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

Lynwood Municipal Code § 13-2.11 governs permits to prune a landmark tree or to remove or injure a protected landmark, native or specimen tree on private property. The property owner applies to the city engineer on a city-provided form, and any pruning must follow the most recent standards of the International Society of Arboriculture. The city cannot deny a permit to injure or remove a protected tree if any one of six findings applies: the removal's public benefit or public health, safety or welfare benefit outweighs preserving the tree; the tree is not reasonably likely to survive; an objective feature of the tree makes it unsuitable for protection; denial would cause substantial hardship to the property owner's use and enjoyment of the property; denial would prevent injury to real property; or the applicant's landscape design plan will produce greater tree canopy coverage than what is removed.

For landmark tree removal specifically, the city must also spell out removal procedures before it can approve the permit. The city engineer must grant, deny, or conditionally grant a complete application within fifteen working days if no other discretionary decision governs the timeline, and any conditions imposed must be reasonably necessary to meet the chapter's standards. A denial, conditional approval, or approval can be appealed to the public safety/traffic and parking commission within ten working days of the decision, with all appeal procedures on notice, applications, fees and hearings following Article 25-100.