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

In unincorporated Santa Clara County, ordinary maintenance pruning of trees on your own property usually does not require a County permit. The County's Tree Preservation and Removal Ordinance (Division C16 of the County Ordinance Code) focuses on protected trees and trees in designated areas, and excessive pruning that effectively destroys a protected tree can be treated like a removal. Heritage trees and trees in regulated zones (Hillsides, Design Review combining districts, and the Historic Preservation district for New Almaden) receive more scrutiny. Trees located in the County road right-of-way are handled separately: the County Roads and Airports Department requires approval before trimming or removing a tree in the public right-of-way. Where land-use development is involved, the County's tree-preservation guidelines require protective fencing at the dripline (Tree Protective Zone), arborist oversight, and limits on cutting into the canopy of trees designated for preservation. Separately, state wildfire law (Public Resources Code section 4291) requires owners in State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones to maintain defensible space, which includes pruning lower limbs and keeping branches clear of structures and chimneys. That fire-safety pruning is a state mandate, not a County aesthetic rule.