Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
Los Angeles does not require a city permit to cut down an ordinary, non-native tree on your own private property. What it regulates is six specific Southern California native species: if your tree or shrub is an oak, Southern California black walnut, western sycamore, California bay, Mexican elderberry, or toyon and measures four or more cumulative inches in diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground, you need a Protected Tree permit from the Board of Public Works first, and the fees run into the thousands of dollars. Anything growing in the parkway strip is a street tree and always needs a separate StreetsLA permit regardless of species.
Size threshold
LAMC Sec. 46.01: "any of the following Southern California indigenous tree species, which measures four inches or more in cumulative diameter, four and one-half feet above the ground level at the base of the tree." The city's own 2024 photographic guide restates it as "at least 4 cumulative inches in trunk diameter when measured at standard height of 4.5 feet from ground level at the base of the tree."
What's protected in Los Angeles
- Oak, including Valley Oak (Quercus lobata) and California Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), or any other tree of the oak genus indigenous to California, but excluding Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia)
- Southern California Black Walnut (Juglans californica)
- Western Sycamore (Platanus racemosa)
- California Bay (Umbellularia californica) — printed in the code as "Umellularia californica"
- Mexican Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) — protected shrub, added 2021
- Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) — protected shrub, added 2021
- Street trees and any tree in the public right-of-way (separate StreetsLA permit)
- Trees designated a Historical Monument or located in a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (removal allowed only if the tree is in danger of falling)
How to apply in Los Angeles
- 1
Confirm whether your tree is one of the six protected species and measures four or more cumulative inches in diameter at 4.5 feet. The city publishes a photographic identification guide.
- 2
Hire a "Tree Expert" as defined by Ord. No. 186,873 — an ISA Certified Arborist who also holds a California agricultural pest control adviser license, an ISA Certified Arborist who is a licensed landscape architect, or an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist — and have them prepare the required report.
- 3
Submit the application through the city permit portal linked from the StreetsLA protected-tree page, with a plot plan numbering every protected tree or shrub and identifying which are to be retained, relocated, or removed. If grading is proposed, attach the grading permit plan.
- 4
Pay the application and inspection fees.
- 5
Urban Forestry Division inspects the location and communicates findings. If three or more trees are involved, a report goes to the Board of Public Works; if more than two are to be replaced, the permit gets a full public hearing at the Board.
- 6
If approved, plant the required replacement trees. If denied, you have 10 days from the mailing of the denial to appeal to the Board, which must hear it within 30 days.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- LAMC Sec. 46.04: a nonrefundable permit application fee of $805.99, plus a nonrefundable inspection fee of $2,892.48 for one or two protected trees or shrubs; $5,139.16 for three to five; $5,982.58 for six to ten; and $5,982.58 plus $1,070.76 for each additional set of up to five above ten.
- Penalties
- LAMC Sec. 46.03(b) makes it a misdemeanor to violate any condition of a protected-tree permit. Under LAMC Sec. 11.00, a misdemeanor carries a fine of up to $1,000 or up to six months in County Jail or both, each day is a separate offense, and continuing violations carry a maximum civil penalty of $2,500 per offense. Under LAMC Sec. 46.06 the Bureau of Street Services can ask the Superintendent of Building to withhold building permits on the property for up to ten years and revoke permits where construction has not started.
- Ordinance
- Los Angeles Municipal Code, Chapter IV, Article 6, Secs. 46.00–46.06 — Preservation of Protected Trees. Added by Ord. No. 153,478 (1980); species protections established by Ord. No. 177,404 (eff. 4/23/06); shrubs added and definitions amended by Ord. No. 186,873 (eff. 2/4/21); fees amended by Ord. No. 187,205 (eff. 11/5/21).
Worth knowing
- "Removal" is defined broadly. LAMC Sec. 46.00 includes "any act that will cause a protected tree or shrub to die, including... acts that inflict damage upon the root system or other part of the tree or shrub by fire, application of toxic substances, operation of equipment or machinery, or by changing the natural grade of land by excavation or filling the drip line area around the trunk."
- Replacement is a standard condition: at least four specimens of a protected variety per tree removed, each 15-gallon or larger, at least one inch in diameter one foot above the base and at least 7 feet tall. Trees must be replaced with trees and shrubs with shrubs.
- The Board can only grant a removal permit on three findings: the tree prevents reasonable development of the property, it shows substantial decline from normal health and vigor and restoration is not advisable, or it is in danger of falling.
- Street tree pruning also requires a permit from Urban Forestry. Root pruning and tree planting permits are issued at no fee.
- All sewer lateral repair and any associated tree costs, including root pruning and tree removal, are entirely at the property owner's expense.
- The city's 2018 tree removal application form prints a direct Urban Forestry line of 213-847-3077. It is not repeated on current pages, so try 311 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 any current Los Angeles ordinance creates a "Heritage Tree" category. It does not appear in the municipal code or in the city's own 2024 protected-species guide, and several commercial sites claim otherwise, so we are not repeating it.
- — Whether the dollar amounts in LAMC Sec. 46.04 have been administratively adjusted since Ord. No. 187,205 took effect in 2021.
- — Stated processing times and any public-posting period for applications covering three or more trees.
- — Whether additional approvals apply in the Coastal Zone or in specific plan areas beyond the Historic Preservation Overlay Zone restriction already noted.
- — Whether the 213-847-3077 Urban Forestry direct line is still answered.
Sources
- StreetsLA — Private Property Native/Protected Tree Removal Permits
- Los Angeles Municipal Code Sec. 46.01 — Definition of Protected Tree or Shrub
- Los Angeles Municipal Code Sec. 46.04 — Fees
- Los Angeles Municipal Code Sec. 46.02 — Requirements for Public Works Permits
- StreetsLA — Photographic Guide to the City of Los Angeles Protected Trees and Shrubs (Sept 2024)