Under Hesperia Municipal Code Chapter 16.24, Joshua trees and other protected native plants impacted by development must be relocated/transplanted on-site whenever feasible, or moved to an off-site area approved by the City of Hesperia. Trees unsuitable for relocation (due to size, poor health, damage, excessive branches, leaning, clonal growth, or exposed roots) must be disposed of per City requirements, and replacement vegetation may be required as a condition of project approval. A Protected Plant bond must be posted before any ground disturbance for single-family tract, multi-family, commercial, or industrial development. The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act (FGC §1927) also requires CDFW mitigation fees for development takes.
Hesperia's Protected Plant Preservation Plan process, administered by the Planning Division (760-947-1000), requires developers to identify all protected native plants on a parcel, prioritize on-site transplant of healthy Joshua trees, and post a Protected Plant bond covering relocation, survival monitoring, and replacement cost. Trees unsuitable for transplant must be replaced per the conditions of the project's Protected Plant Preservation Plan. State CDFW Incidental Take Permits add mitigation fees on a per-tree sliding scale based on tree size and habitat impact. Replacement plant material commonly includes Mojave-appropriate native species suited to the High Desert climate (low-water, Mojave Water Agency conservation standards).
Failure to comply with a Protected Plant Preservation Plan or to maintain transplanted vegetation can result in bond forfeiture under Hesperia MC Ch. 16.24, project entitlement revocation, and stop-work orders. Removing a Western Joshua tree without satisfying CDFW mitigation requirements violates Fish & Game Code §1927.
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