Hesperia, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Hesperia's Development Code §16.24.110 (Plant Preservation) directs applicants to comply with San Bernardino County Development Code §88.01.060, which requires preservation, salvage, and transplantation of protected native desert plants including Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia), Mojave yucca, desert willow, smoke trees, and creosote. A Protected Plant Preservation Plan prepared by a qualified, City-approved biologist or arborist is required prior to grading or trimming. The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act (effective July 2023, codified at Cal. Fish & Game Code §1927 et seq.) makes it a state-level violation to take (remove, trim, damage, move, kill) any Western Joshua tree without a permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) — except for limited maintenance trimming of dead or hazardous parts. Mitigation fees range from $150 (residential <5 acres, single tree) to $2,500+ per tree for development. For all other (non-Joshua) trees, routine homeowner pruning and removal on private property is generally unregulated, but trees in the public right-of-way require a city permit before trimming. Branches overhanging private property may generally be trimmed back to the property line under California common law (Cal. Civ. Code §841).