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

Monterey County is one of the more protective California counties for native trees, and removal is not freely allowed on most parcels. Under the inland zoning ordinance (MCC 21.64.260) and the environmental ordinance (MCC Chapter 16.60, Preservation of Oak and Other Protected Trees), protected species include coast live oak, valley oak, blue oak, black oak, Monterey cypress, native Monterey pine, and coast redwood. Inland, no oak tree six inches or more in diameter (measured two feet above the ground) may be removed in areas designated Resource Conservation, Residential, Commercial, or Industrial without the required permits, and 'landmark' oaks are those 24 inches or more in diameter at that height (or otherwise visually, historically, or biologically significant). A Tree Removal Permit from Housing and Community Development is the basic approval; removing more than three trees on a parcel requires a Use Permit and can trigger CEQA environmental review. For agricultural lands, MCC 16.60.050 requires that oak canopy on any acre not be reduced below 25 percent of the canopy existing when the ordinance was adopted. In the Coastal Zone, removal of native trees additionally requires a Coastal Development Permit under Title 20, and removal of native vegetation may require an Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area (ESHA) determination. Dead, dying, hazardous, or diseased trees may qualify for a ministerial (over-the-counter) permit after arborist evaluation, often without fees and without a quantity limit.