. 2015-39 eff. 1-9-16; amended by Ord. 2025-024 eff. 7-27-25). Street trees: FMC Chapter 13, Article 3 — Street Trees and Parkways, Secs. 13-301 through 13-311. Code current through Ordinance No. 2026-002, effective February 19, 2026.
Worth knowing
- Trimming is treated differently from removal. FMC Sec. 15-2308-C.1: "Trimming of a Protected Tree is allowed without such a permit."
- Several categories can be removed with no permit at all: emergencies, trees declared a public nuisance, trees undermining public utilities, any fruit tree, and all trees of the genus Myrtaceae (eucalyptus).
- Street tree responsibility is split in Fresno. The city plants, prunes and removes street trees, but FMC Sec. 13-305(c) makes every property owner or occupant "responsible for the normal care, including watering, of trees in such property owner's abutting parkway, front yard or side yard setback, or in any public tree easement."
- The city removes a street tree at its own cost only where its licensed arborists find the tree dead or an immediate safety issue. A healthy but unwanted street tree can be removed at the owner's expense with a permit, or the owner can pay an in-lieu fee into the Tree Trust Fund under FMC Sec. 13-310.
- Homeowners may trim street tree limbs reachable from the ground without a ladder or chainsaw, using pole pruners and loppers. Roots more than four feet from the trunk, or roots that enter private property, may be removed without a permit.
- For street trees, contact the Public Works Landscape Maintenance Division Forestry section at Forestry@fresno.gov, (559) 621-CITY (2489), 2101 G Street, Building A, Fresno, CA 93706.
- Two conflicts in the city's own materials are worth knowing. The Public Works street tree permit form states "These items do not require City approval if done on private property," which is true for the street tree program but wrong for a large tree on a commercial, multifamily, or industrial parcel under FMC 15-2308. And Table 15-2308-G still lists Quercus (oaks), Cedrus (cedars), Fraxinus (ash) and Sequoia (redwoods) at 12 inches in RS Districts as needing Director review, even though the body text of the same section exempts developed single-unit residential property. If you have a 12-inch-plus oak, cedar, ash or redwood on a single-family lot, call Planning first.
What we could not confirm
We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.
- — Whether the city has published any interpretation resolving the conflict between the single-family exemption in FMC 15-2308-C.3.f and the RS District species row in Table 15-2308-G.
- — The city's list of designated Heritage Trees, and the Special Tree List of street trees called for by FMC Sec. 13-306. Neither document could be located.
- — A dedicated web page or downloadable application form for the private-property Tree Removal Permit, and an email address for the Planning and Development Department.
- — Whether the $234.26 Planning fee is charged per application or per tree.
- — Whether Article 63 (Enforcement) of the Citywide Development Code adds fines beyond the $2,500 civil penalty.
Sources
- Fresno Municipal Code Sec. 15-2308 — Trees (Citywide Development Code, Article 23 Landscape)
- Fresno Municipal Code Chapter 13, Article 3 — Street Trees and Parkways
- City of Fresno Public Works — Streets and Landscape Maintenance (street trees and forestry)
- City of Fresno — Street Tree Removal and Pruning Permit (PDF, rev. 07/2025)
- City of Fresno Planning — Applications, Forms, Fees