Tree rules in San Diego: permits, protected trees and fees
What the City of San Diego's tree pages and Council Policies 200-05 and 900-19 say about street tree permits, removal criteria, the four protection categories, voluntary designation on private land and the penalty tied to a tree's appraised value.
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 City of San Diego Trees pages on maintenance and on preservation, Council Policy 200-05 (Planting of Trees on City Streets, effective November 15, 1993) and Council Policy 900-19 (Public Tree Protection, effective June 13, 2005), as read on October 8, 2026. The wider list of cities is on the guide to tree permits in the largest US cities.
Street trees
The maintenance page says the City's Urban Forestry team investigates reported issues with street and park trees through the Get It Done application. It says a No-Fee Permit may be requested for trimming, removal, planting or root pruning after inspection by City staff. Council Policy 200-05 adds that no fee is charged for street tree planting permits, that the owner of the adjacent property waters and fertilizes a planted street tree, and that the City trims street trees as needed for public safety.
| Removal case | What the policy and page say |
|---|---|
| At public expense | A street tree is removed at public expense if it is dead, if it is a hazard, or if it is damaging public improvements in a way trimming or root pruning cannot permanently fix, the owner of the fronting property asks for removal, and the tree is not part of a uniform planting or a significant neighborhood asset |
| At private expense | A no-fee permit is issued if the owner of the fronting property asks and the tree is not part of a uniform street tree planting or a significant neighborhood asset |
| Other requests | The page says only dead trees or trees judged an immediate safety issue are removed as soon as possible, and all other removal requests are evaluated for preservation or removal under Council Policy 200-5 |
| Timing | The page says it can take up to 48 months from the determination date for the City to remove a tree and make permanent concrete repairs, with temporary asphalt ramping in the meantime. A property owner who agrees to repair the sidewalk damage can speed this up if the removal meets the policy criteria |
The page says trimming for visibility or clearance is done by the Right of Way Management Division of the Transportation Department as funding allows and on request only, and that this may include vegetation on private property that reaches into the right-of-way. It sends problems with power lines to the electric utility, and it gives the property owner responsibility for water and sewer laterals from the meter or the sewer main connection.
Protected trees under Council Policy 900-19
The preservation page says the owner of a private tree may choose to have it designated for inventory and protection, and that the policy covers public rights-of-way, City-owned open space and parks, and private land restricted by dedicated open space easements. The designation can run with the property as a deed restriction. The policy sets four categories:
- Landmark Tree: unusual or very high aesthetic quality, for example large size for the species or an unusual form, meant for a narrow set of trees.
- Heritage Tree: 50 years or older, or tied to a historic event, building, district or person.
- Parkway Resource Tree: planted groups in rights-of-way, parking lots or trails with a consistent design theme, usually more than 50 percent of the parcels per block having the same tree.
- Preservation Grove: at least six native, naturalized or endemic trees of the same species or similar form within a quarter-acre with trunks closer than 100 feet.
Public trees with a caliper of at least 8 inches measured at 4 feet above ground are considered as potentially qualifying and go into the tree removal review process. For a designated tree, the policy says no removal permit is issued unless there is a clear, imminent and significant public safety hazard, or the City Urban Forester, informed by a certified arborist's report, decides protection may not be appropriate and the applicant agrees to pay 100 percent of the assessed value. Pruning or root pruning is only under the guidance of a licensed arborist with the written approval of the City Arborist. The Urban Forester assesses an appraised value on designation, and up to a three-times multiplier of that value is the basis for the penalty for illegal removal or fatal damage. The policy says topping and excessive pruning of protected public trees carry the same penalty. Fees and fines go into a tree replacement program.
Sources
- City of San Diego, Trees: maintenance, read October 8, 2026
- City of San Diego, Trees: preservation, read October 8, 2026
- City of San Diego, Council Policy 200-05 Planting of Trees on City Streets, read October 8, 2026
- City of San Diego, Council Policy 900-19 Public Tree Protection, read October 8, 2026