Tree removal permit rules in Cupertino, CA — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Cupertino prohibits removing any protected tree, heritage or specimen, without first obtaining a tree removal permit under Municipal Code Chapter 14.18. Specimen species like native oaks are protected at ten inches trunk diameter, and removal usually requires planting replacement trees.
Under Municipal Code Chapter 14.18 (Protected Trees), it is unlawful to remove or kill any protected tree without first obtaining a tree removal permit (Sections 14.18.030, 14.18.050). Protected trees are: all heritage trees; specimen species at ten-inch single-trunk (or twenty-inch multi-trunk) diameter, namely native oaks (coast live, valley, black, blue, interior live), California buckeye, big leaf maple, deodar and blue atlas cedar, bay laurel, and western sycamore; any tree required by a development or code action; and R-1 privacy planting. The Director reviews specimen permits, the Planning Commission reviews heritage removals, and replacement trees per Table A (24-inch box up to a 48-inch heritage box) may be required. Dead-tree removal needs a retroactive permit within five days.
Removing a protected tree without a valid permit is an infraction under Section 14.18.240 (per Chapter 1.12). The owner must file a retroactive permit, pay the fee, and may be ordered to plant replacement trees or pay an in-lieu fee.
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