Placerville Municipal Code Ch. 5 Trees and Shrubbery

Any owner or occupant of any real property shall trim all trees on property owned or occupied by him, overhanging any public thoroughfare, so that the branches thereon will not interfere with pedestrians or public travel or conceal signs or road markers. (1962 Code)

Any owner or occupant of any real property shall maintain all hedges and shrubbery adjacent to public sidewalks so that no part of said hedges and/or shrubbery shall extend over any part of a public sidewalk in the city. (1962 Code)

It is hereby declared unlawful for any person, not the owner thereof, or without lawful authority so to do, wilfully to injure, deface, disfigure or destroy any tree or shrub, or to injure, destroy, cut or pick any flower or plant, located either on private ground or on any public place or thoroughfare. (1962 Code)

It is unlawful to remove a public street tree without lawful authority to do so. Street trees may be removed with justifiable cause, through a formal request and by the authority of the public services director. "City street trees" are defined as all trees designated to be the responsibility of the city within easements, rights of way or as established through maintenance agreements.

Justifiable cause may include, but is not limited to, the following: diseased trees, damaged/disfigured trees, trees which cause concern for public safety or a public nuisance, trees which are deemed to not meet the standards of the streetscape or are aesthetically deficient, trees which are deemed to adversely affect the economic vitality of the area, or other reasons deemed justifiable for the betterment of the city.

Tree replacement of public street trees shall be at the discretion of the city through the authority of the public services director. It is the intent of this section to require replacement of any removed city street tree, unless deemed inappropriate by the city. The variety and species of tree replacement shall be from an approved list on file with the city. The city reserves the right to require full compensation for replacement of trees. Appeals to the policies as set forth within this section may be appealed to the city council. (Ord. 1554, 2-23-1999)