Santa Barbara County, CA Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Article IX (Ord. No. 4490) protects deciduous oak trees, defined by Section 35-906 as valley oaks (Quercus lobata) and blue oaks (Quercus douglasii) of four inches or greater diameter at breast height. Section 35-902(a) limits the article to unincorporated property outside the Coastal Zone and urban boundary lines, specifically the AG-I, AG-II, RES, and MT-GOL zone districts, so it does not reach coastal parcels or the incorporated cities. Removal for agricultural purposes is exempt up to a sliding scale in Section 35-908: eight trees on a lot under 50 acres, rising to 154 trees on a lot over 899 acres, so long as the cumulative removal stays under 50 percent of a lot's protected oaks (under 100 acres) or 30 percent (100 acres or more) within a 30-year tracking period.

Removal beyond those thresholds needs an oak tree removal permit decided by the planning commission at a noticed hearing under Sections 35-912 through 35-915. Trees that are naturally dead, uprooted, within 50 feet of an existing residence, or an immediate safety hazard are exempt outright under Section 35-907 and do not count toward the thresholds. Where a permit is required, Section 35-911 requires an oak tree management plan and sets a 15:1 replacement ratio (b): every protected oak removed must be offset by planting or protecting 15 replacement trees, sourced from locally-gathered acorns at a minimum of 45 acorns per removed valley oak, nurtured for five years without supplemental watering for the final two.