Santa Clara County Ordinance NS-300.847 protects heritage oaks, native sycamores, redwoods, buckeyes, and other native species in unincorporated areas. Removal requires permits, mitigation planting, and arborist reports. Cities including Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Saratoga add comparable protected lists.
Santa Clara County Tree Preservation Ordinance NS-300.847 designates native heritage species as protected in unincorporated areas, including coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), valley oak (Q. lobata), blue oak (Q. douglasii), California sycamore (Platanus racemosa), coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), California buckeye (Aesculus californica), and big-leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). Trees over 12 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) for native oaks or 18 inches DBH for other natives require removal permits with certified arborist reports, replacement-planting mitigation typically at 3-to-1 ratios, and notice to neighbors. Cities with parallel ordinances include Palo Alto Tree Ordinance, Los Altos Heritage Tree program, Saratoga, Los Gatos, and Cupertino. State CEQA review applies to projects affecting heritage stands.
Removing protected species without permits triggers fines from $1,000 to $25,000 per tree under NS-300.847, plus mandatory replacement planting at 5-to-1 to 10-to-1 ratios. Willful destruction can be charged as misdemeanors with restoration orders.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara regulates amplified sound and music through City Code Chapter 9.10, requiring permits for amplified events and prohibiting audible music at 50 fe...
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara regulates outdoor music at venues including Levis Stadium and Santana Row under City Code Chapter 9.10 and conditional use permits, with amplifie...
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara requires encroachment permits for new driveways, limits driveway width by zoning, and prohibits parking across sidewalks regardless of property o...
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara tows abandoned vehicles after 72 hours under CVC 22651(k) and participates in the Santa Clara County Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Program for priv...
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara limits recreational vehicle street parking to 72 hours, requires permits for extended street storage, and restricts driveway RV storage under zon...
Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara fences must meet height, material, setback, and visibility standards under City Code Title 18 Zoning, with special rules for corner lots, histori...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Santa Clara County.
See how Santa Clara's protected tree species rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.