Rancho Cordova, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required for
- Planting, transplanting, trimming, pruning, or removing any public tree
- Applies to
- Planting easements, streets, medians, traffic islands, and other public premises
- Permit validity
- 6 months
- Tree selection
- Must match the city's master tree list unless the public works director approves a substitute
- Utility easements
- Separate permit required before planting on a city utility, drainage, or sewer easement
Summary
Planting a tree in the parkway strip, planting easement, or any other public right-of-way in Rancho Cordova requires a public tree permit from the public works director: the same permit covers transplanting, trimming, pruning, or removing a public tree, whether it's alive or dead.
A public tree permit shall be required before any person shall plant, transplant, move, separate, trim, prune, cut above or below the ground, disrupt, alter or do surgery upon any public tree located on a planting easement, street, or public premises, irrespective of whether the tree is alive or dead.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4660102; v2 updated 2026-03-02; through 03-02-2026).
Full Breakdown
The permit process applies to any tree in a street, planting easement, median, traffic island, or other public premises maintained by the city. A separate permit is required before planting on a city utility, drainage, or sanitary sewer easement, since the public works director can prohibit plantings there that would interfere with the easement's use. An approved public tree permit is valid for six months, and its fee is set by city council resolution. In choosing what to plant, applicants generally must select species from the city's master tree list, unless the public works director determines a substitute has substantially the same characteristics as a listed tree. Once a tree is planted under a permit, it becomes a "public tree" and falls under the same maintenance and protection rules as any other city tree.
Violations & Fines
Planting, transplanting, or altering a public tree without a permit is a misdemeanor under RCMC § 19.04, up to six months in county jail and/or a $1,000 fine per day of violation, and an improperly planted tree can be declared a public nuisance and removed by the city.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant a tree in the strip between the sidewalk and the street in front of my house?
Do I need a permit to plant a tree on a utility easement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rancho Cordova
California rules heatmap·Compare Rancho Cordova to another location·View the California tree protection overview
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Parkway Planting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sacramento County handle parkway planting.