Santa Ana Tree Trimming Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

Santa Ana Municipal Code Chapter 33 establishes the city's regulatory framework for tree management, dividing responsibility between property owners and the city government. As the county seat of Orange County with approximately 310,000 residents, Santa Ana places significant emphasis on its urban forest as a component of neighborhood livability, air quality, and heat island mitigation in its densely developed landscape.

Private trees growing on residential or commercial lots are the property owner's full responsibility. Owners must keep trees properly pruned so that branches do not encroach over public sidewalks below a minimum clearance of 8 feet, or over public streets below a minimum clearance of 14 feet. Branches that obstruct pedestrian pathways, street lights, traffic signals, stop signs, or sight lines at intersections and driveways must be trimmed back promptly. Trees that become dead, diseased, infested with pests, or structurally hazardous must be addressed to prevent them from creating public nuisance conditions or endangering persons and property. The city may issue notice-and-order directives to property owners requiring them to trim or remove private trees that pose an imminent hazard to public safety.

Street trees — those planted in the public right-of-way, in parkway strips between the curb and sidewalk, in medians, or on other city-owned land — are the exclusive property of the City of Santa Ana. Chapter 33 prohibits any person from cutting, trimming, pruning, removing, injuring, or destroying any city tree without prior written permission from the Public Works Agency. This includes cutting roots: residents may not sever or poison the roots of street trees, even when roots encroach onto private property and cause damage to sidewalks, driveways, sewer laterals, or foundations. Requests for root pruning, crown reduction, tree removal, or new street tree planting must be submitted to the Public Works Agency for evaluation.

Santa Ana's Public Works Agency manages the city's approximately 80,000 street trees through a combination of in-house crews and contracted arborist services. Street tree maintenance is performed on a rotating schedule throughout the city. Residents who believe a street tree requires urgent attention due to storm damage, disease, or imminent hazard should contact Public Works at (714) 647-3380. For private trees near Southern California Edison power lines, property owners should coordinate trimming through SCE at 1-800-655-4555 rather than attempting to prune near energized conductors.

When private tree removal is associated with a development project — such as new construction, additions, or site grading — the Planning and Building Agency may impose conditions requiring replacement tree plantings at a specified ratio to mitigate the loss of canopy cover. Property owners planning to remove mature trees in connection with any permit application should consult the Planning and Building Agency at (714) 647-5804 to determine whether replacement requirements apply.