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

Division 19.39 of the Novato zoning ordinance, Woodland and Tree Preservation, protects native trees through development review. Section 19.39.010 states the goal of conserving native trees, forests and woodlands on private lands and on both public and private lands during development. Section 19.39.020 applies the division to all proposed development and new land uses on properties with native tree, forest or woodland resources, as determined by the Director. Chapter 17 points to it: § 17-2 requires removal or alteration of native trees and woodlands to conform to section 19.39.

The code protects native trees as a class and does not name individual protected species. Heritage trees are covered separately by § 17-1.3, and the only species list in the chapter is the pyrophyte group (Monterey Pine, Bishop Pine, Acacia species and Eucalyptus species) that the director can approve for immediate removal under § 17-1.4(e).

Section 19.39.030 sets the application content. A project needs a tree inventory, a site plan showing the locations and types of all existing trees more than three inches in diameter and marking those proposed for removal, plus a Woodland Conservation and Management Plan prepared by a qualified forest management professional. The plan principles favor preserving stands over individual specimens, but heritage and specimen trees are protected whenever feasible, species and age diversity is promoted, and linkages and corridors between forest areas have a width of 300 feet where possible.

Section 19.39.040 sets the hard numbers: tree removal is avoided by design where possible, at least 75 percent of existing native trees are retained, and at least 25 percent of retained native trees sit in contiguous patches of undisturbed functional forest or canopy as wildlife preserve. Major acorn, nut, fruit, flower and food producing trees are preserved when possible, and trees next to riparian corridors and wetlands are protected within buffers under divisions 19.35 and 19.36. Mitigation is on-site where feasible, off-site mitigation must be within the Novato watershed area defined by the City's Stream Management Guidelines, and every project carries a long-term management plan with a specified funding mechanism and annual inspections.