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

Unincorporated Madera County does not impose a general, numbered tree-removal-permit requirement on a homeowner taking down a tree on an established homesite. Tree and oak-woodland protection in the County operates chiefly through land-use and environmental review rather than a routine permit counter. Native oaks—abundant in the County's Sierra foothills around communities like Oakhurst and Coarsegold—are addressed by the Madera County General Plan's natural-resource policies and through environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which the County administers via its Environmental Impact provisions in Madera County Code Title 16. When a discretionary project such as a subdivision, grading, or development approval would remove oak woodland, California Public Resources Code Section 21083.4 directs the county to determine whether the project may significantly affect oak woodlands and, if so, to require mitigation—options the statute lists include conserving oak woodlands through easements, planting replacement trees (with a cap on how much of the mitigation may be met by planting), contributing to the Oak Woodlands Conservation Fund, or other approved measures. Outside of such project approvals, a single tree on a developed lot generally needs no County permit. Because requirements turn on a parcel's zoning, project conditions, and any recorded conservation easements, anyone planning to remove native oaks or clear woodland should confirm current requirements with Madera County Planning before proceeding, and account for related grading, erosion-control, and fire-clearance rules.