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

The rule is § 17.30.070 of the 1998 Zoning Code, one of the two zoning codes the Pismo Beach Municipal Code prints under Title 17; this page quotes only that code. Subsection C bars cutting, removing, encroaching into, or removing brush from the protected zone of any oak tree, and bars removing or transplanting one, unless the removal is authorized with a land use permit. Exemptions cover dead trees as verified by the director, domestic oaks not exceeding eight inches in diameter that are outside the public right-of-way and the front or street side setback, disaster-damaged trees found hazardous by a federal, state, county or city official (the department must be told at the first reasonable opportunity), routine public utility maintenance, and trimming of healthy oaks for fire safety verified by the Fire Department and approved by the director.

An applicant files under Chapter 17.40 and adds an oak tree report from a city-qualified arborist with natural grade and finished grade plans, a management plan under Policy CO-13 of the general plan and local coastal program, and any bond or insurance the director requires where explosives are involved. The director sends a complete application to a city-qualified oak tree consultant before the staff report is written. Under subsection E the review authority approves removal only after finding that the tree needs altering for health, balance or structure, that disease, danger of falling or proximity to structures cannot be remedied, or that removal is necessary for the reasonable and conforming use of the site.

Subsection F lets the review authority impose fencing of the protected zone before construction, bonds under Section 17.44.040, replacement trees, canopy or habitat, and monitoring at quarterly intervals during grading and construction. After construction, monitoring is required for a minimum of five years on a biannual basis, done by a city-approved person or firm at the applicant's cost. Utilities give the department five working days of advance notice of maintenance affecting a nonexempt oak, or file an annual notification. Trees in public places fall under a separate permit in § 12.12.030(C), issued by the director of public works.

Pismo Beach uses two adopted zoning codes. The city's Zoning and Land Use page states that properties inside the Coastal Zone are regulated by the 1983 Zoning Code, and properties outside the Coastal Zone are regulated by the 1998 Zoning Code.