Fresno County, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Fresno County, 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
- Trigger size
- Trunk diameter 6+ inches at ground level
- Applies where
- Park strips and public rights-of-way, NB Overlay Zone
- Permit authority
- Director of Public Works and Planning
- Public notice
- Posted at tree for 10 days
- Decision window
- 30 days from application receipt
- Appeal
- Director's determination is final
Summary
In Fresno County's Neighborhood Beautification Overlay Zone, removing any tree six inches or more in trunk diameter from a park strip or public right-of-way requires a permit from the Director of Public Works and Planning. The Director decides within 30 days after a 10-day public posting near the tree.
Any person desiring to remove, for any reason, any tree (with a trunk diameter equal to or greater than six (6) inches at ground level), which is in a park strip or public right-of-way, shall apply to the Director of Public Works and Planning, or designee, for a permit as outlined in Section D of this Chapter... The Director, or designee, shall investigate and may approve, with or without conditions, or deny, the issuance of a permit for removal of the tree(s) subject to the following procedure: a. Property owner of the property immediately adjacent to the park strip or right-of-way containing the subject tree shall complete a tree removal permit application; ... c. Within 10 days of receipt the application, the County shall post a copy of the written notice of application adjacent to the tree(s) proposed to be removed for 10 days, in order to notify the residents of the area; d. The Director, or designee, shall approve or deny the permit within 30 days of receipt of the application. The Director's determination is final.
Full Breakdown
060 governs property maintenance in the county's Neighborhood Beautification (NB) Overlay Zone, and subsection C makes clear that trees in a park strip or public right-of-way adjacent to a residential lot must be irrigated by the adjacent property owner, while the County itself may prune such trees as part of roadway maintenance after giving notice. c sets the trigger: anyone who wants to remove, for any reason, a tree with a trunk diameter of six inches or more at ground level that sits in a park strip or public right-of-way must apply to the Director of Public Works and Planning, or a designee, for a removal permit.
Subsection D lays out the review procedure. The adjacent property owner completes a tree removal permit application, the Director notifies the county Supervisor for the district where the parcel sits, and within 10 days of receiving the application the County posts written notice next to the tree for 10 days so area residents are informed. The Director then approves (with or without conditions) or denies the permit within 30 days of receiving the application, and the Director's determination is final, meaning there is no separate administrative appeal built into this section.
2 carves out an emergency exception: a tree that presents a risk to public health or safety, or potential damage to real or personal property, can be removed without going through the notice-and-posting procedure once the Department of Public Works and Planning verifies the reported safety concern after notification from the adjacent owner. The County itself does not need a permit to prune or remove these trees, and public utilities acting within the scope of an easement are likewise exempt. This tree removal permit requirement is scoped to the NB Overlay Zone's park strips and public rights-of-way; it does not create a countywide private-property tree preservation ordinance, and the Fresno County Zoning Ordinance contains no separate heritage-tree or general tree-preservation permit chapter outside this overlay provision.
Violations & Fines
Removing a qualifying tree from a park strip or public right-of-way in the NB Overlay Zone without first obtaining the Director's permit is a violation of Zoning Ordinance § 818.2.060(D). The ordinance text does not list a specific fine schedule for this subsection; enforcement runs through the Director of Public Works and Planning, who can deny future permit requests and require restoration, and the county can pursue its general zoning-violation remedies for unpermitted removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove any tree on my Fresno County property?
Who decides whether I can remove a qualifying tree?
Can I skip the process if the tree is dangerous?
Is there an appeal if the Director denies my permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno County to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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