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

Sec. 7306(a) gives the Manager of Field Services authority to remove any tree in the public parkway or right-of-way that has been determined to be blighted, diseased or unsafe to the public; the City then replaces the tree within a reasonable time, drawing from its approved list of tree species. Sec. 7306(b) addresses the more common request: an adjacent property owner who wants a healthy tree gone. That request goes to the Manager of Field Services or a designated representative for evaluation, and the code sets a real limit on it, a healthy tree specimen will not be removed unless it has caused damage to adjacent property or has been determined to be unsafe.

Nothing in this chapter creates a permit or protection scheme for trees on private property; Sec. 7301 confines the City's tree jurisdiction to parkways, medians, streets, highways, alleys, sidewalks, rights-of-way and other City-owned land, so a homeowner's own backyard tree is not covered by this removal process. Tustin also prohibits, under Sec. 7303, cutting down, girdling, removing, breaking or destroying any tree or shrub on a public parkway, median, street, highway, alley, sidewalk or right-of-way without the Manager's prior written approval, which is the operative rule for anyone other than the City removing a street tree.

Appeals from the Manager's removal determination follow the same path as trimming appeals: written appeal to the Director of Public Works, and ultimately the City Council, under Sec. 7307.