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

Yucaipa's Development Code defines heritage trees by arrangement, not by age or species. Section 89.0315, in Chapter 3 (Mountain Forest and Valley Tree Conservation) of Division DC9, says that three or more trees in linear plantings which are 50 feet or greater in length within established windrows or parkway plantings are considered to be heritage trees and are subject to the Division's provisions regarding trees.

That status pulls a planting into the permit system. The same section requires anyone who intends to remove a living native tree with a six-inch or greater stem diameter, measured at 4.5 feet above the average ground level of the tree base, to first obtain approval from the City. Section 89.0115(a) requires a removal permit, and § 89.0120 limits approvals to findings such as interference with an allowed structure, a hazard to pedestrian or vehicular travel, or extensive damage to utilities, sidewalks, or foundations. A plot plan showing exactly which trees come out must be approved (§ 89.0125), and § 89.0130 bars enclosing trunks within roof lines or decking and grade alterations that bury any portion of a tree or undercut the root system within the dripline.

Scope matters. Chapter 3 applies to native trees other than oaks growing on private land within the City of Yucaipa and on City-owned land (§ 89.0305(a)). Commercial harvesting is prohibited unless authorized by the State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection under the Forest Practice Act of 1973 (§ 89.0305(b)). The § 89.0110(b) exemptions also apply to regulated trees, including lots with a net area of 20,000 square feet or less developed with a primary structure, and any regulated tree within 20 feet of a structure built under a City development permit.

Heritage trees also appear in the fire rules. The City's local amendments to the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code let the fire code official suspend enforcement and require reasonable alternative measures in a specific case where conditions include stands or groves of trees or heritage trees (Section 604.7.1).