Street Tree Problems in San Diego

For a tree that is touching or growing into power lines but has not brought them down, the City says that if a City-maintained tree is affecting power lines in any way, it should be reported to SDG&E immediately at 1-800-411-7343. Do not trim near the lines yourself. The County puts it this way: "if tree branches are interfering with electrical lines it is dangerous to trim them yourself. Let the experts at San Diego Gas & Electric do the work."

For a knocked-down street light pole rather than a tree, see our street lights guide.

Inside the City of San Diego, street trees in the public right-of-way are maintained by the Transportation Department's Right of Way Management Division through the Urban Forestry Program, which the City says maintains over 250,000 street trees. The City says City-maintained tree issues should be reported through Get It Done. Reports go to an arborist: in the City's words, "All requests are evaluated, and a Transportation Department arborist determines if corrective tree work is needed."

• Get It Done: the Tree Maintenance form or the Get It Done San Diego app. The form asks you to verify that the address is within the City of San Diego.
• Photos that show the surrounding area, which the form asks for so crews can locate the tree.
• Which tree. If several trees line the block, describe the one you mean, for example by the nearest house number and which side of the driveway it is on.

The City lists these street tree issues to report through Get It Done:

What the City does not respond to. The City says it does not send maintenance crews out for leaves and seedpods dropping from City-maintained trees onto sidewalks, streets and property. The only exception it names is a Date Palm that may be infected by the South American Palm Weevil, which should be reported through Get It Done.

For other kinds of problems, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego.

Trimming. The City says street trees are trimmed for public safety requirements and to clear rights-of-way, and that the Right of Way Management Division trims trees and palm trees for vehicular and pedestrian clearances "as funding allows and upon request only." The criteria it uses are:

• Safety. Tree Maintenance Inspectors decide whether a tree's condition requires immediate action.
• Visibility for motorists, traffic signals and other traffic control devices. This may include trimming vegetation on private property that encroaches on the public right-of-way.
• Clearance. Removing lower limbs and other growth so vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and construction activities have adequate clearance.

Dead and dangerous trees. The City says only dead trees or trees deemed an immediate safety issue by City staff are removed from the right-of-way as soon as possible. Requests for tree removal must be made through Get It Done.

Other removal requests are evaluated for preservation or removal under City Council Policy 200-05, Planting of Trees on City Streets. It says street trees shall be removed at public expense if any one of these is true:

• The tree is dead.
• The tree is a hazard.
• The tree is damaging public improvements, the damage cannot be permanently corrected by trimming or root pruning, the owner of the fronting property requests removal, and the tree is not part of a uniform tree planting or a significant neighborhood asset.

If the City determines a tree must be removed to repair other infrastructure, the City says the abutting property owner must consent. Removal is done by City contractors and includes full stump grinding. Under the same policy, a fronting owner can get a no-fee permit to remove a street tree at private expense if the tree is not part of a uniform street tree planting or a significant neighborhood asset.

Roots in sewer and water pipes. The City says the property owner is responsible for the water system from the meter, and for the sewer lateral from the property all the way to the connection with the sewer main.

The City says sidewalk repairs are often the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. Street trees are an exception. The City's Street Division says the Transportation Department is responsible for sidewalk damage caused by "trees within the right-of-way," while damage caused by private trees is the responsibility of the homeowner. City Council Policy 200-12 lists damage caused by parkway trees as one of the conditions for sidewalk replacement at City expense.

Report sidewalk damage from a City-maintained tree on the Get It Done Tree Maintenance form. The City says tree roots lifting sidewalk panels can be remedied by root pruning, root barriers, sidewalk cutouts, sidewalk ramping, tree root bridge plates and/or sidewalk realignments. If the tree is to be removed, the City says temporary asphalt ramping is installed while the removal and permanent concrete repair are pending, which can take up to 48 months. Property owners may speed this up by agreeing to repair the sidewalk or other damage from the street tree themselves, if the removal meets the criteria in Council Policy 200-05.

The Municipal Code also puts a duty on the property owner: under section 62.0613, an owner must notify the City (the code names the Park and Recreation Director) when a tree in the public street next to their property is damaging the public sidewalk. For the full picture on sidewalk responsibility, see our sidewalk repair guide.

Tree Maintenance estimate as shown on the Get It Done form, as of October 28, 2026. The 48-month figure is from the City's tree maintenance page. Other rows are from the City's timeframe list, last updated May 7, 2026.

Emergencies first. The City's timeframe list says emergency tree work is immediately dispatched for service, and other tree maintenance reports are addressed as soon as possible, depending on the severity of the issue. For non-emergency reports it gives 150 days to complete tree work, if work is needed.

Budget limits. As of October 28, 2026, the Get It Done form says: "Due to current budget limitations, Tree Maintenance requests may require extended wait times. We are prioritizing public safety and urgent issues as resources allow." The form says its estimate is calculated using data from the last 90 days as well as seasonal trends and staff knowledge.

The City's No Fee Street Tree Permit Application says: "All Street Tree plantings require a permit approved by the City of San Diego, Transportation Department." For questions or to apply, it lists the Arborist at (619) 527-8037 or TreePermit@sandiego.gov. The application covers installing a new tree, pruning an existing one, and sidewalk repair at a tree location. Its requirements include:

• Minimum size of all new trees is a 24-inch box; palm trees a minimum of 10 feet brown trunk height.
• All new trees must be installed with tree stakes and root barriers.
• Species must be consistent with the approved Street Tree Plan in the applicable Community Plan, or approved by the Arborist where there is none.
• A site plan showing the tree location, parkway width, irrigation, utilities and other pertinent information.
• The application must be completed, approved and signed by the City before any planting starts.

Watering is on the owner. Council Policy 200-05 says that after a tree is planted in the street right-of-way, the owner of the adjacent property is responsible for watering and fertilizing unless an assessment district has been formed to provide that maintenance. The permit application says tree watering and maintenance is required "in particular during the first 3-5 years" and stays with the adjacent property owner listed on the permit, transferring to the new owner when the property is sold.

Free trees. Get It Done has a Free Tree request with an owner watering agreement. As of October 28, 2026, however, the City's Ready, Set, Grow San Diego page says all planting funds under that program have been fully exhausted and that it does not have other funding sources available for additional tree planting, and points residents to the No Fee Street Tree Permit instead. Questions about that program: trees@sandiego.gov.

The Get It Done form and phone numbers above are for street trees in the City of San Diego. Trees on private property are the owner's: San Diego Municipal Code section 62.0611 requires the owner of every lot to trim the branches of trees on it, and gives the City the same duty for trees in the public street that intrude onto private property. Elsewhere:

• SDG&E says it is required to maintain minimum distances between vegetation and power lines, inspects trees near its lines every year, and generally prunes to a clearance of at least 10 feet. It says all tree pruning or removal work is done at no cost to the property owner, and that all tree removals must have written authorization of the property owner.
• The County says it leaves door notices before trimming in a neighborhood so residents can trim their own trees, and that if they do not, crews trim trees on County right-of-way at no cost. It also says: "If a tree is located on your property, you are responsible for damage or conditions caused by it." Its hotline covers only the unincorporated parts of the county.

Caltrans processes online requests Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and says to check with your local city or county if the problem is outside Caltrans property.