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Tree removal permits in the Bay Area

Whether you need a permit to remove a tree in 22 cities and counties across Contra Costa, Alameda and Solano counties: what each one protects, what it leaves out, and where to apply.

Checked against each city’s code and permit page on ; what has to be planted back, and what may be paid instead, on . Rules change and fees change faster, and the city has the final word: check with it before a protected tree is cut.

Do you need a permit to remove a tree?

Often, if the tree is big enough or the right species. Most of the places below protect native oaks and other native trees above a set trunk size, and many also protect any large tree, whatever its species. The sizes vary widely: in Oakland a coast live oak is protected from 4 inches in diameter, while in Dublin the listed species are protected from 24 inches.

Where a tree stands matters too. Several protect trees near a creek, on land that could still be developed, or in the street, and many protect a tree that a development approval required to be kept or planted, at any size. Unincorporated Alameda County has no permit for a tree on private land, and we found none in Richmond or Vallejo for an ordinary lot.

What a code calls the trees it protects varies as well — protected trees, heritage trees, landmark trees — and the same name can mean different things: in Danville a heritage tree is any single-trunked tree 36 inches or more in diameter, while in Concord it is one the Planning Commission has designated. Each entry below keeps its own code's words.

How trunk size is measured

Most codes measure a trunk's diameter at 4½ feet, or 54 inches, above the ground. A few measure elsewhere: Berkeley at four feet, Benicia at 48 inches and Moraga at three feet. Some give the size as a circumference instead, among them Berkeley, Pinole, Walnut Creek, Pleasanton and unincorporated Contra Costa County; a circumference divided by about 3.14 gives the diameter.

Trees with several trunks are counted differently from place to place: Oakland, Pleasant Hill and Clayton add the trunks' diameters together, Orinda adds them and multiplies by two-thirds, Lafayette takes the largest trunk plus half of each other, and Pleasanton measures below the split. Each entry below says what its code does, in the code's own numbers.

What you have to plant back

Taking a protected tree down is often only half of it: most of these places want something planted in its place, and they count it differently. Martinez counts trees — one 15-gallon tree for a tree 24 inches across or less, two above that. Lafayette scales the same way, one to three by size. Clayton counts trunk instead: the new trees have to add up to half the diameter of the one that went, or a third of it where they come from the city's protected list. Orinda counts in sixes, one native tree for every six inches of trunk removed. Oakland sets no number at all and fixes the planting instead — 24-inch box trees from five named natives, or three 15-gallon trees in place of each box.

Several of the strictest rules only bite when a development is behind the removal. Concord's three-for-one is the clearest case: its chapter says plainly that it does not apply to a removal with no planning or building permit behind it, and a homeowner's removal runs under a different chapter where the permit sets the number. Richmond's three-for-one covers hillside subdivisions only. Dublin and Moraga ask for nothing to be planted back, and neither Berkeley, Richmond nor unincorporated Alameda County regulates an ordinary tree on private land at all.

Where the land cannot take the replacements, some cities take money instead: $872 for each 24-inch box tree in Clayton, $275 a tree in Martinez, $125 in Orinda, and $619 on Oakland's schedule. Benicia charges a replacement fee on every permitted removal — $109.15 for the first tree and $82 for each after it — whether or not anything is planted. Danville, Pinole, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Walnut Creek price it per job rather than per tree, from an appraisal of what came down or the cost of the trees owed. Lafayette takes no fee at all. Fees are the part of this page that ages fastest, so each entry carries the day it was read.

Contra Costa County

Antioch

Public Works Department, Parks & Landscaping

Copy link to the Antioch tree permit rules

In Antioch, a protected tree needs a permit to come down on any property, a home's yard included. On property that isn't a developed residential lot, every established tree, 10 inches or more in diameter measured four and one-half feet above grade, needs a permit or a development approval.

Needs a permit

  • Naturally growing blue oak, valley oak, coast live oak, canyon live oak, interior live oak, California buckeye or California bay at least 10 inches in diameter, measured four and one-half feet above natural or finished grade.
  • Mature trees: any tree at least 26 inches in diameter, measured four and one-half feet above natural grade.
  • Landmark trees: any tree at least 48 inches in diameter and/or over 40 feet tall. Adjacent property owners are notified, and the Tree Committee decides.
  • Street trees, and trees a development approval requires to be kept.
  • On property other than a developed residential lot: any established tree, at least 10 inches in diameter. On undeveloped property, the Tree Committee reviews every application.

Doesn’t need one

  • Trees on a developed residential lot that aren't protected trees.
  • A tree that is an immediate hazard to life or property, when the City Engineer authorizes its removal.
What you plant back
Removing a street tree means planting one back, the species yours to pick with the city's approval (§ 9-5.1203(B)(3)). With a development application it is two 24-inch box trees for each established tree removed and two 48-inch box trees for each mature one (§ 9-5.1205(J)).
Arborist report
Not asked for on a home-lot application. On undeveloped property the Tree Committee weighs a tree's condition as documented by a certified arborist, and the City may commission one at the applicant's expense.
Street trees
Street trees are protected: removal goes through the same Public Works application, and the City requires a replacement street tree.

Checked against Antioch Municipal Code §§ 9-5.1201–9-5.1212.

Clayton

Community Development Department, Planning

Copy link to the Clayton tree permit rules

Clayton requires a tree removal permit for any tree, of any species, on private or public property, with a single trunk or multiple trunks whose cumulative diameter is 6 inches or more, measured 4 feet 6 inches above natural grade.

Needs a permit

  • Any tree with a single trunk or multiple trunks with a cumulative trunk diameter of 6 inches or more, measured 4 feet 6 inches above natural grade.
  • A tree of any size that a development application, landscape plan or tree replacement plan approved by the City after April 1, 2005 required to be planted.
  • For this rule, a tree is a woody plant that grows over 15 feet tall at maturity.

Doesn’t need one

  • Emergencies: a tree in dangerously substandard condition that immediately threatens people or structures, or that obstructs fire containment or flood waters, may come down first; the owner files the application within 72 hours.
What you plant back
Counted by trunk rather than by tree: the replacements must add up to at least half the diameter of the tree removed, or a third of it where they come from the protected species list (CMC 15.70.040(A)). Planted within 60 days, and yours to keep alive for two years.
Instead of planting
$872 for each 24-inch box tree the site cannot take, in the city's fee book as of July 2025, under CMC 15.70.040(F).
Arborist report
Only when the Director asks. The report must then come from a certified arborist, who may be required to be independent of the company removing the tree.
Street trees
The permit rule covers trees on public property too; the code sets no separate street-tree process.

