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

Private residential property owners in Galt generally may remove nonprotected trees from their own land without a discretionary permit. However, street trees within the public right-of-way, trees planted as a condition of a subdivision or use permit, and trees called out on an approved landscape plan for a commercial site cannot be removed without permission from the Planning Division or Public Works. Removal of required landscaping typically demands replacement with equivalent caliper and species. Native oaks such as Valley Oak (Quercus lobata) are recognized as a special-status resource in Sacramento County; projects requiring discretionary entitlements may be conditioned under CEQA to preserve or mitigate for oak impacts. Tree work on any parcel must also comply with state migratory bird protections, and contractors should survey for active nests before pruning or removing trees during nesting season from roughly February through August. Removal permits, when required, are processed by the Community Development Department.