Hemet, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

The City of Hemet has been recognized as a Tree City USA for more than 30 years, a designation that requires the city to maintain a tree board or department, a community tree ordinance, an urban-forestry budget of at least $2 per capita, and an annual Arbor Day observance. Care and maintenance of street trees is addressed in the Hemet Municipal Code under Chapter 66 (Streets and Sidewalks), Article IV, "Care and Maintenance of Street Trees." Trees in the public parkway and right-of-way are part of the city's urban forest and are generally managed by Public Works/Parks; the city plants drought-tolerant shade species (recent Arbor Day plantings at Brubaker Park used Modesto Ash). On private property, owners are responsible for trimming their own trees and for keeping branches and shrubs from blocking sidewalks, streetlights, or driver sight lines at intersections, since overhanging or sight-obstructing vegetation can be cited as a nuisance. Because work on parkway/street trees occurs in the public right-of-way, residents should contact Public Works/Parks at (951) 765-2300 before pruning or removing a tree between the curb and sidewalk, rather than assuming it is theirs to cut. We were unable to retrieve the verbatim Article IV section text from the codifier; specific permit thresholds should be confirmed directly with Public Works.