Ontario, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Ontario, 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
- Authorization required from
- Public Works Agency
- Allowed grounds
- Visual/safety hazard, disease, unauthorized, solar
- Solar removal notice
- 30 days advance written notice
- Condition-based removal
- City must replace when feasible
- Correction window
- 48 hours after written notice
- Governing section
- OMC Sec. 10-2.06
Summary
Removing or relocating any City parkway tree in Ontario requires prior authorization from the Public Works Agency under Municipal Code Sec. 10-2.06. Removal is limited to five listed grounds: a visual hazard, a safety hazard, disease or decay beyond correction, an unauthorized original planting, or clearing space for a solar collector installation.
No person shall remove or relocate any parkway tree without prior authorization from the Public Works Agency of the City. A parkway tree may be removed by the City for any of the following reasons: (a) Visual hazard. Obstructing sight distance necessary for the safe operation of vehicles at street intersections, or obscuring in an otherwise incurable manner any traffic or railroad crossing signal or other safety device. (b) Safety hazard. Any condition deemed to be an immediate hazard to life or property which cannot otherwise be corrected. (c) Condition. Dead, decayed, or diseased beyond correction. (d) Unauthorized. Planted without a permit, improper location or variety, or prohibited type. (e) Where the removal is necessary to reasonably utilize solar collectors, and: (1) Thirty (30) days prior to installation of the solar collectors, the City was notified in writing of the intent to install such collectors; (2) The solar collectors, where possible, are located so that no street tree removal is required; and (3) The removal of such tree or trees will not be detrimental to the general public.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-32: Current through Ordinance 3338, passed 7-21-2026).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 06 bars anyone from removing or relocating a parkway tree in Ontario without prior authorization from the Public Works Agency. The code limits removal to five grounds: the tree obstructs the sight distance drivers need at an intersection or blocks a traffic or railroad signal (visual hazard); it presents an immediate hazard to life or property that cannot otherwise be fixed (safety hazard); it is dead, decayed, or diseased beyond correction; it was planted without a permit, in the wrong location, of the wrong variety, or is a prohibited type (unauthorized); or its removal is needed to reasonably use a solar collector.
That last ground under Sec. 12 only applies if the City received 30 days' written notice before the collector installation, the collector is sited, where possible, so no tree removal is needed at all, and the removal will not harm the general public; any tree removed or pruned for a solar collector comes out at the owner's expense and to City specifications. Where a tree is removed for its condition under Sec. 06(c), Sec. 07 requires the City to replace it whenever feasible, following the same planting standards, spacing, and stock requirements that govern new parkway trees.
Sec. 05 separately bars cutting, carving, mutilating, or otherwise harming any park or parkway tree, or topping or pruning one outside what this chapter allows, and bars applying any substance harmful to the tree.
Violations & Fines
Removing or relocating a parkway tree without Public Works Agency authorization violates Sec. 10-2.06, and Sec. 10-2.11 treats any uncorrected violation as a separate daily offense once 48 hours have passed after written notice, with penalties under Title 1, Chapter 2 of the Municipal Code. The City may also correct the violation itself and bill the owner for the cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove a parkway tree in front of my Ontario home myself?
Can a tree be removed to make room for solar panels?
Will the City replace a tree it removes?
What happens if I damage a parkway tree without removing it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ontario
California rules heatmap·Compare Ontario to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle tree removal & heritage trees.