Merced, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Merced, CA, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Removal application
- Filed with recreation and parks dept
- Convenience removal cost
- Full cost billed to applicant
- Annual program threshold
- 6-inch caliper or larger
- Program deadline
- Prepared by September 1 each year
- Hazard tree notice
- 10 days written notice to owner
- Root-cutting liability
- Roots over 3 inches, unauthorized
Summary
Want a street tree gone in Merced? File a removal application with the recreation and parks department under Section 14.12.160; if it's healthy and you just want it out, you pay the full removal cost. The city also runs its own annual removal program for trees six inches or larger in caliper.
Whenever a property owner desires to have a tree removed from a planting strip or planting easement owned or controlled by the city, he shall file or cause to be filed with the department of recreation and parks an official application for removal. If such tree is found to be in good condition and the removal is granted solely for the convenience of the applicant, then the full cost of such removal may be apportioned to the applicant. Cost of removal may be apportioned where removal is granted in part for convenience of the city. ... A.The director, each year, no later than the first day of September, shall prepare a tree removal program for the period ending the first day of September of the year following, which shall be immediately presented to the recreation and parks commission.B.Trees having a caliper size of less than six inches shall not be considered as part of this program. Caliper size shall be measured at four feet six inches above ground level.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 - 1-26).
Full Breakdown
160. If the tree is in good condition and removal is granted purely for the applicant's convenience, the full removal cost is apportioned to the applicant; where removal also benefits the city, the cost can be split. 200 requires the director to prepare a removal program each year no later than September 1, covering the twelve months ending the following September 1, and present it to the recreation and parks commission, but trees under six inches in caliper (measured 4 feet 6 inches above ground) are excluded from the program entirely.
230 requires the trees slated for removal to be physically marked plus ten days' written mailed notice to the adjacent property owner before either hearing. 150, the director may inspect any tree that appears to be a hazard or a sightline or travel impediment, and before cutting one down on private property must give the owner ten days' written notice; the owner then has seven days to file a written objection, in which case the director must hold a hearing before approving removal, with any decision appealable to the recreation and parks commission and then the city council. B for the tree's removal-and-replacement cost or remedial pruning.
Violations & Fines
Removing a street tree without going through Section 14.12.160 or the director's general permit falls back on the default in Section 1.12.010: it's a misdemeanor, punishable under Section 1.12.020.A by up to a $1,000 fine, up to a year in county jail, or both. Convenience removals also carry a direct cost consequence: the applicant is billed the full removal expense, and unauthorized root-cutting during excavation triggers liability for replacement or remedial pruning costs under Section 14.12.095.B.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get the city to remove a street tree in front of my Merced house?
Does Merced remove trees on its own schedule?
Can Merced cut down a tree on my private property without my consent?
What happens if a contractor cuts a big tree root while digging in Merced?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Merced
California rules heatmap·Compare Merced to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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