Tree Protection in Fresno, CA (2026)
3 verified tree protection rules for Fresno, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Heritage & Protected Trees
Fresno designates exceptional trees as Heritage Trees under Municipal Code Section 15-2308(B), and once listed a tree cannot be removed, pruned, or materially altered without a Tree Removal Permit heard by the Planning Commission. Anyone may nominate a tree on private or public land, but private-property nominations need the owner's written consent.
Fresno Heritage Tree Designation Process
Some RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code (Citywide Development Code) Sec. 15-2308(B)
B.Heritage Tree Designations. 1. Applications. Applications for designation of a heritage tree on private or public property may be initiated by any person subject to the property owners' written consent. ... 2.Review. ... A tree may be designated as a heritage tree upon a finding that it is unique and important to the community due to any of the following factors:a.It is an outstanding specime...
Protected Tree Species
Fresno's Citywide Development Code protects specific trees from removal: Heritage Trees, multi-trunk trees with a 12-inch-plus trunk, any tree 12 inches or more in diameter, and all parkway and public-property trees. Cutting, pruning materially, or removing one requires a City Tree Removal Permit under FMC § 15-2308, reviewed by the Director or, for heritage trees, the Planning Commission.
Fresno Protected and Heritage Tree Rules
Significant RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code § 15-2308(C)
C.Protected Trees. The following apply to Protected Trees: 1. No Protected Tree shall be removed, pruned, or otherwise materially altered without a Tree Removal Permit except as provided in this section. Trimming of a Protected Tree is allowed without such a permit. 2. Protected Trees are as follows:a.Heritage Trees.b.Multi-Trunk Trees. Any multi-trunk tree which has at least one trunk 12 inche...
Parkway Planting
New development in Fresno must plant at least one parkway tree per lot, spaced no more than forty feet apart, from a minimum five-gallon container, under FMC § 13-304(c). Only species on the city's Master Tree List-Parkway may go into the parkway strip, and residential owners can request a front-yard tree instead through a recorded public tree easement under § 13-304(d).
Fresno Parkway Street Tree Planting Rules
Some RestrictionsFresno Municipal Code § 13-304
(b) Parkway Trees. The city's policy shall be to plant in parkways only those trees included on the Master Tree List-Parkway...(c) New Development, Number and Size of Parkway Trees. The Director shall cause to be planted, in parkways, or public tree easements, at not more than forty-foot intervals, at least one tree taken from a minimum of a five-gallon container for each lot or parcel. If the ...
Looking for Fresno County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fresno city rules.
Tree Protection in Fresno County →