Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
San Diego's tree ordinance and its tree-protection policy both regulate trees in the public right-of-way and on city land, not ordinary trees in your yard, and we found no citywide permit requirement for an ordinary private-property tree. Three things change that answer: the tree in the parkway strip is a street tree and needs a permit even though you maintain it; a prior owner may have voluntarily recorded protected status on a specific tree; and if your parcel is in the Coastal Overlay Zone or contains Environmentally Sensitive Lands, removing vegetation can require a development or coastal permit. Note that the city has not published an affirmative "no permit needed" statement for private trees, so this is a reading of the code rather than a city declaration.
What's protected in San Diego
- Landmark Tree — "unusual or have a very high aesthetic quality" (Council Policy 900-19)
- Heritage Tree — "50 years or older or have a connection to some historic event, building, district or were planted by a historically significant individual"
- Parkway Resource Tree — planted groups in public rights-of-way, public parking lots or trails with a consistent design theme
- Preservation Grove — at least six naturally occurring trees within a quarter-acre in public right-of-way, open space, designated Environmentally Sensitive Lands or parkland
- Street trees in the public right-of-way (SDMC Sec. 62.0604)
- Trees on private land restricted by a dedicated open space easement, or voluntarily designated by the owner via deed restriction
How to apply in San Diego
- 1
For a street or parkway tree, submit the request through the city's Get It Done system at sandiego.gov/get-it-done, choosing Tree Maintenance.
- 2
City staff inspect. Homeowners may then receive a no-fee permit for trimming, removal, planting, or root pruning.
- 3
Removal requests are evaluated under Council Policy 200-05: only dead trees or trees deemed an immediate safety issue are removed promptly; all others are evaluated for preservation or removal.
- 4
For questions or to apply directly for the No Fee Street Tree Permit, contact the Arborist at (619) 527-8037 or TreePermit@sandiego.gov.
- 5
Under Council Policy 900-19, removal permit requests are circulated to Community Planning Groups, the Community Forest Advisory Board, and Council offices, who have a 30-day period to request an extension of time.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- Street tree permits are free. The city's form is titled "NO FEE STREET TREE PERMIT APPLICATION," and Council Policy 200-05 states a no-fee permit to remove a street tree at private expense is issued if the fronting property owner requests it and the tree is not part of a uniform street tree planting or a significant neighborhood asset.
- Penalties
- Council Policy 900-19, Section D: "For protected trees, fines in the amount of 300% (or up to the maximum amount allowed currently under municipal code) of the assessed value of the tree will be levied for anyone found responsible for intentionally removing trees without permit or causing fatal damage to any tree found in the public street rights-of-way. The assessed value will be determined by the City of San Diego Urban Forester." The same penalty applies to topping, excessive pruning, or permanent disfigurement of protected trees in the right-of-way.
- Ordinance
- San Diego Municipal Code Chapter 6, Article 2, Division 6 — Street Planting (Secs. 62.0600–62.0616), notably Sec. 62.0604. Policy layer: City Council Policy 900-19 (Public Tree Protection, adopted by Resolution R-300523, eff. 6/13/2005) and Council Policy 200-05 (Planting of Trees on City Streets). Overlays that can reach private property: SDMC Ch. 14, Art. 3, Div. 1 (Environmentally Sensitive Lands) and SDMC Ch. 12, Art. 6, Div. 7 (Coastal Development Permit Procedures).
Worth knowing
- The street tree rule is broad. SDMC Sec. 62.0604 forbids removing, destroying, breaking, cutting, trimming, defacing, or in any other way injuring or interfering with any tree in a street or public highway without a permit, and a permit is void 30 days after issuance.
- If a street tree is removed for the property owner's benefit or convenience, the owner pays the cost.
- The city warns it can take up to 48 months from the determination date to remove a city tree and complete permanent concrete repairs.
- Protected status on private land is essentially opt-in: a private tree becomes protected only if the owner nominates it (using the Conserve a Tree Nomination Form) or the land carries a dedicated open space or conservation easement. Once protected, no removal permit issues unless a clear, imminent and significant public safety hazard exists, or the applicant pays 100% of the tree's assessed value.
- In the Coastal Overlay Zone, SDMC Sec. 126.0704 expressly declines to exempt "any significant alteration of land forms including removal or placement of vegetation, on a beach, wetland or sand dune, or within 100 feet of the edge of a coastal bluff."
- Brush management for defensible space is largely exempt from the Environmentally Sensitive Lands permit, but properties in or next to the Multiple Habitat Planning Area have habitat restrictions. Community Risk Reduction: (619) 533-4388.
- For development-related questions, the Development Services Department is at 619-446-5000, 7650 Mission Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92108.
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.
- — We could not find any city page that affirmatively states no permit is required to remove an ordinary tree on private property. Our answer is drawn from the scope of the ordinance and policies, not from a published city statement, so call before you cut.
- — Whether the code definition of "development" is broad enough that removing a single tree, with no other construction, by itself triggers an Environmentally Sensitive Lands or Coastal Development Permit.
- — Whether any Planned District Ordinance (SDMC Chapter 15) separately regulates private tree removal in neighborhoods such as La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, or Old Town.
- — Whether the Historical Resources Regulations protect trees or landscape features on designated historical sites.
- — Dollar-amount penalties for Land Development Code violations, and a street address for the Urban Forestry Program.
Sources
- City of San Diego — Trees (Urban Forestry Program)
- City of San Diego — No Fee Street Tree Permit Application (PDF)
- San Diego Municipal Code Chapter 6, Article 2, Division 6 — Street Planting (PDF)
- City Council Policy 900-19 — Public Tree Protection (PDF)
- City Council Policy 200-05 — Planting of Trees on City Streets (PDF)