Checked against Clayton Municipal Code Chapter 15.70.

Concord

Public Works (City Arborist), after a Planning check

Copy link to the Concord tree permit rules

Concord requires a permit to remove a protected tree: six native species at 12 inches in diameter, or other trees at 24 inches, both measured 54 inches above the ground, plus heritage trees, trees kept by permit conditions and trees in creek setbacks. Applications are online only.

Needs a permit

  • Valley oak, blue oak, coast live oak, California bay, California buckeye or California sycamore 12 inches or more in diameter, measured 54 inches above the ground; on a multi-stemmed tree, all the stem diameters added together.
  • Any other tree, apart from the species listed below, 24 inches or more in diameter, measured the same way.
  • Heritage trees designated by the Planning Commission, and trees a permit condition or environmental mitigation requires to be planted, moved or kept.
  • Within a creek's structure setback: a tree with a trunk of six inches or more, or one trunk of four inches or more on a multi-stemmed tree, measured 54 inches above the ground.

Doesn’t need one

  • Eucalyptus, acacia, palms, Monterey pine and privet, at any size, unless designated heritage trees.
  • A hazardous tree removed by order of the Chief of Police, the fire district's chief or the Director of Public Works.
What you plant back
Three replacement trees for every protected tree removed — but only where the removal goes with a planning or building permit (CMC 18.310.060(A)). They must be the same species, planted on site, and up to half of them may be five-gallon containers where an arborist says the trees will do better for it. A removal with no planning permit behind it runs under CMC 8.40 instead, where the permit itself sets the number, size and type.
Pruning
The code sets no pruning permit for a private protected tree, but the City's page says one may not be topped without the City's approval.
Arborist report
The online application asks for a report from an ISA Certified Arborist, while the code says one is generally not needed for a native tree under 24 inches in diameter if Public Works verifies the removal on a site visit. Ask the City Arborist which applies.
Street trees
Street, median and other public trees are the City's and protected at any size; cutting or removing one needs the City Manager's written approval.

Checked against Concord Municipal Code Chapter 8.40; Chapter 18.310 for removals tied to a planning or building permit.

Danville

Planning Division

Copy link to the Danville tree permit rules

Danville requires a Tree Removal Permit before a protected tree comes down on any property: 12 listed species above set trunk sizes, any single-trunked tree 36 inches or more in diameter, memorial trees, and trees kept or planted under development approvals. A dead or dying protected tree still needs one.

Needs a permit

  • Coast live oak, valley oak, canyon live oak, blue oak, California black oak, interior live oak, white alder, California bay, California buckeye, California sycamore, madrone or London plane tree with a trunk 10 inches or more in diameter, or multiple trunks totaling 20 inches or more, measured 4½ feet above natural grade.
  • Heritage trees: any single-trunked tree, of any species, 36 inches or more in diameter, measured 4½ feet above the ground.
  • Memorial trees, trees an approved development plan or Planning Commission condition requires to be kept, and trees planted as mitigation for a removed protected tree.
  • Still needing a permit: a dead or dying protected tree, one removed near the home or for defensible space under a fire insurer's or fire agency's notice, and one removed for solar access.

Doesn’t need one

  • A protected tree that is an immediate hazard may come down first; the permit is obtained afterward.
  • Removal already approved with a development entitlement, and routine maintenance.
What you plant back
Without a development project: one 15-gallon tree for a protected tree under 20 inches across, two for 20 inches or more (§ 32-79.8(b)). With a major development: one 15-gallon tree for every two inches of trunk taken. Same genus or species or a town native, planted on the same property and clear of the buildings.
Instead of planting
Where planting on site is not workable the town may take an off-site mitigation fee instead, priced at the wholesale cost of the trees owed — a 15-gallon tree counting as two inches of trunk, a 24-inch box as four (§ 32-79.8(f)). No flat rate.
Pruning
No permit for routine maintenance, such as removing deadwood and diseased or crossing limbs and pruning to the ISA Western Chapter's standards, but disfiguring or damaging a protected tree needs one.
Arborist report
Only when the Chief of Planning asks, typically when the reason for removal isn't clearly visible.
Street trees
Owners maintain the trees in the right-of-way in front of their property. Overgrown or hazardous ones can be reported to the Town through Danville Connect.

Checked against Danville Municipal Code Section 32-79, as amended by Ord. 2025-03.

Lafayette

Planning & Building Department

Copy link to the Lafayette tree permit rules

Lafayette requires a Tree Permit to remove, destroy or extensively prune a protected tree, under a Tree Protection Ordinance in effect since January 9, 2025. What's protected depends on species, trunk size and where the tree stands: a developed or undeveloped lot, a creek, a ridgeline, a street or downtown.

Needs a permit

  • Developed lots: black oak, blue oak, California bay, California buckeye, canyon oak, coast live oak, cork oak, interior live oak, madrone, Oregon white oak or valley oak with a trunk 12 inches or more in diameter.
  • Undeveloped lots: a native or native riparian species 6 inches or more in diameter, or any other species 12 inches or more.
  • Within 30 feet of a creek's top of bank: a native riparian species 6 inches or more in diameter, or with one trunk of 4 inches or more on a multi-trunked tree.
  • At any size: native trees in restricted ridgeline areas, street trees in a public right-of-way or private access easement, trees in a commercial zoning district, replacement trees, and trees protected by development approvals.
  • Diameter is measured 4½ feet above natural grade; for a multi-trunk tree, the largest trunk plus half the diameter of each other trunk.
  • A dead or dying tree still needs a permit, with an arborist report.

Doesn’t need one

  • Excluded species, at any size: acacia, arborvitae, bald cypress, cypress, dawn redwood, Douglas fir, eucalyptus, false cypress (except dwarf), hemlock, Japanese cedar, palms, pepper tree, pines (except dwarf mugo), red shanks, spruces, tree of heaven and yew (except dwarf), unless an approval before November 25, 2024 kept them for a purpose such as screening.
  • Any tree whose trunk is within five feet of an existing building or an attached structure such as a deck.
  • Pruning to keep ten feet of clearance from a building, its roof or a chimney.
  • Hazards, emergencies, defensible space and flood control: the Director can waive the permit on request, and the City's page calls these expedited permits.
What you plant back
One 15-gallon tree for a protected tree under 24 inches across, two from 24 to 30 inches, three at 30 inches or more (§ 6-1708(a)) — the same whether a development is involved or not. Planted on the same property, five feet clear of buildings, and in the same size group as the tree that went.
Pruning
Extensive pruning of a protected tree needs a permit: removing more than 25 percent of the functioning leaf, stem or root area within two years, or topping.
Arborist report
Expected. The application lists an arborist report among the requirements for every Tree Permit, and the code requires one for development-related permits and for dead or dying trees.
Street trees
Street trees are protected at any size, so removing one needs a Tree Permit. Owners maintain right-of-way trees next to their property, apart from trees the City planted.

