Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
Oakland's Tree Protection Ordinance reaches private property directly, and the thresholds are low. On any property, a Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) measuring 4 inches diameter at breast height or larger is a protected tree, as is any other species at 9 inches dbh or larger — so most mature yard trees need a removal permit from the city's Tree Services Division. Eucalyptus and Monterey Pine are the notable exclusions, though Monterey Pine removals still require written notice to the city and public posting. Below those diameters, no permit is needed.
Size threshold
Oakland Municipal Code Sec. 12.36.020: "'Protected tree' means a protected tree for the purpose of this chapter is the following: 1. On any property, Quercus agrifolia (California or Coast Live Oak) measuring four inches dbh or larger, and any other tree measuring nine inches dbh or larger except Eucalyptus and Pinus radiata (Monterey Pine)." The same section defines dbh as "trunk diameter measured at four and one-half feet above the ground. For multistemmed trees, a permit is required if the diameter of all individual trunks when added together, equals or exceeds the minimum size stipulated for the species." The code's field conversion table gives 4 inches diameter = 12 inches circumference and 9 inches diameter = 28 inches circumference.
What's protected in Oakland
- Quercus agrifolia (California or Coast Live Oak) at 4 inches dbh or larger, on any property
- Any other tree species at 9 inches dbh or larger, on any property, except Eucalyptus and Pinus radiata (Monterey Pine)
- Pinus radiata (Monterey Pine) — protected only on city property, and in development-related situations where more than five per acre are proposed for removal
- Street trees in the public right-of-way, governed separately by OMC Chapter 12.32
How to apply in Oakland
- 1
Call (510) 615-5934 for an appointment at the Tree Division, Bldg 4, 7101 Edgewater Drive.
- 2
Optionally request a pre-application design conference in writing before you apply.
- 3
File the Tree Removal Permit Application (Non-Development Related) listing quantity, species and diameter of each tree and the reason for removal. Attach a hand-drawn sketch, site or landscape plan, or photographs showing the number and location of the trees, plus a site plan showing the location, species and dbh of every protected tree proposed for removal, and written certification that you have read and will comply with Chapter 12.36.
- 4
Pay the non-refundable application fee.
- 5
Collect tree tags and summary notices from staff. Within two days of applying, post one tag on each protected tree in plain view of the street, and post summary notices in clear public view from all street frontages. Leave them up until the permit is issued or denied.
- 6
The Tree Reviewer tells you within four working days whether the application is complete (if you hear nothing, it is deemed complete). CEQA review happens within five working days, and the city notifies neighboring occupants and owners within ten working days of application.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- City of Oakland Master Fee Schedule, Fiscal Year 2024-25, effective July 1, 2024, Public Works — Tree Services Division: non-development tree permit (1-10 trees) $580.71; non-development tree permit (11-100 trees) $580.71 plus $10.00 per tree; development tree permit (1-10 trees to be reviewed for removal) $580.71; development tree permit (11-100 trees) $580.71 plus $10.00 per tree over 10; development tree permit (over 100 trees) $580.71 plus $149.36 per hour; appeal of a non-development tree removal permit $1,139.03.
- Penalties
- Oakland Municipal Code Sec. 12.36.150: "A. Except in compliance with the terms of this chapter, no person shall remove, damage, or endanger any protected tree in the city. B. Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of an infraction. D. A violation shall be liable for all costs associated with the investigation and enforcement of this chapter by the city. E. In addition, a violator shall be required to provide replacement trees and/or fees, but not to exceed the value of the tree or trees legally removed or damaged, as evaluated by the formula developed by the International Society of Arboriculture. F. An applicant or property owner who fails to comply with the provisions of this chapter... shall not receive a certificate of occupancy from the city for any project wherein such noncompliance and/or violations have occurred until such time as the provisions of this chapter have been fully satisfied." Enforcement costs and replacement plantings can become a lien on the property.
- Ordinance
- Oakland Municipal Code Title 12 (Streets, Sidewalks and Public Places), Chapter 12.36 — Protected Trees, which the city's own application form calls the Tree Preservation Ordinance. Street trees are governed by OMC Chapter 12.32 — Street Trees and Shrubs, notably Sec. 12.32.060. Code current through Ordinance No. 13870, passed December 16, 2025.
Worth knowing
- "Tree removal" is defined broadly and includes topping: "the destruction of any tree by cutting, regrading, girdling, interfering with the water supply, or applying chemicals, or distortion of the tree's visual proportions by topping," where topping means eliminating the upper 25 percent or more of a tree's trunks or main leaders. Heavy topping of a protected tree therefore needs a permit too.
- Even though Monterey Pine is generally not protected on private property, OMC Secs. 12.36.070A and 12.36.080A still require public posting and written notice to the city before removal.
- Emergencies are covered: the Director of Parks and Recreation or Director of Public Works may waive the permit where a protected tree is "in so dangerous a condition as to pose an immediate threat to safety or property," but the removal must be reported to the city on the first business day after.
- Permits are valid one year, extendable once by one year, never beyond two years. Transfers and extensions carry separate fees.
- Street trees are a separate chapter. OMC Sec. 12.32.060 makes it unlawful "to make any tree or shrub improvement, or to destroy, deface or mutilate any tree or shrub in and along any public street... without having first obtained a written permit therefor from the Director of Parks and Recreation." Those permits expire 60 days after issue.
- The code text still names the Office of Parks and Recreation and a "Tree Reviewer," while the current fee schedule puts Tree Services under Public Works. The Tree Division phone above is the working contact.
- The city's 2021 application form lists an older fee of $503.53; the FY 2024-25 Master Fee Schedule figure of $580.71 is the later published amount.
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.
- — An email address for the Tree Services Division.
- — The current oaklandca.gov page URL for the tree removal permit service. The city website blocks automated access, so we could not confirm the live page address.
- — Whether a Master Fee Schedule newer than the one effective July 1, 2024 is now in force, so the $580.71 figure may have been adjusted.
- — Whether the city now accepts online submission. The only city-published form we found is the paper application revised 8/10/2021 requiring an in-person appointment.
- — The Bureau of Planning's specific role and contact for development-related tree permits.
Sources
- Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 12.36 — Protected Trees
- Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 12.32 — Street Trees and Shrubs
- City of Oakland — Tree Removal Permit Application, Non-Development Related (revised 8/10/2021)
- City of Oakland Master Fee Schedule, Fiscal Year 2024-25 Adopted (Public Works — Tree Services Division)