Bellflower, CA Tree Protection: Tree Removal Permits (2026)

Bellflower's tree-removal permitting centers on trees in the public right-of-way, which the City's Public Works Street Trees Division manages to preserve and protect the urban forest. The governing rule is Municipal Code Section 12.08.090: no person shall remove, alter, damage, repair or replace any highway, sidewalk, curb, gutter, driveway including apron, tree, landscape feature, City-installed irrigation system, or other such construction in the public right-of-way except with a permit issued by the Director of Public Works or the Director's designee. The Encroachments chapter (Chapter 12.16) reinforces this: Section 12.16.030 makes it unlawful to place or permit to remain any tree or structure on a public street, sidewalk, alley, or City property without a valid permit, Section 12.16.010 requires parkway landscape work to conform to the City Council-adopted Parkway Landscape Design Guidelines and any license-agreement terms, and Section 12.16.020 treats hedges and trees that obstruct the right-of-way as nuisances. Research of the Bellflower Municipal Code did not reveal a dedicated heritage-tree, oak-preservation, or private-property tree-removal-permit ordinance, so removing an ordinary tree in a private yard is generally not controlled by a special tree-permit chapter (though grading, hillside, or planning conditions could apply). On private property, the leverage the City has is the nuisance code: Section 8.36.030(A)(12) makes dead, decayed, diseased, or hazardous trees a public nuisance subject to abatement. To remove or do work on any parkway or right-of-way tree, residents and utilities must apply to Public Works.