Orange County, CA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Unincorporated Orange County does not impose a general permit requirement for trimming or pruning trees on private property. Routine maintenance pruning is allowed. The clearest county-related trimming directive comes from the fire-hazard reduction program: OC's vegetation-removal guidance instructs owners to 'remove any portion of a tree that extends within 10 feet of the outlet of any roof, chimney, or stovepipe' for fire safety. Beyond that, tree work is largely unregulated for most species. Note that Orange County has long lacked an adopted native-tree preservation ordinance; advocates have pointed out it is the only county in the six-county SCAG region without native-tree protections. A draft 'Protected Tree' framework folded into the County's 'Orange is the New Green' Zoning Code update would, where it applies, treat 'excessive pruning, including removal of branches in excess of two (2) inches in diameter, or topping' of a protected native tree as prohibited 'damage' requiring a permit. That draft is geographically limited (large parcels in specific-plan canyon areas) and is not a general countywide trimming code. Trees in road rights-of-way may be pruned by the County for sight-distance and clearance.