Tree Removal Permits in San Diego

For an ordinary tree in the yard of an ordinary lot, we found no City of San Diego tree removal permit, and the City's tree pages treat trees on private property as the owner's to care for. Four situations change that:

• The tree is in the public right-of-way, usually the parkway strip between the sidewalk and the curb. That is a City street tree, and cutting it needs a (free) permit.
• The lot contains environmentally sensitive lands: sensitive habitat, steep hillsides, coastal bluffs or beaches, or a flood hazard area. Clearing there can need a development permit.
• The lot is in the Coastal Overlay Zone, where removing major vegetation counts as coastal development.
• The tree is required or protected: part of an approved landscape plan, or designated under the City's tree protection policy.

If any of these might apply, ask the Development Services Department before anyone cuts: customer service 619-446-5000. A tree service working on your lot does not make the permit question theirs.

A tree growing in the parkway or the sidewalk is normally in the public right-of-way, even if it was planted by a past owner and you water it. San Diego Municipal Code section 62.0604 says no one may remove, cut, trim or otherwise injure a tree growing in a City street without a permit, and that the permit lapses after 30 days. The City's tree maintenance page says you can request a no-fee permit for trimming, removal, planting or root pruning after City staff inspect the tree. Apply with the No Fee Street Tree Permit Application (PDF), by phone at (619) 527-8037 or at [email protected].

Whether the City will remove a street tree at its own cost, how long that takes, and who fixes sidewalks lifted by its roots are covered in our street tree guide. Palms in the parkway follow the same rules; see the palm tree guide.

San Diego's Land Development Code defines development broadly. Its definitions (section 113.0103) include clearing, grubbing, managing brush and disturbing any existing vegetation, on public or private property.

The Environmentally Sensitive Lands regulations (section 143.0110) apply to development on any lot where any part contains sensitive biological resources, steep hillsides, coastal beaches, sensitive coastal bluffs or special flood hazard areas, and then cover the whole lot. Work that would encroach into those lands needs a Neighborhood Development Permit or Site Development Permit, depending on the lot and the land type. Many homes back onto canyons, so this catches more lots than people expect.

Fire clearance is different. The brush management rules (section 142.0412) require thinning native or naturalized vegetation within 100 feet of a structure, and allow that work inside sensitive lands other than wetlands. Brush management means thinning and pruning in set zones, not clear-cutting a slope. Our brush and weeds guide covers the zones and Fire-Rescue inspections.

In the Coastal Overlay Zone, the City code uses the California Coastal Act's definition of coastal development, which includes the removal or harvesting of major vegetation. Under section 126.0702, coastal development needs a Coastal Development Permit unless section 126.0704 exempts it. That exemption, for work on existing structures, specifically leaves out removing or placing vegetation on a beach, wetland or sand dune, or within 100 feet of the edge of a coastal bluff.

Some areas near the water are permitted by the California Coastal Commission rather than the City, and lots that straddle the line need both. Development Services can tell you which applies. For bluff-top safety and erosion, see our coastal bluffs guide.

• Trees in an approved landscape plan. Apartment complexes, commercial sites and other projects often had to plant trees as a condition of approval. The landscape regulations (section 142.0403) require that required plants be kept healthy and replaced if they die: with the same size and species within 30 days if it dies in the first 3 years, and with a 60-inch box tree after that (the City can adjust this). Pruning of these trees must follow ANSI and International Society of Arboriculture standards, and topping is prohibited.
• Landmark and heritage trees. City Council Policy 900-19 protects designated trees on public land and on private land under a dedicated open space easement, and lets a private owner volunteer a tree for protection, which can be carried with the property as a deed restriction. For a designated tree, the policy says no removal permit is issued unless there is a clear, imminent and significant safety hazard, or the City's Urban Forester decides protection is not appropriate after an arborist's report and the applicant agrees to pay the tree's full assessed value. You can nominate a tree with the Conserve a Tree nomination form (PDF); see the City's tree preservation page.
• Nesting birds. The federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits the take of protected migratory birds without U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorization. Check a tree for active nests before cutting, especially in spring. Injured birds or fallen nestlings: Project Wildlife, 619-299-7012.
• Power lines. Never trim near lines yourself. SDG&E inspects vegetation near its lines at 1-800-411-7343; call 911 if a line is down. See our downed lines guide.

• A City street tree cut down, topped or damaged. Report it on the Get It Done Tree Maintenance form with the address and photos, so Urban Forestry knows the tree's condition.
• Clearing or grading on a canyon, hillside or open-space lot. File a Request for Investigation with Development Services' Building & Land Use Enforcement Division, online or at 619-236-5500. Our code enforcement guide explains the process. Clearing on City-owned open space is also a parks matter; see the parks guide.
• Near the beach or a bluff. Report to BLUE, and to the Coastal Commission's San Diego office at 619-767-2370 or through its enforcement page.

A tree removed from an ordinary private yard is usually not a violation, so there is often nothing for the City to enforce. Photos with dates and the address help in every case.

A neighbor's tree that hangs over your yard, drops leaves in your pool or worries you in a storm is a matter between the two of you; we found no City process that orders a private owner to trim for a neighbor. The City steps in only where private plants block the public sidewalk, street or sight lines; see our overgrown hedges guide. If a neighbor's tree has already fallen, see our fallen trees guide. Talk first, put concerns in writing, and get legal advice before cutting anything that grows on someone else's side of the line.