Do You Need a Permit to Remove an Oak in Unincorporated El Dorado County?
Usually yes, if the oak is healthy and meets the size threshold. Chapter 130.39 of the El Dorado County Code, the Oak Resources Conservation Ordinance, says that no one may remove or otherwise impact Oak Resources in the unincorporated county unless the chapter's requirements are met and a permit has been obtained. The exceptions are the exemptions listed in the chapter, covered below.The county adopted the ordinance in October 2017 alongside its Oak Resources Management Plan (ORMP), and the Board of Supervisors approved updates on July 22, 2025. The updates revised the Heritage Tree definition and changed the exemptions for fire-safe work and single-family parcels, among other edits. A lot of older web advice describes the 2017 version, so check anything you read against the current county text.The ordinance is administered by the El Dorado County Planning and Building Department, Planning Division. The permit it creates is processed as an Administrative Permit, either on its own or together with a building or grading permit.This is a general guide, not legal advice. Whether your specific tree is covered depends on species, size, elevation, and what you plan to do. Confirm with Planning and Building before any cutting starts.
Which Rules Apply Where? Counties, Cities, and Communities
El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, and most of the places people call home in the county are not cities. They are unincorporated communities governed by the county. The county's oak chapter applies to privately owned land in the unincorporated area at or below 4,000 feet in elevation where Oak Resources are present.
Two other layers can sit on top of the county rules. Neighborhood CC&Rs and HOA architectural rules often restrict oak trimming and removal. The county says it does not enforce private agreements, so a county permit does not replace HOA approval, and HOA approval does not replace a county permit. Utility easements and fire district requirements can also affect a specific lot, so mention them when you call.
| Location | Governing body | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| El Dorado Hills | El Dorado County (unincorporated) | County Chapter 130.39 applies. There is no El Dorado Hills city tree ordinance. |
| Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, Diamond Springs, Rescue | El Dorado County (unincorporated) | County Chapter 130.39 applies to private land at or below 4,000 feet. |
| Pollock Pines and other higher parcels | El Dorado County (unincorporated) | The chapter applies only at or below 4,000 feet. Check your parcel's elevation with the county. |
| Placerville | City of Placerville | The county chapter covers the unincorporated area only. Ask the city about its own tree rules. |
| South Lake Tahoe | City of South Lake Tahoe | The county chapter covers the unincorporated area only. Ask the city about its own tree rules. |
Which Oaks Are Protected?
The ordinance protects live native oaks of the genus Quercus, which it names as blue oak, valley oak, California black oak, interior live oak, canyon live oak, Oregon oak, oracle oak, and hybrids of these. Pines, cedars, and buckeyes are not oaks, so this chapter does not cover them. Size is measured as diameter at breast height (dbh), 4 feet 6 inches above natural grade on the uphill side of the tree. To estimate it without cutting, divide the trunk circumference by 3.14.The chapter sorts oaks into three groups.
Three categories of Oak Resources
- Individual Native Oak Trees: a single main trunk 6 inches dbh or greater but under 36 inches, or a multi-trunk tree with an aggregate trunk diameter over 10 inches. Trees under 6 inches with a single trunk fall below the threshold.
- Heritage Trees: a single main trunk of 36 inches dbh or greater, or a multi-trunk tree where the three largest trunks add up to 36 inches or more. These carry the heaviest mitigation and the heaviest fines.
- Oak woodlands: oak stands with greater than 10 percent canopy cover (or that may have historically supported it). Woodland impacts are normally tied to land development, such as clearing for roads, driveways, and building pads.
What Work Is Exempt From the Permit or the Mitigation?
The chapter lists specific exemptions. They are narrower than most people assume, and several depend on written documentation from a qualified person. Heritage Trees, individual valley oaks, and valley oak woodlands must be mitigated even when no county permit is required, except in the dead, dying, diseased, storm-damaged, and hazardous-vegetation situations the chapter spells out.
Older county FAQ materials, last revised in December 2024, listed an exemption for existing single-family parcels of one acre or less. The July 2025 update changed the single-family parcel exemption, and the current compiled text of Section 130.39.050 no longer lists it. Do not assume a small residential lot is automatically exempt. Ask Planning and Building how the current rule applies to your parcel.
