Tustin, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing official
- Manager of Field Services, Sec. 7305
- Scope
- Parkway, median, street, alley, ROW trees
- Attaching items to trees
- Written approval required, Sec. 7302
- Resident duty
- Water and maintain frontage trees, Sec. 7304
- Appeal path
- Public Works Director, then Council, Sec. 7307
Summary
The City of Tustin controls trimming of every tree and shrub growing in a public parkway, median, street, highway, alley or right-of-way. Under Sec. 7305, the Manager of Field Services decides when limbs need cutting and can order the work done by the City or direct the adjacent property owner to do it.
When the Manager of Field Services determines that any limbs or branches or other growth on any trees or shrubbery growing in, on or over any land owned by the City or located in any public parkway, median, street, highway, alley or right-of-way should be trimmed, the Manager of Field Services may cause such trimming to be done, or by direction of the City Council may cause directions to perform such trimming to be given to the property owner in front of or along side of whose property said trees or shrubbery are located.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 7301 states the City's purpose plainly: Tustin intends to maintain full power, authority and jurisdiction over every tree, plant or shrub growing in or over a public parkway, street, highway, alley, right-of-way or other City-owned property. Building on that authority, Sec. 7305 lets the Manager of Field Services determine when limbs, branches or other growth on a parkway or street tree should be trimmed; the Manager can either have City crews do the trimming or, by direction of the City Council, order the adjacent property owner to do it.
Sec. 7302 backs that authority with a companion rule: no one may fasten anything to a City tree, shrub, stake or guard, from a leash to a guy-wire, without the Manager's prior written approval. Sec. 7304 puts day-to-day upkeep on the resident: every person must water and otherwise maintain, in a proper and sightly manner, the trees and shrubbery in the parkway in front of or alongside their own property. Anyone who disagrees with a trimming order from the Manager of Field Services can appeal in writing to the Director of Public Works and, from there, to the City Council, under Sec. 7307.
Violations & Fines
Tustin's tree chapter carries no separate penalty clause of its own, so a trimming order that goes unheeded, or unauthorized cutting under Sec. 7302 or 7303, falls back on the City's general penalty section, Sec. 1121: a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in the Orange County jail, or an infraction fine starting at $100 for a first offense and climbing to $500 for repeat violations within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides when a City street tree needs trimming in Tustin?
Can I trim the parkway tree in front of my Tustin house myself?
What if I disagree with a City trimming order in Tustin?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tustin
California rules heatmap·Compare Tustin to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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Tree Trimming in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle tree trimming.