Placer County, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

070 bars any person, firm, corporation, or county agency from conducting development activity within a protected tree's protected zone, or harming, destroying, killing, or removing a protected tree, unless authorized by a tree permit or approved as part of a discretionary project. Two tracks exist. Subsection A covers minor tree permits, issued mainly for single-family residential lots with no other discretionary permit pending; the applicant files with the planning services division at least 10 days before the intended work, including a brief statement of reasons, the property owner's written consent, an arborist's report if the county deems it necessary, and the required filing fee.

Notably, the county arborist can also issue a minor tree permit in the field, letting an applicant skip the in-office application. Subsection B covers tree removal tied to a discretionary project such as a subdivision, commercial, or industrial permit: the applicant must submit a written justification statement, a site plan map showing property lines, structures, grading and building envelopes, a survey-based depiction of every protected tree's trunk location and dripline within the project area (or within 50 feet of any development activity), an arborist report, and a filing surcharge added to the discretionary permit fee.

Violations discovered during a minor tree permit review can be held to the more detailed discretionary-project submission standard. 100(C)); permit conditions may be appealed to planning services within 10 days. This permit requirement, and the tree-permit process described here, does not extend into the Tahoe Basin, where tree removal is instead regulated by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.