Calaveras County, CA Tree Protection: Tree Removal Permits (2026)

There is no county-wide tree-removal permit requirement for ordinary trees on private land in unincorporated Calaveras County. Protection focuses on oak woodlands and is delivered through the land-use/CEQA process rather than a homeowner permit counter. The County General Plan Conservation and Open Space Element Policies COS 3.5 (preserve oak woodlands consistent with state law), COS 3.6 (conservation easements as a protection tool), and COS 3.9 (preserve and enhance healthy woodlands consistent with reasonable development and fire safety), implemented by Measure COS-4D, direct that oak-woodland impacts from discretionary projects be mitigated using the statutory options in Public Resources Code Section 21083.4. Because this is CEQA-based, it applies to projects requiring discretionary county approval (subdivisions, use permits, certain grading), where removing oaks can require conservation easements, in-lieu fees, or replacement plantings. A standalone Oak Woodlands Mitigation Ordinance has been developed since 2022 and publicly circulated in draft (often referenced as Chapter 17.101), proposing mitigation ratios and heritage-tree protections, but per the Calaveras Planning Coalition it had not been formally adopted as of late 2025, so its specific ratios are not yet binding county code. Recognized reasons trees may be removed without triggering mitigation include defensible-space clearing under PRC 4291, hazard-tree removal, and timber operations under the State Forest Practice Act. Homeowners not pursuing a discretionary entitlement generally need no county tree permit.