Mission Viejo, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Mission Viejo Municipal Code Sec. 050 makes it unlawful for any person, including a contractor or property owner, to plant, spray, fertilize, prune, remove, replace, cut, or otherwise disturb a tree or shrub on a public street parkway, park, or other city-owned or city-possessed property without first filing a written request and receiving the city forester's written permission. The city forester, an office established within the department of public works under Sec. 040, must act on a written request within ten working days, and all approved work must follow the arborcultural rules and regulations the city council adopts by resolution under Sec.

040(c), which are meant to track International Society of Arborculture standards. Residents who want a new street tree planted near their property have that request accommodated according to planting priorities the council sets under the same section, and the specifications governing tree species, size, spacing, and planting method and location also come from those council-adopted rules. The city forester inspects trees before planting whenever possible to confirm health and quality. When a permitted removal requires replacement, Sec. 050(b) sets a caliper-inch standard: for every inch of diameter at breast height removed, an equal number of caliper inches must be replanted within one year of the removal permit's issuance, for example one 12-inch DBH tree removed requires six 2-inch caliper replacements or four 3-inch caliper replacements.

Replacement trees carry a one-year health guaranty backed by a warranty bond. If a tree or shrub must come out for sidewalk paving or street widening or paving, Sec. 050(d) requires the responsible agency or person to replant or replace it, in the right-of-way if possible or on an adjoining or alternate site the city forester approves. Any excavation within the right-of-way to comply with this section needs separate permits and approvals from the city engineer and other city agencies per subsection (g). Sec. 060 separately bars intentional damage, unauthorized transplanting, attaching ropes, wires, nails, or advertising posters to a city tree, or letting harmful substances or fire reach one, and prohibits topping a city tree except as a precursor to removal for a threat to life or property.