Fullerton, CA Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)
Key Facts
- Designation authority
- City Council, by resolution
- Removal approval
- City Council, on Commission recommendation
- Appeal window
- 10 days to Parks and Recreation Commission
- Replacement condition
- On-site or off-site replacement tree
Summary
Fullerton designates individual trees of exceptional age, size or historic value as landmark trees by City Council resolution under FMC § 9.06.130. Once designated, a landmark tree can be removed only after the City Council approves it based on a Parks and Recreation Commission recommendation and reasonable-standards review.
Upon the recommendation of the Director, the City Council may designate as a “landmark tree” any tree on property under the jurisdiction of the city meeting the criteria adopted by the City Council or may rescind such designations. (B) Landmark trees shall be removed only after approval by the City Council based on a recommendation by the Parks and Recreation Commission.
Full Breakdown
130 lets the Director, with advice from the City Parks and Recreation Commission, propose criteria for landmark tree designation to the City Council; the criteria weigh age, size, shape, species, location, historical association and visual quality or contribution to the city's character. The City Council designates or rescinds landmark status by resolution for any tree on property under city jurisdiction that meets the adopted criteria. 130(B) requires City Council approval, based on a Parks and Recreation Commission recommendation, before a landmark tree can be removed at all.
Subsection (C) lists the reasonable standards the city applies to a removal request: the tree's health and any hazard it poses (public nuisance status, risk of falling, proximity to structures, interference with utilities, disease or pest hosting); whether removal is necessary to allow construction or reasonable enjoyment of the property; topographic effects on soil and water retention or runoff; the number, species, size and location of other trees in the area and effects on shade, air quality, historic value and scenic beauty; and good forestry practice, including how many healthy trees a parcel can support.
Subsection (D) lets the city attach conditions to any approved removal, including requiring replacement trees on-site, planting off-site, an ongoing maintenance and care program for remaining landmark trees, or payment of a fee or donation of planting stock where no suitable replacement site exists.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 9.06's penalty section, § 9.06.190, applies the general code penalty in § 1.08.010 (infraction fines of $100/$200/$500 for successive violations, or misdemeanor prosecution up to $1,000 and six months in County Jail) plus a mandatory fee equal to the tree's full replacement value, deposited into a Public Works revolving fund dedicated to replacing and planting trees. Any Director decision, including a landmark tree determination, can be appealed to the City Parks and Recreation Commission within ten days under § 9.06.120, with a further ten-day window to appeal that Commission's decision to the City Council, whose ruling is final.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides whether a tree in Fullerton gets landmark status?
Can a Fullerton property owner remove a landmark tree on their own?
What can the city require in exchange for approving a landmark tree removal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fullerton
California rules heatmap·Compare Fullerton to another location·View the California tree protection overview
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