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

020 defines a 'heritage tree' to include any oak, bay, cypress, maple, redwood, buckeye and sycamore tree with a trunk or main stem of twenty-four inches or more in diameter, measured four feet six inches above natural grade, as well as any tree required to be preserved under an approved development plan, zoning permit, use permit, site development review or subdivision map, and any tree required as replacement for an unlawfully removed tree. That definition traces to the city's original 'Heritage Tree Ordinance,' Ordinance 29-99, adopted December 21, 1999.

090 separately lists what counts as a protected tree: any twenty-four-inch-or-greater trunk tree on developed residential property, trees preserved under a development approval, replacement trees for unlawful removals, and any tree or grove the City Council designates by resolution as a heritage tree or heritage grove because it is an outstanding specimen, one of the city's largest or oldest, or has distinctive form, size, age, location or historical significance. 070(A)(2). 070(G) to include breaking, poisoning, girdling, or paving within twenty-four inches of the trunk, is treated as an unlawful removal, not mere damage.

110 sets the remedy: a civil penalty equal to twice the appraised value of the tree, assessed by a city-selected Qualified Tree Professional, plus the city's appraisal costs, and mandatory replacement with a same-species tree sized and located as the Public Works Director determines.