Santa Barbara, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Santa Barbara treats its urban forest as a managed public resource. The City's Urban Forestry Program cares for roughly 35,000 street trees plus thousands more in parks and public landscapes. Street tree pruning, planting, and removal are reserved to City staff; residents are expected to water and clean up debris around adjacent street trees but may not trim them. For private property, tree protection policies under SBMC Chapters 15.20 (street tree planting and maintenance) and 15.24 (preservation of trees) extend to several protected categories. A permit is required to 'remove or significantly alter (prune)' street trees, designated historic and specimen trees, setback trees (any tree with 50% or more of its trunk in a front setback), parking lot trees, and trees on an approved landscape plan. Routine maintenance pruning of an ordinary, unprotected backyard tree generally does not need a permit, but the protected-tree categories are broad, so front-yard and parkway trees are commonly covered. New or pruning work on a street tree is handled by the Parks and Recreation Department at staff level. Property owners considering work on a parkway, setback, specimen, or historic tree should contact the Urban Forestry Program before cutting.