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

27 of the Stanislaus County Code, adopted in 2021 under the authority of Streets and Highways Code §§ 1480–1496, regulates trees, shrubs and vines that encroach into county roads from adjoining private property. 030 sets a planting setback: it is unlawful to plant a tree, shrub or vine less than 10 feet from the edge of the road right-of-way to the trunk or stem, and the setback rises to 15 feet for larger species such as walnut trees and large ornamental shade trees, which spread wider canopies and root systems over time.

The rule is preventive as well as corrective, if an existing tree, shrub or vine has already grown into the roadway to the point that the county road commissioner determines it obstructs travel, blocks sight lines, or otherwise prevents public use of the highway, or constitutes a traffic hazard, the property owner must remove it following the notice procedure in Streets and Highways Code §§ 1480–1485. If the owner does not act, the road commissioner removes the encroachment and bills the owner for the cost.

The chapter also gives the road commissioner emergency authority: nothing in it prevents immediately removing an encroachment that 'effectually obstructs and prevents the use of the highway by vehicles,' without waiting for the standard notice period, when the hazard is severe enough to pose an immediate safety risk. The chapter's stated purpose is traffic safety, keeping sightlines at intersections and along road edges clear of vegetation planted on adjoining private land within the unincorporated county.