Placer County, CA Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Placer County Code Article 19.50 (Woodland Conservation) defines a protected "tree" as a native woody plant with a single trunk at least six inches in diameter at breast height (dbh), or a multi-trunk tree with an aggregate of 10 inches dbh; oak species (Quercus sp.) qualify at just five inches dbh. Foothill pines are exempt outright, and brush species such as manzanita never count as trees under the article regardless of size (Section 19.50.020). Under Section 19.50.030(A), the article applies to all native trees, landmark trees, riparian-zone trees, and certain commercial firewood operations, except as exempted.

Riparian-zone trees of any size are protected countywide within 50 feet of a seasonal creek or 100 feet of a year-round creek, stream, river, pond, lake or reservoir (Section 19.50.030(B)). Removing more than 50 percent of a parcel's existing native trees six inches dbh or greater (five inches for oaks) also triggers the permit requirement countywide, and skipping that permit can block development approvals on the property for up to 10 years (Section 19.50.030(D)). The article's general protected-tree coverage under Section 19.50.040, however, only reaches four specific community plan areas: portions of Horseshoe Bar/Penryn, Dry Creek-West Placer, Granite Bay, and Auburn/Bowman.

Outside those zones, only the riparian, firewood-cutting, 50-percent-removal, and landmark-tree rules apply. The Tahoe Basin portion of unincorporated Placer County is not covered by Article 19.50 at all; tree removal there falls under the bi-state Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), whose thresholds are set in TRPA's own code, not this county chapter.