Mission Viejo, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Mission Viejo Municipal Code Sec. 080 places the clearance duty squarely on the adjoining property owner, not the city: subsection (a) makes it the owner's job to keep trees and shrubs pruned so they do not obstruct or shade street lights, block pedestrian passage on sidewalks, obstruct sight of traffic signs or control devices, or block visibility at a street or alley intersection. The section carves out one exception: if the interference is with utility wires, correcting it is the utility company's job, not the owner's.

30's planting and removal rules for city trees under Sec. 050). Under subsection (b), when an owner fails to keep clearance, the city forester issues a written order requiring corrective action within 14 days of receipt, served by mailing a copy to the owner's last known address. Subsection (c) is the enforcement teeth: if the owner still has not complied when the 14 days run out, the city may lawfully prune the trees or shrubs itself, or pay to have the pruning done, and then assess the full cost of that work back to the property owner.

Subsection (d) gives the forester an added option: rather than wait out the full notice-and-order process, the forester may elect, at his or her sole discretion, to trim only the portion of the trees or shrubs that has grown onto city property or the right-of-way to relieve the obstruction, and still assess that cost to the responsible owner. The rule applies to any real property bordering a public street in the city, covering routine residential and commercial frontage trees alike.