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.
See how Sunnyvale's protected tree species rules stack up against other locations.
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