Coalinga Municipal Code Art. 1 Purpose and Definitions

The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare in keeping with the character of the City by preserving, protecting and encouraging the existing urban forest, and to accomplish the following policies:

(a) To preserve windbreak protection, abate soil erosion, and enhance the natural beauty of the City;

(b) To protect and enhance the character of residential neighborhoods and property values by prohibiting the destruction of the urban forest;

(c) To encourage a desirable rural character, which has a healthy urban forest;

(d) To encourage trees and shrubs which are well placed and pleasing in appearance and to provide incentive and latitude for variety, good plant selection, spacing and location;

(e) To enhance the economic value of the community, and each area of it, through the regulation, selection, and maintenance of trees and shrubs; and

(f) It is not the policy of the City to approve requests for street trimming or tree removal in order to improve the view of any person. It is the policy of the City, where tree removal is accomplished at the request of a property owner or occupant, to require the planting of another tree in a suitable location, whenever good forestry practice so dictates.

(§ B, Ord. 583, eff. May 4, 1991)

The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the trimming, pruning, or removal of trees or shrubs:

"Director of Public Works" shall include the Director and his designees.

"Hedge" shall mean any plant material when planted in a dense continuous line or area so as to form a thicket or barrier.

"Park" shall mean any open space maintained by the City or other public agency for recreational purposes.

"Parking strip" shall mean the area between the property line and the street line.

"Plant" shall mean all plant material not defined herein as a "hedge", "shrub", or "tree", which is nonwoody, annual or perennial in nature and not necessarily hardy.

"Public place" shall mean all open areas, not defined herein as "park" or "street", which is open to the public and owned or leased to or under the control of the City or other public agency.

"Shrub" shall mean a woody perennial plant which is normally low and not over ten (10) to fifteen (15) feet in height, usually with several permanent stems, adaptable to shaping, trimming or pruning without injury.

"Street" shall mean a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel, including alleys and walks, and including not only the improved or paved area but also parkways, sidewalks, public utility easements and maintenance easements.

"Street tree" shall mean any tree as defined herein planted or maintained within a park or street, or planted and/or maintained on private or public property to the extent it encroaches, overhangs, or is proximate to a park, parking lot, accessway, or street.

"Tree" means any woody perennial plant having a single main axis or stem and usually many branched. It is usually over ten (10) feet in height at maturity and is capable of being pruned and shaped to develop a branch-free trunk.

(§ B, Ord. 583, eff. May 4, 1991, as amended by §§ 1, 2 and 3, Ord. 602, eff. July 16, 1992; Ord. No. 844, § 1, eff. 9-5-2020)