Grass Valley, CA Tree Protection: Tree Removal Permits (2026)

Nevada County's tree-protection permitting lives in the County's resource standards, originally Section L-II 4.3.x of the Land Use & Development Code and recodified into Title 12 (Zoning Regulations), Chapter 4 (Community Site Development Standards), Division 4.3 Resource Standards (e.g. Sec. 12.04.203 General Provisions). Per the County's Conservation Element and these development standards: heritage trees are defined at 36-inch dbh; oak woodlands (especially Blue Oak and Valley Oak) are protected and require a Management Plan when trees or groves are disturbed by a project; and trees that are removed must be replaced on an inch-for-inch basis or a fee paid to the Tree Preservation Fund. In the Nevada City Sphere of Influence, tree-removal review applies at roughly a 10-inch dbh threshold. Importantly, this permitting regime is triggered by development and grading - subdivisions, building projects, and disturbance of protected trees/groves - not by routine homeowner maintenance. Removing a single hazardous or dead tree for fire-defensible space is handled under the separate Hazardous Vegetation Abatement ordinance and needs no permit. Because exact dbh triggers, exemptions, and replacement ratios vary by zoning district, sphere of influence, and project type, and the code has been recodified, applicants should confirm the current Title 12 / Division 4.3 requirements directly with the Nevada County Community Development Agency Planning Department (530-265-1222) before removing protected trees.