Checked against Lafayette Municipal Code Chapter 6-17, as replaced by Ord. No. 694.

Martinez

Planning Division, Community and Economic Development

Copy link to the Martinez tree permit rules

Martinez rewrote its tree rules in December 2023. A Planning Division permit is needed to cut down, top or remove a protected tree, or to trench, grade or fill within its dripline: on any property, oaks and native trees 12 inches or more in diameter, measured four and one-half feet from grade, and any tree in the public right-of-way, a private access easement or the Downtown Specific Plan area.

Needs a permit

  • On any property: oaks (including coast live, blue, California black and valley oak) and native trees (including coast redwood, white alder, red alder, bigleaf maple, California buckeye, madrone, California bay, California black walnut and California sycamore) 12 inches or more in diameter, measured four and one-half feet from grade.
  • On any property: any tree in the public right-of-way, a private access easement or the Downtown Specific Plan area; trees an approved map, plan or condition of approval requires to be kept; and trees planted to replace an unlawfully removed tree.
  • On developed commercial, office or industrial property, undeveloped property, and General Plan open space or recreation areas: any tree 24 inches or more in diameter at four and one-half feet, any multi-stemmed tree whose trunks add up to 24 inches, and groves of four or more trees.
  • Undeveloped property includes vacant land, a parcel with remaining development potential, one that can be further divided, and one whose buildings are to be demolished or moved.

Doesn’t need one

  • A tree whose condition is hazardous and needs immediate action, as determined by the City's directors, the Police Department or the Fire District.
  • Removal already approved with a development plan, subdivision or other discretionary project.
  • The code exempts no species.
What you plant back
One 15-gallon tree for each street tree, one for each tree 24 inches across or less, and two for each tree over 24 inches (MMC 8.08.047(A)) — or another ratio the Public Works and Community and Economic Development Directors approve. Species from the city's tree list; no sweetgum, Monterey pine, eucalyptus or poplar.
Instead of planting
Where the property cannot take a replacement, a payment for each 15-gallon tree owed, set by council resolution and spent on the city's tree education and planting program (MMC 8.08.047(C)). The city's fee schedule puts it at $275 a tree from July 2026.
Pruning
Topping a protected tree, removing the upper 25 percent or more of its trunk or primary leader, needs a permit and a certified arborist report. The code sets no permit for other pruning.
Arborist report
The code lets Planning require one when removal is about the tree's health or work is planned under its dripline. The Planning Division's January 2026 handout lists a certified arborist report as standard, waivable for health or safety removals, and differs from the code on a few process details, so ask Planning.
Street trees
Removing a tree in a City street right-of-way needs an encroachment permit from Public Works. Owners maintain the street trees in front of their property.

Checked against Martinez Municipal Code Chapter 8.08, as adopted by Ord. No. 1450 (December 20, 2023).

Moraga

Planning Department

Copy link to the Moraga tree permit rules

In Moraga, a tree removal permit from the Planning Director is needed to remove a native tree, an orchard tree or a tree of historic significance on public or private property. Other trees on residentially zoned property, and any tree five feet or closer to a structure, are exempt.

Needs a permit

  • What counts as a tree: a single trunk 5 inches or more in diameter, or multiple trunks with a total perimeter of 40 inches or more, measured three feet above natural grade.
  • Native trees, the most common being bay, oak, redwood, toyon and knobcone pine; the Town's application form carries a native tree list.
  • Orchard trees (fruit or nut trees planted for commercial agriculture), and trees of historic significance designated by the Town Council.

Doesn’t need one

  • Any tree that isn't native, orchard or historic, on residentially zoned property.
  • A tree five feet or closer to a structure (the code doesn't define structure).
  • A right-of-way tree the public works director or town manager deems a hazard, and an emergency removal on the town manager's oral permission.
  • Trees marked for removal on an approved subdivision grading plan or building permit.
What you plant back
None set: the chapter lets the planning director attach reasonable conditions to a permit but names no replacement standard. A tree taken without a permit is a different matter — a fine of up to $1,000 each, and replanting at a ratio the director decides.
Arborist report
The application lists an arborist report as required supporting information; the code says the planning director may require one when a tree's health or safety is in question, and requires one when construction will reach a regulated tree's dripline.
Street trees
Owners maintain the trees in the public right-of-way next to their property.

Checked against Moraga Municipal Code Chapter 12.12.

Orinda

Planning Department

Copy link to the Orinda tree permit rules

In Orinda, a Planning Department permit is needed to remove or destroy a protected tree: a native oak 12 inches or more in diameter on a developed parcel, any tree 6 inches or more on a vacant, undeveloped or downtown parcel, a native riparian tree 4 inches or more near a creek, or a replacement tree of any size, with diameters measured 4.5 feet above natural grade. City Council-designated heritage trees need a permit to remove, destroy or prune.

Needs a permit

  • Developed parcels: valley, coast live, black, white, canyon, blue or interior live oak with a trunk 12 inches or more in diameter at 4.5 feet above natural grade.
  • Vacant, undeveloped or downtown-district parcels: any tree not on the City's Disallowed Plant List with a trunk 6 inches or more in diameter.
  • Native riparian trees, within 30 feet of a creek bank or further out where they depend on creek moisture: a single trunk 4 inches or more in diameter, or a multi-trunk tree of the same combined cross-section.
  • Replacement trees of any size, planted as restitution for a violation or as a condition of a development approval.
  • Multi-trunk trees: the trunk diameters added together, multiplied by two-thirds.
  • Destroying a protected tree includes excessive or improper pruning, grade changes and trenching near it.
  • Heritage trees designated by the City Council (Chapter 17.24).

