San Diego, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in San Diego, 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
- Authority
- Park and Recreation Department
- Scope
- street trees, public rights-of-way
- Construction duty
- guard trees during building work
- Citation
- SDMC §62.0602
Summary
San Diego's tree ordinance gives the Park and Recreation Department exclusive jurisdiction over the planting, maintenance, care, and removal of trees in every city street, backed by specific bans on damaging or interfering with them.
The Park and Recreation Department shall exercise jurisdiction and control over the planting, maintenance, care and removal of trees, or plants in all streets or other public rights of way of The City of San Diego, and shall have such power, authority, jurisdiction and duties as are prescribed in this Division. (Amended 3-12-1964 by O-8980 N.S.)
Same -- Approval Required
No tree, palm, shrub or plant shall be planted in any of The streets or other public highways of The City of San Diego until the Park and Recreation Director shall have first approved the kind and variety, designated the location therefor, and granted the permit for planting the same. (Amended 3-12-1964 by O-8980 N.S.)
Same -- Removal of Planting Without Permit Prohibited
No person, firm or corporation shall, without a permit from the Park and Recreation Director, remove, destroy, break, cut, trim, deface, or in any other way injure or interfere with any tree, palm, shrub or plant, or endanger the life of any such tree, palm or shrub or plant that is now or may hereafter be growing in any street or other public highway of the City of San Diego.
Ch. Art. Div. 626 1
Full Breakdown
Municipal Code §62.0602 vests the Park and Recreation Department with jurisdiction and control over all trees and plants growing in City streets and public rights-of-way, including their planting, maintenance, care and removal. The same Division 6 (Street Planting) backs that authority with concrete protections: §62.0605 bars tying animals to street trees, §62.0606 bars attaching wire, rope, signs or handbills or dumping substances harmful to a tree's growth, §62.0608 bars attaching electrical devices, and §62.0610 requires anyone altering or repairing a building to guard nearby street trees from injury during the work.
Violations & Fines
Damaging, defacing, or interfering with a street tree, or failing to guard trees during construction under §62.0610, violates Division 6 of the Municipal Code and can bring Park and Recreation enforcement against the property owner or contractor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does San Diego have a tree protection ordinance?
Do contractors have to protect trees during construction in San Diego?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Diego
California rules heatmap·Compare San Diego 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 Diego County handle tree removal & heritage trees.