Santa Clara, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

080 defines five categories of protected tree that cannot be removed without first obtaining a City permit: heritage trees in any zoning district; specimen trees of nine listed native and ornamental species (including coast live oak, valley oak, coast redwood and California buckeye) with a trunk twelve inches or more in diameter measured fifty-four inches above grade; approved development trees; any private tree with a trunk thirty-eight inches or more in diameter at that same fifty-four-inch measuring height; and a multibranched private tree with major branches below fifty-four inches whose trunk is thirty-eight inches or more in diameter just below the first fork.

090 makes removing, vandalizing or grievously mutilating a protected tree without a permit, or beyond an approved permit's scope, a chapter violation, and requires a removal application filed with the Community Development Department that includes a site drawing, a written explanation, a certified arborist's report, photographs, the property owner's signature, and the permit fee. 090(3)(A). 090(7) sets replacement ratios once a permit issues: dead or unsuitable species and single-family removals require one-to-one replacement at a minimum fifteen-gallon size, while multifamily, commercial or industrial removals require either a two-to-one replacement in twenty-four-inch boxes or four-to-one in fifteen-gallon stock.

140 sets the penalty: a civil monetary penalty of up to $5,000 per violation, plus, if the tree is substantially injured or removed, an additional penalty equal to the tree's assessed monetary value based on location, species and size, applied separately to each affected tree.