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

Hemet maintains tree protection chiefly for public and street trees rather than through a broad heritage-tree permit covering every private tree. As a Tree City USA for more than 30 years, the City is required to keep a community tree ordinance, a tree board/department, and an urban-forestry budget, and it manages trees in the public right-of-way under Hemet Municipal Code Chapter 66 (Streets and Sidewalks), Article IV, "Care and Maintenance of Street Trees." Trees in the parkway and right-of-way are City assets: a resident generally needs City (Public Works/Parks) authorization before removing, topping, or substantially damaging one, and the City typically handles removal and replacement of dead or hazardous public trees itself. For private property, Hemet does not impose a citywide heritage-tree removal permit on ordinary backyard trees; a healthy tree wholly on private land outside any easement can usually be removed by the owner. Permit-style review does attach where trees were planted or preserved as a condition of a development approval or required landscape plan — removing those can require Planning Division review — and where work occurs in the public right-of-way (an encroachment/right-of-way issue). We were unable to retrieve the verbatim Article IV section text from the codifier; exact permit triggers, replacement requirements, and any protected-species provisions should be confirmed with Public Works (951) 765-2300 or Planning before removing a tree.