Doesn’t need one

  • Dead trees: only live trees are protected, and the City's FAQ says a dead or fallen tree needs no permit.
  • A hazard needing immediate action, emergencies ordered by fire or City officials, Moraga-Orinda Fire District code compliance, flood control, and removal required to keep or get insurance coverage, each documented to Planning.
  • Species on the Disallowed Plant List, among them eucalyptus, acacia, palms, cypress, junipers and pines (except dwarf mugo), are left out of the 6-inch category.
  • From September 17, 2026: removals in an approved Façade Improvement Program project (Ordinance 26-07, adopted August 18, 2026).
What you plant back
With a development: one native tree at least three-quarters of an inch across for every six inches of trunk removed, counting the trees together, and up to a third of that may be native shrubs (§ 17.21.5.F). Without a development the permit may ask for the same, or for nothing.
Instead of planting
$125 for each replacement tree the site cannot take (§ 17.21.5.F.2), spent on city landscape projects. Taking one without a permit is dearer: two 24-inch box trees for every six inches of trunk, or restitution at $1,179 a tree in the fee schedule effective July 2026.
Pruning
No numeric threshold, but excessive or improper pruning counts as destroying a protected tree, and pruning a heritage tree needs a permit.
Arborist report
Yes: applications are submitted electronically with a certified arborist report.
Street trees
The rules cover trees in public and private rights-of-way too. Owners maintain right-of-way trees next to their property, and City projects are exempt.

Checked against Orinda Municipal Code Chapter 17.21; heritage trees in Chapter 17.24.

Pinole

Planning Department

Copy link to the Pinole tree permit rules

Pinole requires a Planning tree removal permit for a protected tree: coast live oak, madrone, buckeye, black walnut, redwood, big leaf maple, redbud, California bay or toyon with a single stem 12 inches or more in circumference, or any other tree with a single stem 56 inches or more in circumference, both measured 4 1/2 feet above natural grade. Nut and fruit trees, palms and eucalyptus are never protected.

Needs a permit

  • Coast live oak, madrone, buckeye, black walnut, redwood, big leaf maple, redbud, California bay and toyon with a single stem 12 inches or more in circumference (4 inches in diameter in the code's table), measured 4 1/2 feet above natural grade.
  • Any other tree with a single stem 56 inches or more in circumference (18 inches in diameter in the code's table), measured the same way.
  • The permit rule covers the whole city, but one section describing applications reads narrower, so check with Planning if a job depends on it.

Doesn’t need one

  • Nut and fruit trees, palms and eucalyptus, at any size.
  • Trees below those sizes.
What you plant back
No ratio and no size in the chapter. Where a reviewing body approves a removal it may require planting worth the value of the tree taken — an arborist's appraisal, at your expense — over and above the landscaping the project owed anyway (§ 17.96.060.C.2).
Instead of planting
A payment equal to that appraised value instead, spent on trees in city parks, open space or other areas of benefit. No flat rate: the fee schedule carries the $237 removal permit and nothing else.
Pruning
No permit, but a protected tree may be pruned only for its structure, health, appearance or safety, by a certified or consulting arborist or to an arborist's plan.
Arborist report
Yes, unless the reason is evident (a clearly dying tree, for example): a certified arborist report with a scaled site plan and photos, submitted online in eTRAKiT.
Street trees
Public Works oversees street trees, and residents maintain the trees on their own property. Trees beside or rooted in Pinole Creek may also need a California Department of Fish and Wildlife permit.

Checked against Pinole Municipal Code Chapter 17.96; protected trees defined in Chapter 17.98.

Pleasant Hill

Zoning Administrator, through the Planning Division

Copy link to the Pleasant Hill tree permit rules

Pleasant Hill replaced its tree rules in November 2025. A tree removal permit is needed before removing, excessively trimming or damaging a protected or heritage tree: native oaks and other native trees 9 inches or more in diameter, and nonnative trees other than eucalyptus and palms 18 inches or more, measured 54 inches above the ground.

Needs a permit

  • Native oaks and native trees, including red alder, bigleaf maple, California buckeye, madrone, California bay, California black walnut, California sycamore and elderberry, with a trunk diameter of nine inches or larger.
  • Nonnative trees, except eucalyptus and palms, with a trunk diameter of 18 inches or larger.
  • Diameter is measured 54 inches above the existing ground; a tree with several trunks counts their diameters combined.
  • Trees kept by approvals or mitigation, trees planted to replace an unlawfully removed tree, and heritage trees enrolled in the City's program.

Doesn’t need one

  • Eucalyptus and palms.
  • Imminent danger to life or property, or restoring utility service within 48 hours of a storm, with the City notified and a permit filed within five days.
  • A tree the Zoning Administrator determines is dead, nursery stock, Recreation and Park District land, removals approved with a map or development plan, and trimming that isn't excessive.
What you plant back
Two 15-gallon trees for a protected native or indigenous tree, one for a protected non-native, planted on the project site (PHMC 18.100.030(G)(1)). On a single-family property the review authority may reduce it or waive it altogether.
Instead of planting
A payment for off-site trees at the same ratio, priced on the value of the trees owed plus putting them in and keeping them alive, approved case by case (18.100.030(G)(4)(a)). No set amount.
Pruning
Excessive trimming counts as removal and needs a permit: more than 25% of the functioning leaf, stem or root area within 12 months, one-sided cutting, topping, excessive crown raising, or cutting roots two inches or more in diameter.
Arborist report
Required with every application: a letter report from a certified arborist. The City's application packet predates the new ordinance and still uses the old wording, so check with Planning.

Checked against Pleasant Hill Municipal Code Chapter 18.100, as adopted by Ord. 978 (November 17, 2025).

Richmond

Parks and Landscaping Division (public trees); Planning (development)

Copy link to the Richmond tree permit rules

We found no City permit requirement for removing a tree on an ordinary private lot in Richmond: its tree ordinance covers trees in streets, parks and other public places, and private trees come under City rules only in some development and location cases. No City page says so outright, so confirm with the City before relying on it.

