Santee, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 8.06.080(B) puts a standing duty on every person owning or occupying real property in Santee to keep trees on that property trimmed to meet the City's clearance standards for streets, alleys, and sidewalks, and to keep trees and shrubs from blocking the view of any traffic sign or signal. Section 8.06.080(C) extends that duty to trees and shrubs growing on the public right-of-way adjoining the property, requiring a "reasonable standard of care" that keeps them from blocking pedestrian visibility, obstructing street or sidewalk clearance, obstructing traffic signals or signs, growing into overhead utility lines, or letting root structures undermine sidewalks, curbs, gutters, roadways, or underground water and sewer lines.

The code sets the actual clearance number: a minimum of 13 feet, six inches from the lowest branches to the street or sidewalk. That private duty is distinct from trimming trees that are actually on City-owned public property or a public highway, which instead needs written Director or City Council authorization under § 8.06.110, and any contractor the City hires for its own tree work must use an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture's western chapter under § 8.06.200. The Parks and Landscape Maintenance Supervisor enforces the chapter under Title 1's misdemeanor, infraction, and administrative-citation procedures, per § 8.06.260, and the City disclaims liability for a hazard an owner failed to trim under § 8.06.230, leaving the owner on the hook.