Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
Sacramento does not require a permit for just any tree in your yard — only for trees that meet the code definition of a "Private Protected Tree." That covers any native Valley Oak, Blue Oak, Interior Live Oak, Coast Live Oak, California Buckeye or California Sycamore at 12 inches DSH or more; any tree at 32 inches DSH or more on a lot with a single-unit or duplex dwelling; any tree at 24 inches DSH or more on an undeveloped lot or one without a single-unit or duplex dwelling; and any tree the City Council has designated. Trees in the street right-of-way, park strip or on city property are City Trees and always need a permit from Urban Forestry.
Size threshold
Sacramento City Code Sec. 12.56.020 defines a "Private protected tree" as: "A. A tree that is designated by city council resolution to have special historical value, special environmental value, or significant community benefit, and is located on private property; B. Any native Valley Oak (Quercus lobata), Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii), Interior Live Oak (Quercus wislizenii), Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), California Buckeye (Aesculus californica), or California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa), that has a DSH of 12 inches or more, and is located on private property; C. A tree that has a DSH of 24 inches or more located on private property that: 1. is an undeveloped lot; or 2. does not include any single unit or duplex dwellings; or D. A tree that has a DSH of 32 inches or more located on private property that includes any single unit or duplex dwellings." DSH means "the diameter of a tree measured at 4.5 feet above natural grade," calculated as circumference divided by 3.14.
What's protected in Sacramento
- Valley Oak (Quercus lobata) at 12 inches DSH or more
- Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) at 12 inches DSH or more
- Interior Live Oak (Quercus wislizenii) at 12 inches DSH or more
- Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) at 12 inches DSH or more
- California Buckeye (Aesculus californica) at 12 inches DSH or more
- California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa) at 12 inches DSH or more
- Any tree at 32 inches DSH or more on a lot with a single-unit or duplex dwelling
- Any tree at 24 inches DSH or more on an undeveloped lot, or a lot without a single-unit or duplex dwelling
- Trees designated by City Council resolution for special historical value, special environmental value, or significant community benefit
- City Trees — any tree whose trunk, measured 4.5 feet above ground, is partially or completely in a city park, on city-owned real property, or in a public right-of-way including any street, road, sidewalk, park strip, mow strip, or alley
How to apply in Sacramento
- 1
Work out whether the tree is a City Tree or a Private Protected Tree. The city says to review the code and call or email 311 if you are uncertain.
- 2
Download the Tree Permit Application from the Urban Forestry tree permits page.
- 3
Fill in applicant and property owner details, tree species and diameter, and the proposed activity (prune, remove, plant, encroach into the tree protection zone, or other), with the reason, and sign the Owner/Agent Statement.
- 4
Attach whatever applies: arborist report, landscape or tree planting plan, tree protection plan, site map, property-owner authorization, tree replacement plan, and proof of CA State License Board compliance.
- 5
Email it to urbanforestry@cityofsacramento.org or mail it to 5730 24th Street, Building 12-A, Sacramento, CA 95822.
- 6
Applications are generally processed within ten business days. An invoice for the $50 fee is mailed afterward. The approved permit must be in hand before work starts.
- 7
To appeal, file written notice with the City Clerk (915 I Street, New City Hall, Sacramento, CA 95814) within 15 days of the Director's decision, with the $298 fee.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- Tree Permit Application form: "APPLICATIONS WILL BE CHARGED A FEE OF $50 TO COVER ARBORIST COSTS / INVOICE WILL BE MAILED TO APPLICANT AFTER PROCESSING." The appeal fee is $298, payable at the time the appeal is submitted. City Code Sec. 12.56.050.A.1 sets the permit fee "in an amount established by resolution of the city council."
- Penalties
- Sacramento City Code Sec. 12.56.090: "A. In addition to any other remedy allowed by law, any person who violates any provision of this chapter is subject to criminal sanctions, civil actions, and administrative penalties under chapter 1.28. B. Violations of this chapter are a public nuisance. C. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter is liable for civil penalties of not less than $250 or more than $25,000 for each day the violation continues."
- Ordinance
- Sacramento City Code Title 12, Chapter 12.56 — Trees, added by Ordinance No. 2016-0026, adopted August 4, 2016, effective September 3, 2016. That ordinance deleted the old Chapters 12.60 and 12.64, which is why the term "Heritage Tree" no longer appears. Key sections: 12.56.020 definitions, 12.56.050 tree permits, 12.56.060 replacement plans, 12.56.070 appeals, 12.56.080 maintenance responsibility, 12.56.090 violations.
Worth knowing
- Routine maintenance is exempt from the permit. The code defines it as "minor pruning; irrigation; mulch application, mowing or trimming grass or other ground cover close to a tree; application of fertilizer, insecticides, or herbicides in accordance with their label; or any other similar acts that promote the life, growth, or health of trees." Minor pruning means removing dead branches, or cutting roots or branches under two inches in diameter at the cut, up to a cumulative 10% of root system and crown combined in any twelve-month period.
- Approval is discretionary. Under Sec. 12.56.050.B.1 the Director must find that the tree must be removed to make a permitted use of the property; or that disease, danger of falling, or utility interference means public health, safety or welfare requires removal; or that the tree or its roots are causing or threatening damage to a main structure with no reasonable alternative. Root cutting, canopy trimming and root barriers all count as reasonable alternatives; altering the main structure expressly does not.
- A tree replacement plan generally has to be approved before a removal permit issues, though the Director may waive replacement for hazard-based and structural-damage removals.
- You cannot trim a city street tree without a permit either. A city arborist evaluates the request first. The city generally removes city trees only for public safety, but a private party can pay to remove one for other reasons with a permit and a replacement.
- The city does not inspect or maintain trees on private property. A city arborist inspects private protected trees only when a pruning or removal permit request comes in.
- Parking lots carry a separate obligation: City Code 17.612.040 requires trees be planted and maintained to provide a minimum of 50% shade over a parking lot.
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 Chapter 12.56 has been amended since the 2016 adopting ordinance. Municode returned 403 and the city's code link redirects to a Cloudflare-protected host, so the verbatim text here comes from the city-published adopting ordinance PDF cross-checked against current city pages.
- — Whether the $50 application fee is still current. It appears on a permit application form whose filename dates to 2017, and we could not locate the governing City Council fee resolution.
- — A direct dial phone number for Urban Forestry. The city publishes only 311.
- — Whether the $298 appeal fee applies to permit-decision appeals as well as to city-tree removal notices.
Sources
- City of Sacramento — Tree Permits and Ordinances (Urban Forestry)
- Ordinance No. 2016-0026 — Sacramento City Code Chapter 12.56, Trees (PDF, city-hosted)
- City of Sacramento — Tree Permit Application (PDF)
- City of Sacramento — Tree Questions (Urban Forestry FAQ)
- City of Sacramento — Tree Removal Permits and notices