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

Mono County has no city-style ordinance requiring a permit to remove a private tree based on its trunk diameter or species. Where tree removal is regulated, it is through other mechanisms. For development projects, removal of trees and native or riparian vegetation is reviewed under the General Plan's biological-resources policies and CEQA, which can require avoidance, assessment, and mitigation; landscape and revegetation plans must favor native stock and control invasive species, and invasive non-native species shall not be approved. For wildfire safety, the Chapter 22 Fire Safe Regulation requires removal of dead, dying, and fire-prone vegetation within defensible space, reinforcing state PRC 4291 in the State Responsibility Area. A large share of unincorporated Mono County is U.S. Forest Service, BLM, or Los Angeles Department of Water and Power land; removing trees there requires authorization from the managing federal agency or LADWP, not a County permit. For a typical private tree on private land outside a development condition and a sensitive habitat, no County removal permit is required, though owners should verify the tree is not in the County right-of-way and not subject to any project condition of approval before removing it.