Needs a permit

  • Trees in streets, parks and other public places: cutting, trimming, pruning or removing one needs a permit from the Recreation and Parks Director.
  • Hillside subdivisions (over one acre, with an average slope of 15 percent or more): the Planning Commission decides which trees may go, from the applicant's arborist report, and significant trees are replaced at least 3 for 1.
  • Creek setback areas (generally at least 20 feet from the top of the bank), the shoreline overlay district and new subdivisions limit tree and vegetation removal in development.
What you plant back
Nothing for an ordinary lot — Richmond has no general tree ordinance. The exception is a hillside subdivision, where trees “shall be replaced at a ratio of at least 3 new trees for every tree removed” at 15 gallons or larger, on the site where it can take them (§ 15.04.201.100(F)(3)).
Pruning
Pruning a tree in a public place needs the Director's permit; no pruning permit for private trees was found.
Arborist report
Only in the hillside subdivision rules.
Street trees
The Parks and Landscaping Division cares for trees in streets and public places, and any work on one needs a permit. Owners keep branches over their sidewalks and streets trimmed.

Checked against Richmond Municipal Code Chapter 10.08; development rules in Chapter 15.04.

San Ramon

Planning Services Division

Copy link to the San Ramon tree permit rules

San Ramon's Zoning Ordinance requires a Tree Removal Permit for a protected tree: native oaks 6 inches or more in diameter, trees near streams, heritage trees and groves named by the City Council, trees kept by permit conditions, and other mature trees 8 inches or more, measured 54 inches above the ground. Single-family lots that can't be subdivided are exempt only from the 8-inch category.

Needs a permit

  • A native oak six inches or more in diameter, measured 54 inches above the ground.
  • A tree six inches or more in diameter within 100 feet of a perennial stream or 50 feet of a seasonal stream.
  • Heritage or landmark trees and groves named by City Council resolution, and trees protected by permit conditions or mitigation.
  • Any other mature tree eight inches or more in diameter, except on single-family residential lots that can't be further subdivided.
  • The City's FAQ describes the single-family rule more narrowly, as native oaks only; the code is followed here, so confirm with Planning.

Doesn’t need one

  • Willow, fruit, eucalyptus, alder, cottonwood, pine and redwood trees, or a similar ornamental tree the Director determines, in all zones.
  • Nurseries and commercial orchards; a dead tree the Director or an approved arborist confirms is hazardous or unsightly with limited habitat value; and emergencies declared by City officials.
What you plant back
On an improved single-family lot the director decides, and may ask for nothing. For a subdivision or anything needing discretionary approval, Table 5-1 sets the count by species and size: eight 15-gallon blue oaks for a blue oak of 6 to 9 inches, up to 26 for one of 26 inches or more, planted on site and of the same native species.
Instead of planting
For development, the review authority may take a fee instead — what the trees Table 5-1 requires would cost to buy, plant, water and keep for five years — into the city's oak or non-native tree funds (D5-10). No flat rate.
Arborist report
Possibly: the Director may ask for an arborist report on the trees' condition and the reasons for removal.
Street trees
Public Works manages trees in rights-of-way and medians through contractors; problems can be reported through the City's online request system.

Checked against San Ramon Zoning Ordinance Division D5, Chapter II (Sections D5-7 to D5-12).

Walnut Creek

Public Works, Engineering Services

Copy link to the Walnut Creek tree permit rules

Walnut Creek requires a tree removal permit for any tree on any property with a single trunk 28 inches or more in circumference, or several trunks totaling 40 inches or more, measured 4 1/2 feet above natural grade, and for any tree in a grove. The City arborist visits before a permit is approved.

Needs a permit

  • A single trunk 28 inches or more in circumference, measured 4 1/2 feet above natural grade. The City's page gives the no-permit size as less than 9 inches in diameter.
  • Several trunks with an aggregate circumference of 40 inches or more, or one trunk of 28 inches.
  • A tree of any size in a grove: three or more trees forming an integral cover, with stems totaling 40 inches or more in circumference.
  • Valley, blue, coast live, California black, canyon live and interior live oaks, madrone, California buckeye, California black walnut and gray pine are highly protected: a reviewing body may approve removal only where keeping the tree would severely reduce a development's scale or feasibility.
  • Blue gum eucalyptus and Monterey pine still need a permit, granted once the species is confirmed unless something unusual argues for keeping the tree.
  • The City's page says the permit applies to a tree dead or alive, while the code's definition says a live plant, so ask Engineering about a dead tree.

Doesn’t need one

  • Trees below those sizes and not in a grove.
  • A hazardous tree removed with the Director's written permission.
  • Trees in City parks and open space, which are governed separately, and state-exempt ADU, JADU and SB 9 projects.
What you plant back
Only where a reviewing body approves a highly protected tree that the director would not: then planting worth the value of the tree removed, over and above the landscaping the project owed anyway, or the payment below (WCMC 3-8.04(h)). For every other tree the director may attach conditions but the code requires no replacement.
Instead of planting
A payment equal to the appraised value of the tree removed, spent on trees in city parks and open space. The value comes from an ISA appraisal, so there is no flat rate.
Pruning
No permit, but pruning must follow ISA and ANSI A300 standards, and highly protected trees may be pruned only by a certified arborist, board certified master arborist or certified tree worker.
Arborist report
Only if the Director asks, for a removal not tied to development; a development removal needs one, with a tree survey plan.
Street trees
A street tree is within six feet of the back of the sidewalk, or eleven feet from the curb where there's no sidewalk. A smaller street tree may be removed if it is replaced; a larger one needs the permit.

Checked against Walnut Creek Municipal Code Chapter 3-8; street trees in Chapter 7-1, Article 4.

Contra Costa County (unincorporated areas)

Department of Conservation and Development, Planning Division

Copy link to the unincorporated Contra Costa County tree permit rules

In unincorporated Contra Costa County, a county tree permit is needed to cut down, top or remove a protected tree, or to trench, grade or fill within its dripline. Whether a tree is protected depends on its species, its size and the kind of property it stands on. A replacement ordinance was proposed in March 2025 and had not been adopted when this was checked.

Needs a permit

  • On any property: a listed native tree twenty inches or more in circumference (approximately 6.5 inches in diameter), measured four and one-half feet from ground level, that is part of a riparian, foothill woodland or oak savanna area, or of a stand of four or more trees.
  • The listed natives: bigleaf maple, box elder, California buckeye, white alder, madrone, toyon, California black walnut, California juniper, tanoak, knobcone pine, digger pine, California sycamore, Fremont cottonwood, black cottonwood, coast live oak, canyon live oak, blue oak, California black oak, valley oak, interior live oak, yellow willow, red willow, arroyo willow, coast red elderberry, coast redwood and California bay.
  • On developed commercial, office or industrial property, undeveloped property, land the general plan marks for recreation or open space, and visually significant riparian or ridgeline vegetation: any tree twenty inches or more in circumference at four and one-half feet, any multistemmed tree whose circumferences add up to forty inches or more, and groves of four or more trees.
  • Undeveloped property includes vacant land, a developed parcel with remaining development potential, a parcel that can be further divided, and one whose buildings are to be demolished or moved.
  • On any property: trees an approved map, plan or condition of approval requires to be kept, and trees planted to replace an unlawfully removed tree.
  • Designated heritage trees (Chapter 816-4) need a permit to remove.

