San Bernardino County requires permits to remove protected native trees, including oaks, sycamores, junipers, and pinyon pines on undisturbed parcels. Mountain communities also protect specific conifer species under community-plan tree ordinances.
The county Development Code regulates removal of protected native trees including coast live oak, valley oak, California sycamore, pinyon pine, and western juniper. Mountain communities like Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear, and Crestline add additional rules for incense cedar, Jeffrey pine, ponderosa pine, and white fir. Permits typically require an arborist report, replacement plantings, or in-lieu fees. Hazard tree removal is allowed with after-the-fact reporting. WUI defensible space thinning is generally allowed but tree removal beyond defensible space requires permit review.
Unpermitted removal of protected trees triggers fines based on trunk diameter, often 100 to 500 dollars per inch, plus replacement requirements that may run into thousands of dollars per tree.
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See how San Bernardino County's tree removal permits rules stack up against other locations.
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