San Jacinto, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

The trimming duty is in Chapter 12.20, Street Trees and Shrubs, of the San Jacinto Municipal Code. Section 12.20.070 states that it is the duty of the owners or occupants of the lands adjoining the streets and sidewalks of the city to keep the trees on the streets and sidewalks so trimmed that the branches do not interfere with the way of pedestrians on sidewalks or of persons passing in vehicles along the street under such trees. The section prints no clearance height. The test is functional: pedestrians on the sidewalk and vehicles on the street must be able to pass beneath. Because it falls on owners or occupants, a tenant in the City of San Jacinto can be held to it alongside the landlord.

Hedges have their own rule in Article 2. Under § 12.20.090, all hedges along the line of any public highway in the city shall be trimmed and maintained so that no part of the hedge projects over the property line onto the sidewalks or street. Under § 12.20.100, it is the duty of both the owner and the occupant to see that the requirements of the article are strictly enforced, and every person wilfully failing to comply, or allowing property to be in a condition contrary to the article, is guilty of a violation of the article.

The city has a notice-and-abatement path. Under § 12.20.110, the superintendent of public works gives written notice to the owner, if known, or to the occupant, or posts the notice conspicuously on the property if neither can be notified. The notice describes the work, refers to the article, and states that unless the property is brought into compliance within ten (10) days the superintendent will do the work and the cost will be charged and made a lien against the property. Under § 12.20.120 the city proceeds with the work if the ten (10) days pass, and under § 12.20.130 the superintendent delivers a cost statement to the assessor and tax collector, and the amount, together with a ten (10%) percent penalty, becomes a lien collected like other city taxes. Section 12.20.140 requires the superintendent to keep a record of every notice, job and cost for each parcel.

The right-of-way chapter reinforces the trimming duty: § 12.05.010(B) requires the owner of a lot fronting a parkway or sidewalk to maintain the trees, shrubs, hedges, or landscaping there so they do not interfere with public safety and convenience.