Sonoma Municipal Code Art. I Purpose

The city council finds and declares that trees contribute greatly to the health, safety and general welfare of all of the city’s citizens and that the preservation and proper maintenance of trees is a matter of city-wide concern. The city council further finds and determines that it is necessary to enact regulations prohibiting unnecessary damage, removal or destruction of trees.

The city council recognizes and finds that trees provide great aesthetic benefits, offer windbreaks, provide summer shade, noise abatement and privacy screening, erosion control, act as filters against airborne pollutants, release oxygen, are wildlife habitats and prevent landslides through their root systems. All trees perform these functions for the property on which they are growing. Trees of significant size and maturity perform these functions for all persons living in their vicinity. Trees are key elements in a living system upon which the continued health and welfare of this community depends. In addition, trees in the community and in the neighborhood provide a sense of identity and tradition and enhance property values. For all of these reasons, it is the goal of the city council to maintain and expand the extent of tree canopy in Sonoma.

The city council further finds and declares that careless treatment and arbitrary removal of trees detracts from scenic beauty, causes erosion, increases risks of landslides, reduces property values, increases construction costs and drainage costs, and thereby further reduces the attractiveness of an area.

A purpose of the city council acting under the authority of its power to protect the health, welfare and safety of its citizens in enacting the following regulations is to protect certain trees, and to promote the concept of tree protection, but to keep governmental regulation to a minimum as far as practicable. (Ord. 11-2009 § 1(1), 2009; Ord. 09-2003 § 1, 2003; Ord. 96-11, 1996).