Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 12.36 (Protected Trees) requires a permit to remove or significantly prune protected trees, including all coast live oaks 4 inches or larger in diameter and any other tree 9 inches or larger measured 4.5 feet above grade.
OMC 12.36 is one of the stricter urban tree ordinances in the Bay Area. A protected tree is defined as any coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) with a trunk diameter of 4 inches or greater, or any other species (except eucalyptus, Monterey pine, and a few invasives) with a trunk 9 inches or greater diameter at breast height (4.5 feet). Removal or significant pruning, meaning removal of more than 25 percent of the live crown, requires a Tree Removal Permit from the Tree Services Division of Public Works. Applications require an arborist report for larger or healthy trees and may require replacement planting. Emergency removal of trees posing immediate hazard is allowed with after-the-fact reporting within 48 hours. Street trees are separately regulated under OMC 12.32 and cannot be pruned or removed without a permit regardless of size.
Unpermitted removal of a protected tree can result in civil penalties up to 5,000 dollars per tree, plus replacement-tree requirements calculated on trunk-diameter replacement or appraised value. Stop-work orders and criminal misdemeanor charges are possible for willful violations.
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