Tree Protection in Los Angeles, CA (2026)
3 verified tree protection rules for Los Angeles, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Heritage & Protected Trees
Los Angeles protects four indigenous tree species and two shrub species by ordinance; any specimen measuring four inches or more in cumulative diameter at 4.5 feet above the base requires a permit before it can be removed or relocated.
Tree Protection: Heritage Trees
Some RestrictionsLos Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) § 46.01
SEC. 46.01. DEFINITION. "PROTECTED TREE OR SHRUB" means any of the following Southern California indigenous tree species, which measures four inches or more in cumulative diameter, four and one-half feet above the ground level at the base of the tree, or any of the following Southern California indigenous shrub species, which measures four inches or more in cumulative diameter, four and one...
Protected Tree Species
Los Angeles protects four categories of Southern California native tree species, oaks (Valley Oak and California Live Oak and other indigenous oaks), Southern California Black Walnut, Western Sycamore, and California Bay, when they measure four or more inches in cumulative trunk diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground. No protected tree may be relocated or removed without City approval, and any act that causes the tree to die (including soil grading, toxic substances, or equipment operation near the root zone) qualifies as prohibited 'removal.'
Tree Protection: Protected Species
Some RestrictionsLAMC § 17.02 (Definitions); § 17.05.R (Protected Tree Regulations), Art. 7 (Division of Land Regulations)
Protected Tree – Any of the following Southern California native tree species, which measures four inches or more in cumulative diameter, four and one half feet above the ground level at the base of the tree: (a) Oak tree including Valley Oak (Quercus lobata) and California Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), or any other tree of the oak genus indigenous to California but excluding the Scrub Oak...
Parkway Planting
A Board of Public Works permit is required before planting, removing, cutting, or pruning any tree in a Los Angeles public street or parkway. Residential owners may replace shrubs and plants (but not trees) in their adjacent parkway without a permit if they follow the Board's Residential Parkway Landscaping Guidelines.
Tree Protection: Parkway Planting
Some RestrictionsLAMC § 62.169
(a) No person shall plant, remove, destroy, cut, prune or deface or in any manner injure any tree, shrub or plant in any street in the City, without first obtaining a permit to do so from the Board. (b) No permit is required by the owner of property fronting the parkway portion of the street in an area zoned for residential use in order for the owner to remove existing shrubs and plants, but n...
Looking for Los Angeles County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Los Angeles city rules.
Tree Protection in Los Angeles County →