| Scenario | How the chapter treats it | Conditions to check |
|---|---|---|
| Minor trimming | Exempt from the permit requirement. | Must meet the definition of minor trimming and current ANSI standards. Trimming that substantially reduces size or density, or alters the natural shape, does not qualify. |
| Defensible space maintenance | Exempt from the permit requirement. | Work to maintain defensible space under PRC 4291 or County Code Chapter 8.09, or under an approved fire safe plan for existing structures. Initial defensible space for new development is not exempt. |
| Dead, dying, or diseased tree | Exempt in defined cases, with documentation. | Needs an Investigative Official's inspection and written report to the county under Chapter 8.09, or a written assessment from an ISA-credentialed arborist or Registered Professional Forester. Ask whether a permit is still needed. |
| Storm- or fire-damaged tree | Exempt from the chapter. | Applies to trees that have fallen or sustained damage from storms, floods, earthquakes, fires, or similar events. |
| Healthy oak removed for insurance requirements | Mitigation can be exempted. A permit is still required. | Needs a parcel-specific assessment from a qualified professional or written documentation from the insurer naming the specific trees. |
| Oak cut for your own firewood or woodworking | Mitigation exemption for personal use. | No more than 8 trees and 140 inches total dbh per parcel per year. Does not cover Heritage Trees, valley oaks, or clearing land for development. |
| Agricultural activity | Exempt from the permit requirement. | Applies to qualifying agricultural cultivation and operations, with exceptions. Keep documentation of the activity. |
Not sure if your tree is protected?
Send the address and we'll tell you whether a permit is likely, what the process looks like, and give you a free, site-specific estimate.
How Does the Permit Process Work, and What Happens if You Skip It?
The county issues Oak Tree Removal Permits, and Oak Woodland Removal Permits where two acres or more of woodland will be impacted. Both go through Administrative Permit processing. Per the ordinance, the application includes:- An Oak Resources Code Compliance Certificate, which the county's current form describes as a statement made under penalty of perjury about whether oaks on the parcel were impacted in the prior two years - An Oak Resources Technical Report prepared by a Qualified Professional (an ISA-credentialed arborist, a qualified wildlife biologist, or a Registered Professional Forester) - The condition of the oaks, a site plan, and the reason for the removalThe permit is processed along with any building or grading permit for the same project. If it is denied, the county must give written reasons.Mitigation. Approved removals of healthy oaks are mitigated under the ORMP. Options include an in-lieu fee, replacement planting (with a deed restriction or conservation easement on the planting area), or a combination. Replacement oaks are monitored for seven years. Fee amounts come from the county's adopted fee schedules, so get a current number from the county or your technical report rather than from a web page.Enforcement. Removing oaks without a required permit can bring fines of up to three times the current replacement-tree value for individual native oaks and up to nine times for Heritage Trees. The chapter also says development applications on the property can be treated as incomplete until the enforcement matter is resolved. A permit question costs far less than any of that.How we fit in. Our crews work across El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, and the surrounding foothills. At the free site-specific estimate we look at species and trunk size, flag whether the tree may fall under Chapter 130.39, and tell you honestly what to confirm with the county before the work is scheduled.
The same crew from estimate to cleanup.
No juggling separate contractors for one tree. Tell us the address and what you're dealing with, and we'll come back with a written, site-specific number.
- Removal, trimming, stumps, and cleanup handled by one crew
- Free, site-specific estimates — priced to your tree, not a flat rate
- Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, and Yolo counties
How Do Defensible Space Rules and Oak Protections Fit Together?
Fuel reduction and oak protection mostly work in the same direction. The ordinance exempts defensible space maintenance from its permit requirement, and it treats minor trimming to meet defensible space requirements as minor trimming. Fuel modification outside the defensible space area is also exempted from the chapter's permit requirements.The county's defensible space ordinance, County Code Chapter 8.09, sets a 100-foot minimum around structures, with up to 300 feet in cases an inspector determines. The county's own FAQ points out that defensible space does not mean clearing every tree. State law underneath is Public Resources Code 4291, organized into Zones 0, 1, and 2. In its March 2025 FAQ the county said it was not yet enforcing Zone 0 because the state guidelines were still in development, so check the current status.Three limits matter for oaks. First, initial defensible space for new development is not exempt. Second, dead, dying, or diseased oaks and oaks the county treats as hazardous vegetation have their own documentation path. Third, heavy canopy reduction is not minor trimming just because the goal is fire safety. Most defensible space work on an oak is limbing up, removing deadwood, and spacing canopies. That is fuel reduction and defensible space prep, and it keeps a mature tree standing. When removal is the right call, get the written documentation first.
Official sources
- El Dorado County Planning and Building Department, Planning Division — Administers the Oak Resources Conservation Ordinance. Planning: (530) 621-5355, planning@edcgov.us. Offices in Placerville (2850 Fairlane Court) and South Lake Tahoe.
- El Dorado County Code, Title 130 (Zoning Ordinance), Chapter 130.39: Oak Resources Conservation — Definitions, exemptions (130.39.050), permits (130.39.060), mitigation (130.39.070), enforcement (130.39.090). County compilation amended 10/16/2025, on eldoradocounty.ca.gov.
- El Dorado County, Oak Resources Conservation Ordinance page and Oak Resources Management Plan (ORMP) — County summary of the July 22, 2025 update, process flow chart, and the ORMP that sets mitigation methods. eldoradocounty.ca.gov, Planning Division, Zoning.
