Elk Grove Municipal Code Art. I Purpose and Definitions

The City of Elk Grove desires to preserve the existing trees within the City whenever reasonably possible. The City wants to preserve the historic and aesthetic character of the community as described in the General Plan, of which older trees are a critical component. In doing so, the City is establishing these regulations as a way to protect the health and integrity of the City’s existing urban forest while providing for an optimal level of species and age diversity. Further, the City recognizes that trees provide numerous benefits to the community, including improving water quality, providing shade for buildings, providing shelter for animals and other plants, and reducing pollution, thereby positively impacting the health and welfare of the community. Older, more mature trees are often the most effective types of trees for achieving these objectives. These provisions are intended to complement and strengthen zoning, subdivision, and land use standards and regulations, while at the same time recognizing the rights of individual property owners. It is, therefore, the objective of these provisions to preserve existing trees through both the development review process and subsequent activities such as work within the canopy or within the critical root zone of trees and provide a process for replacement in instances where preservation is not reasonably possible.

(Ord. 6-2011 § 4, eff. 3-25-2011)

For the purposes of this chapter, certain words or terms used herein shall be interpreted as follows:

A.

“Approving body”

shall be any one (1) of the following: City Council, Planning Commission, or Community Development Director.

B.

“Arborist”

shall mean an individual who is certified as an arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and who agrees to perform all work to the most current American National Standard Institute (ANSI) A300 standards.

C.

“Arborist report”

shall mean a report prepared by an arborist containing information required under this chapter as part of a tree permit application.

D.

“CEQA”

shall mean California Public Resources Code Sections 21000 through 21177, commonly referred to as the California Environmental Quality Act, and Sections 15000 through 15387 of Chapter 3, Division 6, Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, commonly referred to as the CEQA Guidelines.

E.

“City Arborist”

shall mean the arborist for the City of Elk Grove, who shall be an ISA-certified arborist.

F.

Critical Root Zone (CRZ).

“Critical root zone” shall mean a circular area around a tree equal to one (1' 0") foot per inch DSH (diameter at standard height). For example, a tree with a twenty-four (24") inch DSH would have a critical root zone of a twenty-four (24' 0") foot radius.

G.

“Critical tree disease”

shall mean any tree disease identified by the City Arborist as a severe threat (i.e., likely to result in the death of the tree) to trees in Elk Grove, including but not limited to Dutch elm disease and sudden oak death.

H.

“Crown”

shall mean the upper part of a tree, measured from the lowest branch, including all the branches and foliage.

I.

“DSH”

shall mean the diameter at standard height, which is the diameter of a tree measured at four and one-half (4' 6") feet above the natural grade, except as specified below. The diameter shall be calculated by use of the following formula:

diameter = circumference/3.14

For a tree that branches at or below four and one-half (4' 6") feet, DSH means the diameter at the narrowest point between the grade and the branching point.

For a tree with a common root system that branches at or near the ground, DSH means the sum of the diameter of the largest trunk and one-half (0.5) the cumulative diameter of the remaining trunks at four and one-half (4' 6") feet above natural grade.

J.

“Development project”

shall mean a project that must be approved by one (1) of the following approving bodies: City Council, Planning Commission, or Community Development Director. Development projects shall include, but are not limited to: Design Review, Tentative Subdivision Map or Tentative Parcel Map, a rezone, a variance, or a conditional use permit.

K.

“Dripline”

shall mean an area delineated by projection of the periphery of the crown of a tree down to the ground surface.

L.

“Dripline radius”

shall mean a radius equal to the horizontal distance from the trunk of the tree to the end of the longest branch and is not the same as the critical root zone.

M.

“Grading”

shall mean, as described in the building code, the act or result of digging, trenching, excavating, clearing, grubbing, tilling, transporting, spreading, depositing, filling, compacting, settling, or shaping of land surfaces and slopes, and other operations performed by or controlled by human activity involving the physical movement of rock or soil.

N.

“Landmark tree”

shall mean those trees identified in EGMC Section 19.12.030 (Landmark trees).

O.

“Secured tree”

shall mean those trees identified in EGMC Section 19.12.050 (Secured trees).

P.

“Tree permit”

is an authorization by the City for the removal, pruning, or work in the critical root zone of a tree, issued pursuant to this chapter.

Q.

“Tree permit work”

shall mean work for which a tree permit is required as described in EGMC Section 19.12.070.

R.

“Trees of local importance”

shall mean those trees identified in EGMC Section 19.12.040 (Trees of local importance).

(Ord. 6-2011 § 4, eff. 3-25-2011; Ord. 24-2015 § 8 (Exh. F), eff. 2-12-2016; Ord. 20-2017 § 3 (Exh. A), eff. 10-13-2017; Ord. 13-2025 § 3 (Exh. F), eff. 7-25-2025)