Doesn’t need one

  • A tree whose condition needs immediate action, as determined by the director, a building inspector, the sheriff, the fire district or a utility protecting its lines.
  • Removal already approved with a development plan, subdivision, discretionary project or building permit.
  • Routine pruning that isn't topping.
  • Christmas tree farms, orchards and nurseries; normal rangeland management on agricultural land of at least twenty acres; and clearing by utilities and public agencies within their easements.
What you plant back
The code names no ratio and no size. A permit's conditions “may include a requirement to replace any or all trees on a comparable ratio of either size or quantity” (§ 816-6.8012), and that sentence is the whole standard. A tree meant to be kept that dies of construction damage must be replaced with one of equivalent size (§ 816-6.1206). The County published a draft rewrite in March 2025; it had not been adopted when this was checked.
Pruning
Topping, removing the upper twenty-five percent or more of a tree's trunk or primary leader, needs a permit; routine pruning doesn't.
Arborist report
The county may require one, at the applicant's cost, when removal is about the tree's health or when grading, trenching or filling is planned under its dripline.
Street trees
County Public Works' Maintenance Division takes requests to trim or remove trees in the county road right-of-way.

Checked against Contra Costa County Ordinance Code Chapter 816-6; heritage trees in Chapter 816-4.

Alameda County

Alameda

Planning, Building and Transportation (Permit Center)

Copy link to the Alameda tree permit rules

In the City of Alameda, a coast live oak 10 inches or more in diameter, measured 4.5 feet above the ground, needs a Certificate of Approval to remove, and so do certain listed street trees. Other trees on private property need no permit to trim or remove, except trees planted under a City-approved landscape plan.

Needs a permit

  • Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) with a diameter of 10 inches or more, measured 4.5 feet above the ground, anywhere in Alameda.
  • Listed street trees: the fan palms on Burbank Street, Portola Avenue and Eighth Street, the Christmas Tree Lane trees on the Thompson Avenue medians, and the London plane trees on Central Avenue. The code words this list differently from the City's page.
  • Trees on a site designated a Historical Monument.
  • Trees planted under a City-approved landscape plan, typically an HOA's or a planned development's: removing one needs a Zoning Compliance Determination and a new planting plan.

Doesn’t need one

  • Other trees on private property: no permit to trim or remove.
  • Emergencies: the Building Official may approve an immediate removal on clear evidence of an imminent hazard; the Certificate of Approval and a replacement still follow.
What you plant back
An oak must be replaced with at least two oak trees of 10-gallon size or larger, and a protected street tree replaced to the Public Works Director's satisfaction (AMC 13-21.7(c)).
Instead of planting
Where the property cannot take the replacements, the city's fee schedule sets a tree replacement in-lieu fee, taken as a deposit with the application and refunded on proof of planting. The schedule's printed rate and its deposit line disagree, so ask the Permit Center what is due today.
Pruning
The City's page says trimming a tree on private property needs no permit.
Arborist report
Required when the tree's health is the reason for removal: a report by an ISA Certified Arborist. When damage to a foundation or other structure is the reason, a licensed contractor's report instead.
Street trees
Public Works maintains City trees in the right-of-way. The listed street trees need a Certificate of Approval to remove, and a removed one is replaced at the applicant's expense.

Checked against Alameda Municipal Code Section 13-21.7(c).

Berkeley

Parks Division, Urban Forestry Unit

Copy link to the Berkeley tree permit rules

Berkeley protects coast live oaks: one with a single stem 18 inches or more in circumference, or several stems totaling 26 inches or more, measured four feet above the ground, may be removed only as a City-approved exception. The City's tree page describes no removal permit for other trees on private property.

Needs a permit

  • Coast live oak with a single stem 18 inches or more in circumference, measured four feet up from the ground.
  • Multi-stemmed coast live oak with an aggregate circumference of 26 inches or more, measured four feet up from the ground.
  • The rule covers coast live oaks on private and public property.

Doesn’t need one

  • An oak that is a danger to life, limb or property, where removal is the only reasonable fix, if the City Manager or a designee approves.
  • An oak that substantially interferes with a project of 50% or more affordable units, replaced with another coast live oak, if the City Manager or a designee approves.
What you plant back
Nothing to plant back, because nothing is permitted to come down: the coast live oak rule is a moratorium rather than a permit with conditions, and the city has no general tree ordinance for private property. A development with half or more of its units affordable that removes one must plant another coast live oak (BMC 6.52.010(D)).
Pruning
Removing more than one-fourth of a coast live oak's functioning leaf, stem or root system in any 24-month period is prohibited without an approved exception.
Street trees
Trees in the City-maintained right-of-way, such as between the sidewalk and the street, are City trees cared for by the Urban Forestry Unit, which takes pruning and removal requests.

Checked against Berkeley Municipal Code Chapter 6.52.

Dublin

Community Development Department, Planning

Copy link to the Dublin tree permit rules

Dublin requires a Heritage Tree removal permit before an oak, bay, cypress, maple, redwood, buckeye or sycamore with a trunk 24 inches or more in diameter, measured 4 feet 6 inches above natural grade, comes down on any property, a home's yard included. Trees kept by development approvals, and trees planted to replace unlawfully removed ones, need the same permit.

Needs a permit

  • Oak, bay, cypress, maple, redwood, buckeye or sycamore with a trunk or main stem 24 inches or more in diameter, measured 4 feet 6 inches above natural grade, on developed or undeveloped property.
  • Trees a development plan, zoning or use permit, site development review or subdivision map requires to be kept, and trees planted to replace an unlawfully removed tree.
  • The street tree chapter also lists any tree 24 inches or more in diameter on developed residential property as protected. The City's pages describe only the heritage tree rule, so ask Planning whether that reaches yard trees.

