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

For the Kirkwood area, Code Chapter 12.16 (Ord. 491, 1988) requires a tree permit before cutting down, removing, or destroying one or more trees. The application (12.16.040) must come from the lot owner and include a scaled plot plan showing the species, size (DBH and height), and approximate age of trees to be removed, a statement of reasons, a $10 application fee plus the cost of notifying owners within a 500-foot radius, and any added information the approving body requests. The approving body weighs disease, age, erosion and slope stability near streams, visual screening, and effect on the area before granting or denying (12.16.050). On issuance, the owner posts a cash deposit between $100 and $500 and provides proof of homeowner's liability insurance (12.16.060); permits are valid 90 days (12.16.080). Removal provisions (12.16.100) forbid ground skidding, require stumps to be treated against forest disease, prohibit felling into streams without approval, and require sites to be winterized to prevent erosion. Outside the Kirkwood area the county imposes no tree-removal permit. State law controls: clearing for fire defensible space under PRC 4291, and for commercial harvest or land clearing, CAL FIRE Forest Practice rules - including the Less-Than-3-Acre Conversion Exemption that lets an owner convert up to 2.99 acres of timberland without a full timber harvest plan.