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

010 that habitat sites for protected wildlife exist within Ventura and that banning tree removal and trimming there is imperative to preserve them, first enacting the rule as an emergency ordinance. S. Fish and Wildlife Service critical-habitat designations or maps, or by the Monarch Butterfly overwintering habitat mapped in Figure 23 of the 2050 General Plan Update the council adopted October 21, 2025; 'protected wildlife' covers USFWS-listed endangered or threatened animals and monarch butterflies. 030 bans removal or trimming of trees at those sites and creates a rebuttable presumption that a downed tree or one showing unnatural branch removal in a habitat area was removed or trimmed unlawfully.

040 exempts the city's own work on city-owned trees and public rights-of-way, plus the county of San Buenaventura and other public agencies with jurisdiction inside city limits. 050 allows lawful removal or trimming with a minor design review permit (outside the coastal zone) or an administrative coastal development permit (inside it), based on an arborist-certified dead, diseased, or dangerous condition, a fire department defensible-space notice, an insurer's coverage-refusal letter, substantial owner hardship, or an outweighing public safety benefit; imminent-danger situations allow removal with written parks and recreation director approval followed by a retroactive permit application and arborist report within seven business days.

060, adopted by Ordinance No. 50, a public nuisance per se subject to injunctive relief and attorney's fees, and authorizes the director to order like-for-like tree replacement plus a $1,000-per-day fine for uncompleted corrective action after a notice deadline of at least 30 days.