Doesn’t need one

  • A tree that is an immediate hazard, with the approval of the Community Development Director, City Engineer, Police Chief, Fire Chief or a designee.
  • Removal approved as part of a development approval.
  • Pruning that follows the International Society of Arboriculture's pruning guidelines.
What you plant back
Nothing fixed: a permit may require replacement trees “of a designated species, size and location” (DMC 5.60.060(G)), and the heritage tree ordinance sets no ratio at all. Taking one down without a permit does carry a mandatory replanting, plus twice the tree's appraised value.
Pruning
No permit for pruning to ISA guidelines; extreme pruning that permanently disfigures or destroys a heritage tree counts as removing it.
Arborist report
Sometimes: if a tree's condition is the reason for removal, the City may ask for a certified arborist's assessment of its health.
Street trees
Removing a street tree, and most trimming of one, needs a Public Works encroachment permit. Owners are responsible for trees on their property and in the planter strip beside it.

Checked against Dublin Municipal Code Chapter 5.60; street trees in Chapter 7.56.

Oakland

Oakland Public Works, Tree Services

Copy link to the Oakland tree permit rules

In Oakland, a tree removal permit is needed for a protected tree on any property: a coast live oak 4 inches in diameter or larger, or any other tree 9 inches or larger except eucalyptus and Monterey pine, measured four and one-half feet above the ground. The City's pages describe the permit more broadly, so check with Tree Services about smaller trees.

Needs a permit

  • Coast live oak 4 inches in diameter or larger, measured four and one-half feet above the ground (12 inches in circumference, in the code's field equivalent).
  • Any other tree 9 inches in diameter or larger (28 inches in circumference), except eucalyptus and Monterey pine.
  • Multi-trunk trees: the diameters of all the trunks added together.
  • Topping, eliminating the upper 25 percent or more of the trunk or main leaders, counts as removal.
  • Development projects need permits for protected trees within ten feet of the building footprint or earthwork.

Doesn’t need one

  • Eucalyptus, and Monterey pine except on City property or where more than five per acre are removed for development. Any Monterey pine removal still needs public posting and written notice to the City.
  • Emergencies: the Director of Parks and Recreation or of Public Works can waive the permit for an immediate threat; the removal is reported the next business day.
What you plant back
No ratio in the code — the tree reviewer decides how many. What is fixed is what goes in: 24-inch box trees, or three 15-gallon trees in place of each box tree where that suits, from five named natives, with 315 square feet of planting area per redwood and 700 for the rest (OMC 12.36.060(B)). Nothing is owed for removing a non-native.
Instead of planting
Where the site cannot take the replacements, the master fee schedule's in-lieu line stands in — $619 a tree in the 2026-27 schedule, listed under undeveloped property — and the money goes to planting in city parks, streets and medians.
Pruning
No separate pruning permit, but topping a protected tree counts as removing it.
Street trees
Tree Services manages all trees in sidewalks, streets, medians, City parks and the City's right-of-way.

Checked against Oakland Municipal Code Chapter 12.36.

Pleasanton

Public Works, Landscape Architecture Division

Copy link to the Pleasanton tree permit rules

Pleasanton replaced its heritage tree rules in December 2024. A permit from the City's Landscape Architect is needed to remove a protected tree on public or private property: one of 13 native species with a trunk circumference of 37 inches or more, or any other species at 55 inches or more, measured four and one-half feet (54 inches) above the ground.

Needs a permit

  • Native species with a trunk circumference of 37 inches or more: big leaf maple, box elder, California buckeye, California sycamore, canyon oak, coast live oak, interior live oak, blue oak, California black oak, valley oak, California bay laurel, California black walnut and tan oak.
  • Any other species with a trunk circumference of 55 inches or more.
  • Measured four and one-half feet above ground level; a multi-trunk tree is measured below the split, at the narrowest point below the main attachment.
  • Designated heritage trees. For a small project (an ADU, a pool, an addition) removal is handled in the building permit, and for larger development in its review.

Doesn’t need one

  • Emergencies: an active tree failure meeting ISA extreme or high risk may be removed first, with the City notified at the earliest opportunity.
What you plant back
At least one replacement tree for each protected tree removed, 15-gallon or larger and climate-appropriate, with the director able to name the species and the planting date (PMC 17.16.020(F)).
Instead of planting
Only for development: mitigation may instead be a payment into the city's urban forestry fund, the appraised value of the trees removed less the cost of the trees installed (PMC 17.16.050(A)(3)(a)). No flat rate, and the removal permit itself is free.
Pruning
No permit for normal pruning, but all pruning of protected trees must be supervised by an ISA certified arborist and follow ISA and ANSI A300 standards, and anyone in the business of pruning them needs a CSLB license and insurance.
Arborist report
Not specifically required for an ordinary removal, which asks for the trees, a reason and photos; development may require an approved consulting arborist.
Street trees
Residents may not prune City-owned trees, usually those between the sidewalk and the curb; the Parks Maintenance Division handles them.

Checked against Pleasanton Municipal Code Chapter 17.16, as replaced by Ordinance No. 2288.

Alameda County (unincorporated areas)

Public Works Agency, Tree Program (right-of-way trees)

Copy link to the unincorporated Alameda County tree permit rules

Unincorporated Alameda County has no countywide rule for trees on private property, so removing a tree on your own land generally needs no County permit. Planting, pruning or removing a tree in the County road right-of-way needs a Public Works tree permit.

Needs a permit

  • Any tree in the County road right-of-way: a woody plant that typically grows to over seven inches in diameter and ten or more feet tall, plus palms, yuccas and replacement trees.
  • Fairview Specific Plan area, new development only: large, mature trees are to be preserved. The plan mixes diameter and circumference in its size rule, so ask County Planning which applies.

Doesn’t need one

  • Trees on private property, outside the Fairview development rule.
  • Branches one inch or less in diameter on a right-of-way tree.
  • A right-of-way tree that is an imminent danger may be removed or pruned first; Public Works must be told promptly, and a permit applied for afterward.
What you plant back
No County rule for a tree on private land, so nothing to plant back. In the road right-of-way the director may require planting or replacement under the County's tree manual, which the code does not put a ratio or a size on. The Fairview Specific Plan, for new development only, asks for five 15-gallon trees or one boxed native specimen for every large tree removed.
Pruning
Pruning a right-of-way tree needs a permit first, small branches aside, and topping, heading back or pollarding one is prohibited.
Street trees
The owner beside a right-of-way tree plants, maintains and replaces it, with a tree permit first. For maintenance only, a licensed contractor holding a County annual contractor permit can do the work instead.

