Humboldt County, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

PRC section 4291 applies to any person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure in, upon, or adjoining any mountainous area, forest-covered land, brush-covered land, grass-covered land, or land that is covered with flammable material within a State Responsibility Area (SRA) or a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ). Cal Fire designates much of Humboldt County's unincorporated land as SRA. The 100-foot perimeter has two intensity zones: ember-resistant Zone 0 (0-5 feet) and lean/clean/green Zone 1 (5-30 feet), with reduced-fuel Zone 2 extending to 100 feet (Gov. Code section 51182 echoes the same 100-foot requirement in VHFHSZ within Local Responsibility Areas). Trees overhanging the roof must be trimmed back, and limbs within 10 feet of a chimney outlet must be removed. Separately, Humboldt County Code section 313-64 (Coastal Zoning Regulations) protects major vegetation in the County Coastal Zone, listing purposes that include preventing soil erosion, landslide and flood hazard, reducing runoff, providing windbreaks, and protecting adjacent trees from irreparable wind damage. Civil Code sections 833-834 govern ownership: a tree belongs exclusively to the owner of the parcel on which its trunk stands, and trees straddling a boundary are jointly owned.