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

Municipal Code Sec. 060, part of the Property Value Protection and Neighborhood Preservation chapter, makes it unlawful for anyone owning, leasing or occupying property in San Marcos to inadequately maintain landscaping visible from a public street or right-of-way in ways that degrade the neighborhood's aesthetic quality. Subsection (e), "Overgrown Vegetation," specifically targets growth that harbors rats or vermin, grows into the right-of-way so it obstructs drivers' views on public streets or private driveways, or substantially obstructs use of a public sidewalk. It then sets the numeric clearance standard: vegetation hanging over the edge of a public sidewalk must be trimmed to a 7-foot vertical clearance, while vegetation over a public street or alley must be trimmed to a 14-foot vertical clearance.

Subsection (d) separately targets dead or hazardous trees and other vegetation that are unsightly or dangerous to public health, safety and welfare. The chapter's stated enforcement approach favors education first: Sec. 010(d) established a six-month educational period after the ordinance's 2009 adoption during which only notices of violation with educational material were issued, and the City proactively enforces the chapter except against single-family residential properties, which are handled complaint-driven, per Sec. 010(g). No anonymous complaints are investigated unless they involve a health and safety matter (Sec. 010(h)).