El Dorado County, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- County Code Ch. 12.12, Roadside Trees
- Approved species list
- Board of Supervisors-approved master tree list
- Enforcing officer
- Director of Transportation
- List custodian
- Agricultural Commissioner
- Off-list planting
- Written Commissioner permit required
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Appeal path
- Board of Supervisors, Sec. 12.12.130
Summary
El Dorado County limits which trees may be planted along public roads. Under Code Section 12.12.050, every tree set out in a highway right-of-way within a subdivision or in one-family, multifamily or commercial zoning must come from the Agricultural Commissioner's Board-approved master tree list, or the planter needs a written permit.
A.The Agricultural Commissioner is charged with the duty of promptly determining the types and species of trees suitable and desirable for planting and the areas in which, and conditions under which, the trees shall be planted in the public highways within subdivided lands and land zoned as one-family residential districts, multifamily residential districts and commercial districts within the County. ... When approved by the Board of Supervisors, the report shall be known as the master tree list, shall be placed on file in the office of the County Clerk, and shall thereafter be the official determination of the Commissioner.B.All trees hereafter planted in the public highways within subdivided lands and land zoned as one-family residential districts, multifamily residential districts and commercial districts within the County must be on the master tree list, unless a written permit from the Agricultural Commissioner is first obtained to plant a tree not on the list.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
030 defines to include 'all roads, streets, avenues, boulevards, alleys, parkways and public rights-of-way' of the County. 020 states the chapter's purpose: developing a comprehensive plan for planting and maintaining trees in public highways. 050: after consulting landscape architects, arborists or nurserymen, the Commissioner reports findings to the Board of Supervisors, and once the Board approves the list it is filed with the County Clerk as the official master tree list. Every tree planted afterward in a covered right-of-way must be on that list unless the planter first obtains a written permit from the Commissioner, who can issue one only after Board approval.
060 gives the Commissioner ongoing jurisdiction over the location and placement of new plantings and over trimming, removal, relocation and replacement of existing roadside trees. 080, and the Director can void that permit if its terms are violated. 040, is the chapter's enforcement officer. 130, whose ruling after a public hearing is final.
Violations & Fines
Planting an off-list species without Commissioner approval, or cutting, trimming or removing a roadside tree without a Director's permit, is a misdemeanor under Section 12.12.140, punished per the general penalty in Chapter 1.24: up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in County jail, or both (Section 1.24.010). The Director can also void a planting or care permit outright if its conditions are violated, and permit denials or revocations can be appealed to the Board of Supervisors under Section 12.12.130.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant any tree species along my El Dorado County street frontage?
Who approves the master tree list for El Dorado County roadsides?
Do I need a permit to remove a roadside tree in El Dorado County?
What happens if I violate the roadside tree rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Dorado County
California rules heatmap·Compare El Dorado County to another location·View the California tree protection overview
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