Rancho Cucamonga, CA Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

080 sets the heritage tree threshold on a sliding scale tied to land use: single-family residential trees over 30 feet tall with a 20-inch trunk diameter at breast height, multi-family and mixed-use trees over 15 feet with the same 20-inch diameter, and commercial, industrial or institutional trees over just eight feet with a 20-inch diameter. Multi-trunk trees qualify at a combined 30-inch diameter, and the planning director can also designate any tree historically or culturally significant regardless of size. Anyone who wants to remove, relocate, or top a heritage tree by more than 25 percent of its height must first obtain a tree removal permit, and the director may require a report from a qualified arborist, paid for by the applicant, documenting the tree's condition and the justification for removal.

If more than five trees are proposed for removal in one application, the director must give adjacent property owners ten days' notice before deciding. Permits are denied outright for trees tied to a pending development proposal unless all discretionary approvals are already in hand or the director grants an emergency waiver. Trees designated historic landmarks need both a tree removal permit and a certificate of compliance, and any removal request for a landmark tree goes to the historic preservation commission for a certificate of appropriateness, appealable to the city council.

Exemptions cover fruit and nut trees, nursery stock, trees blocking required sight distance at intersections, trees threatening public utilities or improvements, diseased park trees, and trees inside a designated urban wildlife interface area. Dead trees still need a permit but the city waives the fee. 020, enforces the chapter and can require replacement planting or supervised relocation as a permit condition.