Ventura, CA Tree Protection: Tree Replacement Requirements (2026)

The Parks Division Urban Forestry Program administers the City Tree Master Plan, which sets the approved species palette and planting standards used to replace removed parkway and street trees. Permits issued under SBMC Division 11 for parkway tree removal typically condition approval on planting a like-kind replacement at the same or nearby location, using a 15-gallon or larger container of an approved species, watered and staked per Master Plan standards. For trees removed inside USFWS critical habitat or a Monarch overwintering site, the Planning Division may require in-kind replacement at a higher ratio (typically 2:1 or 3:1) consistent with the Emergency Tree Protection Ordinance corrective-action provisions. Development projects under SBMC Division 13 (Zoning) trigger landscape replacement under the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) at CCR Title 23 §490 et seq., which limits turf and requires drought-tolerant species. The City of Ventura is a designated Tree City USA, and the Master Plan emphasizes climate-appropriate, low-water canopy trees.