Checked against Alameda County General Ordinance Code Chapter 12.11, as replaced by Ord. No. 2016-66.

Solano County

Benicia

Public Works Department

Copy link to the Benicia tree permit rules

Benicia requires a permit to remove or prune a protected tree: any tree over 12 inches in diameter, street trees and City property trees over 8 inches, eight native species at 8 inches, heritage trees and designated protected trees, with diameter measured 48 inches above grade. Tree permits now go through Public Works online.

Needs a permit

  • Any tree over 12 inches in diameter, measured 48 inches above natural grade.
  • Street trees and City property trees over 8 inches in diameter.
  • Blue oak, live oak, valley oak, willow, buckeye, box elder, California bay and black walnut with a trunk diameter of 8 inches (25-inch circumference).
  • Heritage trees designated by the City Council, and trees a project approval requires to be planted or kept.
  • At a single-family home, trees that aren't heritage or street trees are authorized for removal once a completed application and fee are received.

Doesn’t need one

  • Fruit and nut trees under 18 inches in diameter (57 inches in circumference), unless designated.
  • A tree that is an immediate hazard, removed on the order of the city manager or police, fire or emergency personnel.
What you plant back
Planting is the exception rather than the rule: the city arborist may condition a removal on a new tree (BMC 12.24.170(B)), and a removal for development owes the mature tree's replacement value. Otherwise the fee below stands in for it.
Instead of planting
A tree replacement fee on every permitted removal, into the city's tree fund: $109.15 for the first tree, $82.00 for each after it, and $191.15 commercial, in the fee schedule effective July 2026. A hazardous or harmful tree's fee can be waived.
Pruning
A permit is needed to prune any branch, root or limb over 3 inches in diameter on a street tree, heritage tree or designated protected tree. Topping a protected tree is prohibited.
Arborist report
Yes, for removals: the City's online application says tree removal permits require an arborist review and/or report.
Street trees
Owners maintain street trees, but removing one over 8 inches or pruning a limb over 3 inches needs the permit. A notice sign goes up at the tree, and removal can go ahead seven days after posting unless it is appealed.

Checked against Benicia Municipal Code Chapter 12.24.

Vallejo

Planning and Development Services (development); Public Works (public trees)

Copy link to the Vallejo tree permit rules

Vallejo has no stand-alone permit for removing a tree on private property, and its code defines no protected or heritage trees. Its tree ordinance covers trees in streets, parks and public places; private trees come up only in development, where mature trees over 24 inches in diameter in non-residential zones must be kept unless the director approves removal. No City page says so outright, so confirm with the City.

Needs a permit

  • Trees and plants in streets, parks and other public places: cutting, trimming, pruning or removing one needs a permit.
  • Development in non-residential zones: existing mature trees over 24 inches in diameter are to be preserved, and the director may approve removal on an arborist's report. The code's measuring height is missing a number, so ask the City.
  • Trees removed for development are replaced at least three for one, apart from the fire-prone species below.

Doesn’t need one

  • Trimming dead or broken limbs, overgrowth or sucker growth on a public tree to accepted standards.
  • Blue gum eucalyptus, Monterey pine, juniper, tree of heaven, black acacia and bamboo are left out of the replacement rule.
What you plant back
Street trees only: an equal number of trees from the approved street tree list, 15-gallon at least, within 60 days of the removal (VMC 10.12.150). Nothing is required for a tree on private property.
Instead of planting
For a street tree you may pay instead and let the city plant it, on your frontage or elsewhere in the city, at an amount set by council resolution (VMC 10.12.150). The published fee schedule names a $52 removal permit but not this payment, so ask the Permit Center.
Pruning
Pruning a public tree beyond that routine trimming needs a permit, and a request to cut one back to almost no foliage goes to the Beautification Advisory Commission.
Arborist report
Only in development review.
Street trees
Public Works plants, trims and removes trees in streets and public places, and anyone else needs the director's permit. A removed street tree is replaced by the owner within 60 days.

Checked against Vallejo Municipal Code Chapter 10.12 and Section 16.504.07.

Tree permits: common questions

Do I need a permit to remove a dead or dangerous tree?
It depends on the city. Several let a tree that is an immediate hazard come down first, as long as the city is told or a permit follows (Clayton within 72 hours, Pleasant Hill within five days). A dead or dying protected tree still needs a permit in Danville and Lafayette, while Orinda protects only live trees.
If I take a tree down, do I have to plant a new one?
In most of these places, yes, where the tree needed a permit — and how many depends on the city and on the tree. Martinez asks for one 15-gallon tree for a tree 24 inches across or less and two above that; Lafayette one to three by size; Clayton enough trees to add up to half the old trunk's diameter; Orinda one native tree for every six inches of it. Concord's three-for-one applies to removals tied to a planning or building permit rather than to a homeowner taking down a single tree. Dublin, Moraga and Richmond ask for nothing. Where your land cannot take the replacements, several cities take a payment instead — $872 a tree in Clayton, $275 in Martinez, $125 in Orinda — and others price it from an appraisal of the tree that came out.
What happens if a protected tree is removed without a permit?
Each city sets its own penalty, and the three we have read all ask for more than their permit does. Dublin requires replanting plus twice the tree's appraised value. Moraga sets a fine of up to $1,000 for each tree, and replanting at a ratio its planning director decides. Orinda asks for two 24-inch box trees for every six inches of trunk, or restitution of $1,179 a tree on its fee schedule effective July 2026, where its permit asks for one native tree for every six inches at most. For any other city, the code linked from its entry has the penalty.
Do I need a permit to prune a protected tree?
Usually not for ordinary pruning, but heavy pruning is regulated. Pleasant Hill treats removing more than 25% of a tree's leaf, stem or root area in 12 months as removal, Lafayette requires a permit above 25 percent in two years, and Berkeley prohibits removing more than a quarter of a coast live oak in 24 months without an exception. Topping needs a permit in Oakland, Martinez and unincorporated Contra Costa County.
What about a tree between the sidewalk and the street?
That's usually a street tree, and the city has a say even when you're the one who maintains it. Removing one needs a permit in most of these places, and in Berkeley and Oakland the city looks after those trees itself. Each entry's street trees note has the local rule.
When does a city ask for an arborist report?
Some want one with every application, among them Pleasant Hill, Orinda and Benicia, and Pinole unless the reason for removal is evident. Others ask only when a tree's health is the reason, or when the reviewer decides they need one. We can prepare an arborist report where an application needs one.

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