Do I need a permit to remove a tree in El Dorado County?

El Dorado County's code: Exempt: dead, dying or diseased trees documented as hazardous vegetation, and trees fallen or damaged by natural disasters or incidents. (Exemption from the oak tree rules (Oak Resources chapter).) (§ 130.39.050); Exempt: fire safe activities and fuel modification outside defensible space. (Work under an approved WUI Fire Safe Plan, Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or defensible-space upkeep; first-time defensible space for new development is not exempt.) (§ 130.39.050).

Tree removal in El Dorado County: the local rules

El Dorado County code What El Dorado County's code adds
Exemptions	Exempt: dead, dying or diseased trees documented as hazardous vegetation, and trees fallen or damaged by natural disasters or incidents. Applies: Exemption from the oak tree rules (Oak Resources chapter). § 130.39.050 · code text Dead, dying, or diseased trees inspected by an investigative official as defined in Section 8.09.030 of this Code (Hazardous Vegetation and Defensible Space) and documented in writing to the Planning and Building Department that said tree(s) constitute hazardous vegetation pursuant to Section 8.09 of this Code. Exempt: fire safe activities and fuel modification outside defensible space. Applies: Work under an approved WUI Fire Safe Plan, Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or defensible-space upkeep; first-time defensible space for new development is not exempt. § 130.39.050 · code text Actions taken pursuant to an approved WUI Fire Safe Plan to protect existing structures, a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or in accordance with maintenance of defensible space as identified in PRC Section 4291 or Chapter 8.09 of this Code are exempt from the permit requirements included in this Chapter. Exempt: emergency firefighting, natural-disaster response, and related post-fire or post-disaster cleanup. Applies: Exempt from oak tree permit rules only; impacts to heritage trees, individual valley oaks and valley oak woodlands still need mitigation. § 130.39.050 · code text Actions taken during emergency firefighting operations or responses to natural disasters (e.g., floods, landslides, avalanches, etc.) and associated post-fire or post-disaster remediation activities are exempted from the permit requirements included in this Chapter. Exempt: personal or commercial farming, but not commercial firewood operations or ranch marketing. Applies: Oak tree permit rules; not uses needing a conditional use permit. Impacts to heritage trees, individual valley oaks and valley oak woodlands still need mitigation. § 130.39.050 · code text Agricultural cultivation/operations, whether for personal or commercial purposes (excluding commercial firewood operations and ranch marketing); Exempt: tree removal allowed under a Timber Harvest Plan approved by CAL FIRE. Applies: Exempt from oak tree permit rules only; impacts to heritage trees, individual valley oaks and valley oak woodlands still need mitigation. § 130.39.050 · code text Tree removal permitted under a Timber Harvest Plan approved by CAL FIRE is exempted from the permit requirements included in this Chapter. Exempt: minor trimming that follows current ANSI standards. Applies: Exempt from oak tree permit rules only; impacts to heritage trees, individual valley oaks and valley oak woodlands still need mitigation. § 130.39.050 · code text Minor trimming, as defined within this Chapter, and conforming to the most current standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Protected trees	Heritage trees, individual valley oaks and valley oak woodlands: any impact needs mitigation under the Oak Resources Management Plan. Applies: Applies even without a development permit. Except dead, dying, diseased, storm-damaged or hazardous trees. § 130.39.050 · code text With the exception of dead, dying, and diseased trees, trees that have fallen or sustained damage due to natural disasters/incidents or trees considered hazardous vegetation pursuant to Section 8.09 of this Code (Hazardous Vegetation and Defensible Space), all impacts to heritage trees, individual valley oak trees, and valley oak woodlands shall be subject to the provisions and mitigation requirements contained in the ORMP
Replacement trees	Mitigation is required: pay an in-lieu fee, plant replacements on-site or off-site, or combine them. Applies: Individual native oaks, including heritage trees, impacted by the permit. Streamlined ministerial multifamily and mixed-use housing projects must pay the in-lieu fee. § 130.39.070 · code text If individual native oak trees, including heritage trees, will be impacted as part of the permit, the applicant shall mitigate for loss of individual tree(s). Mitigation at a ratio of 1:1, 1.5:1, or 2:1. Applies: Oak woodland removal; the ratio depends on the share of oak woodland impacted: 0–50%, 50.1–75%, or 75.1–100%. § 130.39.070 · code text \| 0—50% \| 1:1 \| \| 50.1—75% \| 1.5:1 \| \| 75.1—100% \| 2:1 \| Per inch of trunk diameter removed: 3 acorns; or trees: 2 in 1-gallon, 1.5 in 5-gallon, 1 in 15-gallon pots. Applies: Individual native oak trees removed, when replacement planting is chosen. § 130.39.070 · code text \| 1-gallon/tree pot 4 \| 2 \|

Tree removal in El Dorado County

What El Dorado County's code says

Who this affects

Frequently asked questions

Ask about a specific El Dorado County property

More on building on your lot in El Dorado County