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

Calaveras County does not require a permit to remove most trees on private land when no development entitlement is involved; a homeowner clearing dead, hazardous, or unwanted non-oak trees generally needs no county approval. The significant exception is native oaks. The County General Plan (Conservation and Open Space Element Policies COS 3.5, 3.6, and 3.9, implemented by Measure COS-4D) directs that oak-woodland impacts from discretionary projects be mitigated using the statutory options in California Public Resources Code Section 21083.4, including conservation easements and replacement plantings. Because this operates through CEQA, it applies to projects needing discretionary county approval (subdivisions, use permits, certain grading), not to routine single-parcel homeowner activity. A standalone Oak Woodlands Mitigation Ordinance (referred to in drafts as Chapter 17.101) has been worked on since 2022, was publicly circulated in 2023-2024, but per the Calaveras Planning Coalition had not been formally adopted as of late 2025, so its specific mitigation ratios are proposed, not yet binding county code. Separately, defensible space (PRC 4291), the State Forest Practice Act for commercial timber, and hazard-tree removal are recognized reasons trees may be removed; the County Air District also regulates burning of the resulting debris.