Stanislaus County, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Stanislaus County's Planning & Community Development Department is explicit that the County has no general tree-trimming regulation for private property. Its FAQ states the County does not have a tree ordinance and does not oversee the pruning of any trees located on private property, and that street trees located on private property are the responsibility of the property owner. There is no County permit, schedule, or approval needed to trim or top a tree on your own land in the unincorporated area. The one trimming-related standard appears in the Zoning Ordinance (Title 21) corner-lot vision-clearance rule: in all zones, on a corner lot, nothing over three feet may be built, parked or grown within the triangular sight area formed by the street lines and a line connecting points twenty-five feet from the intersection, except that street trees are permitted if pruned at least eight feet above the established grade of the curb so they do not obstruct a driver's clear view (Title 21, prior code Section 9-125(d)). The Zoning Ordinance also sets street-tree pruning at fences and screen planting standards in side and rear yards. Beyond this safety-of-view rule, day-to-day pruning of yard and street trees is unregulated by the County and is the owner's responsibility. Neighbor tree-overhang disputes are governed by California common law, not a County ordinance.