Sonoma County, CA Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Baseline permit
- Ministerial zoning permit to remove
- Use permit trigger: redwood
- Single-stem d.b.h. over 48 in.
- Use permit trigger: oak/hardwood
- Single-stem d.b.h. over 36 in.
- In-lieu mitigation fee
- $510 per arboreal value point
- Enforced by
- Permit Sonoma & Dept. of Agriculture
Summary
Unincorporated Sonoma County requires a zoning permit before removing a protected tree, redwoods, oaks, and other native hardwoods, and a discretionary use permit with mitigation for the largest specimens.
Unless a use permit is required per subsection A.4.b. or an exemption applies under subsection B., a ministerial zoning permit is required for removal of protected trees. ... a use permit is required for the following: 1. Removal of redwoods with single stem d.b.h. exceeding forty-eight inches (48"). 2. Removal of oaks and other hardwoods with single stem d.b.h. exceeding thirty-six inches (36").
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Sonoma County Code § 26-88-015 protects certain native trees from removal, chiefly redwoods and oaks/other hardwoods. Removing any protected tree needs at least a ministerial zoning permit. Removing a single-stem redwood over 48 inches d.b.h., or an oak/hardwood over 36 inches d.b.h., instead requires a discretionary use permit, with findings under Sonoma County Code § 26-92-080 and mitigation (replacement trees or an in-lieu fee) under the ordinance's arboreal value chart. Fire-defensible-space work, hazardous/dead/diseased tree removal, and routine agricultural and residential maintenance are exempt. This is the unincorporated county code only. Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, the City of Sonoma, and the county's other five cities enforce their own separate tree ordinances.
Violations & Fines
Permit Sonoma and the county Department of Agriculture enforce the ordinance. Removing a protected tree without the required permit exposes the property owner to mandatory tree replacement under the arboreal value chart, an in-lieu fee, and zoning code enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove an oak tree on unincorporated Sonoma County land?
Does the county tree protection ordinance apply inside Santa Rosa or the City of Sonoma?
What happens if I remove a protected tree without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sonoma County
California rules heatmap·Compare Sonoma County to another location·View the California tree protection overview
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