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

360 governs trees within a public street right-of-way in three parts. Subsection (A) requires a written permit application, showing the exact planting location and species, before anyone plants a tree in the right-of-way, and the director may refuse if the location or species would impede travel, disturb the right-of-way, or block city facilities. Removal is addressed in subsection (D): an application to remove a right-of-way tree will be approved, and a permit issued, only when a necessity for removal exists and adjacent property owners concur, or when the public works director independently deems removal necessary.

Once a permit issues, the code sets the physical standard for the job: the entire stump must be taken out to a depth of at least two feet below the ground surface, unless the permit specifies otherwise, the hole must be backfilled and tamped, and all debris from the removal must be cleared from the site with the right-of-way restored to its prior condition. 060(A)(4) makes it unlawful to remove, cut or trim a right-of-way tree at all without first obtaining this written permit, so an unpermitted removal is itself a standalone violation on top of any damage caused.