- El Dorado County Planning Division, Oak Resources Conservation Ordinance FAQ and Oak Resources Code Compliance Certificate form — FAQ revised 12/31/2024 (some answers predate the 2025 update) and the 03/2026 compliance certificate form.
- El Dorado County Code Chapter 8.09, Hazardous Vegetation and Defensible Space, and the county's March 2025 FAQ — Local defensible space requirements, effective August 16, 2024, from the county Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience.
- California Public Resources Code 4291 — State defensible space law referenced by the county ordinance, organized into Zones 0, 1, and 2.
Permit rules in nearby cities
Costs and options once the El Dorado County paperwork clears
What the work runs regionally, and whether removal is even the right call for the tree in question.
Emergency Tree Service Cost in Sacramento (2026)
Regional range $800–$8,000 — and what moves the number on a real job.
Do You Need a Permit to Remove a Tree in Sacramento?
Which Sacramento trees need a removal permit, how city and county rules differ, and how to check before the saw comes out.
Tree Pruning vs. Removal: When to Save a Tree and When to Take It Down
Pruning or Removal — how to tell which one the tree actually needs.
Tree Service in El Dorado County, CA
El Dorado County runs from the Sacramento Valley edge at El Dorado Hills up through Placerville and into Pollock Pines…
Tree Removal in El Dorado Hills
Safe removal of hazardous, dead, or unwanted trees — including permit help, cleanup, and haul-off across the Sacramento region.
Crane-Assisted Tree Removal Cost in Sacramento (2026)
Regional range $2,500–$12,000 — and what moves the number on a real job.
If the tree does come down, the local page for tree removal in El Dorado County covers access, species, and cleanup. You can also look through the removals and takedowns we handle or read how we deal with protected trees.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to remove an oak tree at my El Dorado Hills home?
- Probably, if the oak is healthy and 6 inches dbh or larger. El Dorado Hills is unincorporated, so County Code Chapter 130.39 governs, not a city ordinance. Exemptions exist for things like documented dead or hazardous trees and defensible space maintenance. Do not rely on a small-lot exemption without asking, because the July 2025 update changed that rule. Call Planning and Building at (530) 621-5355.
How big does an oak have to be before the county protects it?
- A live native oak with a single main trunk of 6 inches dbh or more is an Individual Native Oak Tree. Multi-trunk trees count when the aggregate trunk diameter is over 10 inches. Measure 4 feet 6 inches above natural grade on the uphill side, or divide circumference by 3.14. Single-trunk oaks under 6 inches fall below the threshold.
What is a Heritage Tree in El Dorado County?
- A Heritage Tree is a live native oak with a single main trunk of 36 inches dbh or greater, or a multi-trunk oak whose three largest trunks total 36 inches or more. The county's 2025 update revised this definition to resolve measurement problems with multi-trunk trees. Heritage Trees face the strictest mitigation, and unpermitted removal can draw fines of up to nine times the replacement-tree value.
Can I trim my oak trees without a permit?
- Minor trimming is exempt, as long as it meets the ordinance definition and current ANSI standards. That covers dead or diseased limbs, safety work, defensible space trimming, and pruning to promote tree health. Trimming that substantially reduces the tree's size or density, or changes its natural shape, is not minor trimming. Check your CC&Rs too, since many HOAs require approval.
What if the oak is dead, dying, or diseased?
- The ordinance has exemptions for these trees, but they come with paperwork. The county asks for written documentation from an Investigative Official under Chapter 8.09, or from an ISA-credentialed arborist or Registered Professional Forester, and the justification has to be specific. Ask Planning and Building whether a permit is still needed before cutting, and keep photos and reports on file.
Can I cut oaks on my property for firewood?
- Limited personal-use removal is exempt from mitigation: up to 8 trees and 140 total inches dbh per parcel per year, for firewood, woodworking, or oak wood products. It excludes Heritage Trees, valley oaks, and any clearing to prepare land for development. Selling firewood is a different matter. Commercial firewood cutting needs a Minor Use Permit.
What happens if I remove an oak without a permit?
- The ordinance provides fines of up to three times the current replacement-tree value for individual native oaks, up to nine times for Heritage Trees, and up to three times the in-lieu fee for oak woodland. Development applications on the property can also be held as incomplete until the matter is resolved. Getting the permit question answered first is much cheaper.
Does the county oak ordinance apply in Placerville or South Lake Tahoe?
- No. Chapter 130.39 covers privately owned land in the unincorporated county at or below 4,000 feet. Placerville and South Lake Tahoe are incorporated cities with their own codes, so contact each city about tree rules. Parcels above 4,000 feet in the unincorporated area are outside the chapter's stated scope, though other agencies' rules may still apply.
Hiring someone to pull the El Dorado County permit and do the work? Run through the paperwork worth asking any contractor for first. Broader questions are answered in our tree-work FAQ.