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

Tree-removal permitting in unincorporated Riverside County is targeted rather than blanket. The principal permit comes from Ordinance 559: no person may remove a living native tree on a parcel greater than one-half acre in size, located above 5,000 feet in elevation within the unincorporated county, without first obtaining a permit from the Riverside County Planning Department. The application requires a filing fee and an environmental assessment under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), reflecting the ecological value of higher-elevation native forests in mountain communities. Below that elevation band, or for non-native ornamental trees on private lots, no county tree-removal permit is generally required. Oak trees receive separate protection through the County's Oak Tree Management Guidelines: when development requires oak encroachment or removal, applicants must protect the oak's dripline-defined protected zones and may need mitigation, replacement planting, or a conservation easement with a conservation agency. Trees located in the public right-of-way or on public land may not be removed without county authorization, and such removal is limited to circumstances like disease, hazard, traffic obstruction, or utility conflict. Note that hazardous-vegetation abatement under Ordinances 695 and 772 can independently compel removal of dead, dying, or fire-hazard trees as part of defensible space and weed abatement, which is an obligation rather than a discretionary permit. Property owners planning removals near protected trees should confirm requirements with the Planning Department before any cutting.