Tree rules in Los Angeles: permits, protected trees and fees
What the City of Los Angeles pages say about protected native trees and shrubs on private land, permits for street trees, the Tree Expert report, replacement planting, the in-lieu fee and the penalties for tree violations.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It restates the StreetsLA tree removal permits page, the City's Photographic Guide to Protected Trees and Shrubs (September 2024), the City's Information Bulletin P/ZC 2024-022 on regulated trees, and the Bureau of Engineering permit manual chapter on street trees, as read on October 8, 2026. The wider list of cities is on the guide to tree permits in the largest US cities.
Two kinds of regulated tree
The bulletin splits the rules in two. Native protected trees and shrubs on private property fall under Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) sections 46.00 to 46.06. Street trees, meaning any tree in the public right-of-way, fall under LAMC sections 62.162 and 62.169. For both, the bulletin says the permit comes from the Board of Public Works or its designated officer or employee at the StreetsLA Urban Forestry Division.
Protected native trees on private land
The photo guide says Ordinance No. 177,404 of 2006 protected certain indigenous species and Ordinance No. 186,873, adopted in February 2021, added two shrubs. The protected trees are valley oak, California live oak and any other oak native to Southern California except scrub oak, Southern California black walnut, western sycamore and California bay laurel. The protected shrubs are Mexican elderberry and toyon. A tree or shrub is protected at 4 cumulative inches or more of trunk diameter, measured at 4.5 feet above ground at the base. The bulletin's definition of removal covers any act that will cause a protected tree or shrub to die, including damage to the roots, toxic substances, machinery, or changing the grade by excavation or fill within the drip line. It excludes plants grown or held for sale by a licensed nursery and plants grown as part of a planting program.
Under Ordinance No. 186,873, a permit is needed for removal or relocation, and for potentially destructive activities that may kill a protected tree or shrub. The application goes to the Urban Forestry Division with a report from a Tree Expert. The guide defines a Tree Expert as an ISA Certified Arborist who holds a valid California licence as an agricultural pest control advisor, an ISA Certified Arborist who is a licensed landscape architect, or a Registered Consulting Arborist of the American Society of Consulting Arborists. It says permitted work will carry in-kind replacement planting conditions set by the division.
Street trees
| Item | What the pages say |
|---|---|
| Permit | Anyone seeking to remove a street tree must apply for and receive a tree removal permit. The bulletin extends the permit to trimming and root pruning of any tree in the public right-of-way |
| Review | The Urban Forestry Division receives the application, inspects the location and tells the applicant what it finds. It denies the permit if the applicant cannot justify removal or if the trees can be kept by redesign |
| Three or more trees | If 3 or more trees are to be removed, a report must be presented to the Board of Public Works |
| Planting | The Bureau of Engineering manual says an A-Permit is needed to install a street tree, and that a further permit from the Urban Forestry Division may be needed to remove, prune or root-prune one. A surety or cash bond covers maintenance, and a fee for each tree well is added if trees go in the sidewalk |
| Replacement fee | The manual says that if trees are removed and not replanted, a special fee applies under LAMC 62.177, the tree replacement and planting in-lieu fee. None of the pages read prints a dollar amount for that fee or for a permit |
| Contact | Urban Forestry Division, 1149 S. Broadway, 4th Floor, phone 213-847-3077 |
Building projects and penalties
The bulletin says that for building permits, protected native trees and street trees meeting the parameters in the Building Permit Clearance Handbook are referred to the Urban Forestry Division for a clearance, which may delay the permit. LAMC 62.174 is quoted as barring anyone from piling building material about a street tree in a way that injures it. For violations, the bulletin lists these consequences: a misdemeanor and an administrative citation for street tree violations, a delay in the certificate of occupancy for street tree violations, a Notice to Comply for either kind, and withholding or revocation of building permits for up to 10 years for native protected tree violations on private property.
Sources
- City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services, Tree removal permits, read October 8, 2026
- City of Los Angeles StreetsLA, Photographic Guide to the City of Los Angeles Protected Trees and Shrubs, September 2024, read October 8, 2026
- City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, Information Bulletin P/ZC 2024-022 Guidelines and requirements for regulated trees, read October 8, 2026
- City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, Permit manual: 05 Street trees, revised May 1, 2026, read October 8, 2026