Alameda, CA Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

7(c) of the Municipal Code creates a categorical "protected tree" list separate from the case-by-case Historical Monument designation process covered elsewhere in the same chapter. No protected tree may be removed without a certificate of approval from the Historical Advisory Board, and the list is fixed by name and location rather than by an individual designation hearing: the palm trees in the public right of way on Burbank Street and Portola Avenue, any street tree on Thompson and Central Avenues, and any Coastal Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) measuring ten inches or more in diameter at four and one-half feet above the ground.

An owner seeking removal for the tree's health must submit an arborist's report; an owner citing damage to a foundation or other structure must submit a contractor's report instead. Replacement is mandatory: any protected street tree removed must be replaced at the applicant's expense to the Public Works Director's satisfaction, while any removed oak must be replaced with at least two oak trees of ten-gallon size or larger to the Planning and Building Director's satisfaction. A denial or approval can be appealed to the City Council within ten days, and the Council can only reverse the Board's decision on evidence that the tree is incapable of earning an economic return on its value.

Certificates of approval are valid for three years, and notice of the hearing goes by postal card or letter to owners of record within 300 feet of the tree. This list sits within Article VII, Historical Preservation (Section 13-21), which the City administers through the Historical Advisory Board and the Planning and Building Department.