Tree Protection in Hesperia, CA (2026)
5 verified tree protection rules for Hesperia, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Removal Permits
Hesperia Municipal Code Chapter 16.24 (Protected Plants) regulates removal of native desert vegetation, including the Western Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), which is also protected statewide under the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act (2023, Fish and Game Code §1927 et seq.). You may not remove, trim, damage, move, or kill a Western Joshua tree without a take permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Non-protected ornamental trees on private residential lots generally do not require a city permit, but any tree on a parcel undergoing discretionary development review is subject to a Protected Plant Preservation Plan and a Protected Plant bond submitted prior to ground disturbance.
Tree Removal Permits in Hesperia
Heavy RestrictionsHeritage & Protected Trees
Hesperia does not maintain a separate 'heritage tree' registry typical of coastal California cities. Instead, Hesperia Municipal Code Chapter 16.24 (Protected Plants) treats the Western Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), Mojave yucca (Yucca schidigera), and other native desert vegetation as the city's protected species. The Western Joshua tree is also protected statewide under the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act (Fish & Game Code §1927 et seq.), enacted July 2023. Mature Joshua trees in the Hesperia city limits function as the local equivalent of heritage trees and cannot be removed, trimmed, or relocated without a CDFW take permit.
Heritage and Protected Trees in Hesperia
Heavy RestrictionsTree Replacement Requirements
Under Hesperia Municipal Code Chapter 16.24, Joshua trees and other protected native plants impacted by development must be relocated/transplanted on-site whenever feasible, or moved to an off-site area approved by the City of Hesperia. Trees unsuitable for relocation (due to size, poor health, damage, excessive branches, leaning, clonal growth, or exposed roots) must be disposed of per City requirements, and replacement vegetation may be required as a condition of project approval. A Protected Plant bond must be posted before any ground disturbance for single-family tract, multi-family, commercial, or industrial development. The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act (FGC §1927) also requires CDFW mitigation fees for development takes.
Tree Replacement Requirements in Hesperia
Heavy RestrictionsProtected Tree Species
Hesperia Municipal Code Chapter 16.24 (Protected Plants) protects native Mojave Desert vegetation, with the Western Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) as the primary protected species. Joshua trees are additionally protected statewide as a candidate threatened species under the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act of 2023 (Fish & Game Code §1927 et seq.). Other commonly protected desert species in Hesperia development reviews include Mojave yucca (Yucca schidigera), desert willow (Chilopsis linearis), juniper (Juniperus californica), and Joshua tree clonal groups. A Protected Plant Preservation Plan is required whenever development affects these species.
Protected Tree Species in Hesperia
Heavy RestrictionsParkway Planting
Hesperia does not maintain a comprehensive street-tree program of the kind seen in coastal California cities. Parkway (the strip between curb and sidewalk where it exists) and street-tree plantings are addressed primarily through Hesperia Municipal Code Title 16 (Development Code) landscaping standards and conditions of approval for new development. Property owners maintain landscaping in the parkway adjoining their lot. New plantings must comply with the California Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO, Cal. Code Regs. tit. 23, §490 et seq.) and Mojave Water Agency conservation standards. Joshua trees and protected native plants in any parkway remain subject to Hesperia MC Ch. 16.24 and Fish & Game Code §1927.
Parkway and Street Tree Planting in Hesperia
Some RestrictionsLooking for San Bernardino County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Hesperia city rules.
Tree Protection in San Bernardino County →