Sacramento, California
Tree Removal and Tree Service in Sacramento
Sacramento protects native oaks, sycamores and buckeyes on private land from 12 inches in trunk diameter, and any tree of 32 inches on a house lot. Pruning or removing one needs a permit from Urban Forestry.
- County
- Sacramento
- Tree rules
- City Code Chapter 12.56. Urban Forestry, Department of Public Works.
- Key local rule
- Permit for regulated work on a city tree or private protected tree
- Electric utility
- SMUD
- Main hazards
- Winter windstorms on saturated clay, summer limb drop, drought, mistletoe
Is my Sacramento tree protected?
It is if it falls into one of the private protected tree categories in Chapter 12.56, measured as diameter at standard height, 4.5 feet above the ground. City trees in the planting strip or a city easement are protected at any size.
- Native species at 12 inches
- Coast, interior, valley and blue oaks, California sycamore and California buckeye.
- Any species at 32 inches
- On a lot with a single-family home or duplex.
- Any species at 24 inches
- On undeveloped land and on commercial, industrial and apartment property.
New Year's Eve 2022 and the week that followed
A windstorm on December 31, 2022 hit ground that had already taken weeks of rain. A second and stronger blow followed on the night of January 7. The city's Public Works spokesperson told reporters that more than 1,000 trees had fallen in Sacramento since the New Year's Eve storm.
Many were big, healthy-looking evergreens and oaks that tipped over with the root plate intact. Valley clay holds water, and a full winter canopy on a redwood, deodar cedar or live oak catches wind that a bare elm lets through. Land Park, East Sacramento and Curtis Park, where the canopy is oldest, saw streets blocked for days.
The heat does its own damage. On still afternoons above 100 degrees, valley oaks and elms drop large, sound-looking limbs without warning, a pattern arborists call summer branch drop.
Chapter 12.56 and the Urban Forestry permit
The city rewrote its tree code in 2016, replacing the older heritage tree rules with the private protected tree categories. Regulated work covers removal and also pruning of larger limbs and digging or trenching in the root zone, so a permit can be needed for work that leaves the tree standing.
Applications go to Urban Forestry, which generally processes them within ten business days. Removal is approved where a tree is dead, hazardous or in conflict with a permitted project, and replacement planting is usually attached. Local reporting on the code describes a wide range of fines for unpermitted work.
Unincorporated neighborhoods such as Arden-Arcade and Carmichael follow Sacramento County's tree ordinance, which has its own oak protections. Check whether your address is inside the city.
Signs a valley tree is close to failing
Standing water around the trunk for days
Roots lose their grip in saturated clay. Evergreens are most at risk in the next wind.
A long horizontal oak limb over a driveway or patio
These are the limbs that drop in summer heat. Weight reduction is planned work, not an emergency.
Elm leaves wilting and yellowing on one branch in early summer
A possible sign of Dutch elm disease. Report city elms to Urban Forestry.
Dense green clumps in a bare winter canopy
Mistletoe. Heavy infestations weaken ash and other hosts over time.
A redwood browning from the top down
Coast redwood struggles in valley heat and drought. Dead tops break out.
Trees that define Sacramento neighborhoods
- Valley oak
- The native giant of the river plain. Protected from 12 inches, and prone to hidden decay in old trunks.
- English and American elm
- The arching street trees of Midtown and downtown, managed by the city for Dutch elm disease.
- London plane
- The most common large street tree. Sturdy, with anthracnose in wet springs.
- Modesto ash
- Planted by the thousand in postwar subdivisions and now declining with mistletoe and dieback.
- Coast redwood and deodar cedar
- Tall evergreens that caught the wind in January 2023.
Next steps for a Sacramento tree
- Act now
A tree is down on a structure or across the street
Call for storm damage tree removal and report city trees to 311.
- This week
A native oak of 12 inches or more is dying
Apply to Urban Forestry before removal. Document the condition with photos.
- This week
A heavy limb hangs over where people sit or park
Arrange a tree risk assessment before the summer heat.
- Plan it
You plan to trench or build near a large tree
Ask whether root zone work on a protected tree needs a permit.
Sacramento tree service questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in my Sacramento backyard?
Only if it is a private protected tree: a native oak, sycamore or buckeye of 12 inches or more in diameter, or any tree of 32 inches or more on a single-family or duplex lot. Smaller, non-native yard trees do not need one.
How is diameter at standard height measured?
At 4.5 feet above natural grade. For a tree that branches at the ground, the city adds the largest trunk's diameter to half the combined diameter of the others.
Why did so many Sacramento trees fall in January 2023?
Weeks of rain saturated the clay soil, and two windstorms a week apart struck trees whose roots had little to hold. Evergreens with full canopies were hit hardest.
Who prunes the tree between my sidewalk and the curb?
If it is a city tree, Urban Forestry maintains it, and private work on it needs a permit. Call 311 to confirm ownership.
Reach a tree service in Sacramento
Call to be connected with an independent tree company that works in the Sacramento area, or leave your number and one will call you back.
(844) 955-1716Call availability varies by area and time of day
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Call now
Talk to a tree service provider in your area. Have the tree's location and what it is near ready.
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