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

050(B) makes a tree removal permit mandatory before removal of any protected tree, meaning a native oak, heritage tree, landmark tree, or a regulated tree such as a required parking lot shading tree or street tree. 080(B) is met: the tree is unlikely to survive due to disease or danger of falling, its roots are damaging utilities or a permanent structure with no reasonable alternative, the zoning code cannot otherwise be complied with, or the tree sits in the front yard of a half-acre-or-smaller residential lot and the owner agrees to plant a replacement.

050(C) skip the permit entirely, including removal of a tree already dead or dying as verified by the city arborist, or one posing an imminent safety risk confirmed by the arborist or fire chief. 040(L). An approved removal permit becomes effective ten calendar days after approval unless a neighbor or the applicant files a timely appeal, which suspends the effective date until the appeal authority rules. 150: trees rated 3, 4, or 5 on the ASCA scale must be replaced inch-for-inch of trunk diameter, or the applicant pays an in-lieu fee set by council resolution into the tree planting and replacement fund. A permit not exercised within six months of approval expires automatically.