Murrieta, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- §§ 16.42.030(H), 16.42.060
- Exempt activity
- Pruning that does not endanger tree's life
- Standard required
- ISA pruning guidelines
- No permit needed for
- Non-damaging pruning/trimming
- Improper trimming risk
- Can count as damaging a protected tree
Summary
Murrieta exempts pruning or trimming that does not endanger a protected tree's life from its tree removal permit rules, but any pruning of a protected tree must still follow International Society of Arboriculture guidelines under Sections 16.42.030(H) and 16.42.060.
H. Pruning and Trimming. Pruning or trimming that does not endanger the life of the tree. ... 16.42.060 Damaging Protected Trees Prohibited. Notwithstanding Section 16.42.040 (Exemptions), no person shall cut down, remove, relocate, or otherwise destroy a Protected Tree without first securing a Tree Removal Permit pursuant to Section 16.42.070. Any pruning or trimming of a Protected Tree as authorized under Section 16.42.040.1 shall be conducted in compliance with the guidelines published by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-23: A Codification of the General Ordinances of the City of Murrieta, California through Ord. 634-26, passed 7-7-2026).
Full Breakdown
42 (Tree Preservation) of the Murrieta Municipal Code treats routine pruning differently from removal. 030 lists exceptions to the chapter's permit requirements, and subsection (H), Pruning and Trimming, exempts 'pruning or trimming that does not endanger the life of the tree' from needing a tree removal permit. That means a homeowner or landscaper can trim a protected oak or mature tree for shape, clearance, or health without first applying to the director, so long as the cutting stops short of threatening the tree's survival. 030 must still be conducted in compliance with the guidelines published by the International Society of Arboriculture.
In other words, the exemption from the permit process is not an exemption from doing the work correctly. 040(B) separately defines a 'Damaged Tree' to include harm from improper watering, machinery, changing the natural grade around the trunk, or piercing the bark to attach signs or material, which means aggressive or improper trimming that crosses into that definition can expose a protected tree to the removal-permit and violation provisions even if it was not intentionally cut down.
Violations & Fines
Pruning that crosses the line into damaging or endangering a protected tree, or that is not conducted to International Society of Arboriculture standards as required by Section 16.42.060, is treated the same as unpermitted tree damage under Chapter 16.42 and is enforceable under Municipal Code Section 1.32.010 as an infraction, up to $100 for a first violation and $500 for repeat violations within a year, or as a misdemeanor carrying up to $1,000 and six months in county jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to trim a protected tree in Murrieta?
Are there standards I still have to follow when pruning a protected tree in Murrieta?
What happens if my pruning damages a protected tree in Murrieta?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Murrieta
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