Arborist Report for a Corte Madera Tree Permit
Corte Madera requires an arborist report with every private-tree removal application. We write reports to Corte Madera's checklist, measured as CMMC Ch. 15.50 Trees specifies.
What Corte Madera requires
Required. Every tree permit application in practice: the Town's Application for Tree Permit lists as submittal requirement 3 'An Arborist Report that includes an assessment and recommendation signed by a Certified Arborist working independently of a tree removal service.' The code itself is permissive: 15.50.070(a) 'Where appropriate, the planning director may also consider a written report from an independent tree expert at the applicant's expense, if agreed to by the applicant.' Undesirable-species removals at 50 inches circumference or more need the town arborist's species confirmation (15.50.050(5)); emergency removals need an arborist report afterward (form); fire-prone trees need town species confirmation plus fire code official verification (15.50.050(9)).
Who may write it: Application form: 'a Certified Arborist working independently of a tree removal service'. Code definition 15.50.020(5): 'A certified arborist is a person who has passed a series of tests by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and is governed by ISA's professional code of ethics.'. None found. Species confirmation for undesirable trees is done by the town arborist (15.50.050(5)).
“An Arborist Report that includes an assessment and recommendation signed by a Certified Arborist working independently of a tree removal service.” city application form
The rule the report has to address
| Protected trees | Any species ('tree' means any woody plant) on private property with a single trunk circumference of 50 inches or more, or a multi-stemmed tree with an aggregate circumference of 120 inches or more, measured 4.5 feet above grade; removal, destruction or alteration (pruning more than 33 percent of the canopy, girdling, root-zone regrading, etc.) needs a tree permit. Eight 'undesirable species' (blue gum, sugar gum and manna gum eucalyptus, black acacia, green wattle acacia, Monterey pine, all junipers, Lombardy poplar) are exempt at any size, subject to town-arborist species confirmation at 50 inches circumference and above. Listed 'fire-prone trees' (acacia, arborvitae, bishop pine, California bay, cedars, Coulter pine, cypress, Douglas fir, eucalyptus, false cypress, firs, gray pine, junipers, knobcone pine, larch, Monterey pine, pond pine, Scots pine, spruces, Torrey pine, yew) are exempt once the town confirms the species and the fire code official verifies a fire hazard. 'Heritage trees' (100 inches circumference and 50 years old, or 100 years old, excluding undesirable species) cannot be removed under a view claim. |
|---|---|
| Size threshold | 50" circumference single trunk / 120" aggregate circumference multi-stem (any species) at 4.5 ft |
| Dead or hazardous trees | No dead-tree exemption; tree condition (disease, danger of falling, fire hazard) is a decision factor (15.50.060(1)). Emergency: 'a tree located on private property ... may be removed without the necessity of a permit application ... upon a determination by the town manager, or his/her designee, that removal of the tree is necessary for the immediate protection of life or property' (15.50.050(7)); the application form adds that an arborist report must then be submitted to Planning to verify the tree's condition. |
| Permit fee | Tree Permit: a) Three Trees or Less $300; b) Each Additional Tree After Three $50 (Planning Fees line 27). Appeal: the code fixes the tree-permit appeal fee at $100 (15.50.040(c)); the fee schedule's generic 'Appeal to Town Council' is $1,500 (line 34a). |
| Penalty for removal without a permit | Removing, destroying or altering any tree without a required permit is a misdemeanor; each tree is a separate offense; fines up to $1,000 and/or up to six months in jail (15.50.030(a), (b)); administrative citations and fines under Ch. 9.05 also apply (15.50.030(c)); tree fees and fines are earmarked for town tree matters (15.50.030(d)). No replacement formula or appraisal-based penalty in the chapter. |
| Department | Community Development Department, Planning Division, 300 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera 94925; (415) 927-5064, plcounter@cortemadera.gov; the planning director (director of environmental services / community development) decides tree permits; appeals to the Town Council |
What the report contains
A signed PDF report. It states species and measurements taken the way the city's code requires, health and structural findings, and photographs. Where it matters, it gives a risk rating. The recommendation is written as the justification the city's code names, so staff can approve it without asking for more. For Corte Madera that means measurements taken in circumference at 54″ above grade, the species identified against the city's protected list, the condition and structural findings, and the removal justification the code names, with replacement proposed as the code requires.
Price and turnaround
$750 to $1,250 for one to three trees, including the site visit, the findings the city requires and the replacement plan. Multi-parcel and development reports from $1,650. Responses to city comments $350 per round. Permit filing with the report $600. Reports are delivered 7 to 10 business days after the site visit; responses to Corte Madera comments are $350 per round unless the proposal includes one. Fees are confirmed in writing before the visit.
Full city rules: Tree permits in Corte Madera. Not sure the tree is protected? Run the permit checker.
Request a Corte Madera arborist report
Questions about Corte Madera reports
Does Corte Madera accept a report from any arborist?
Application form: 'a Certified Arborist working independently of a tree removal service'. Code definition 15.50.020(5): 'A certified arborist is a person who has passed a series of tests by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and is governed by ISA's professional code of ethics.' None found. Species confirmation for undesirable trees is done by the town arborist (15.50.050(5)).
What if my tree is dead or dangerous?
No dead-tree exemption; tree condition (disease, danger of falling, fire hazard) is a decision factor (15.50.060(1)). Emergency: 'a tree located on private property ... may be removed without the necessity of a permit application ... upon a determination by the town manager, or his/her designee, that removal of the tree is necessary for the immediate protection of life or property' (15.50.050(7)); the application form adds that an arborist report must then be submitted to Planning to verify the tree's condition.
How much is the Corte Madera permit itself?
Tree Permit: a) Three Trees or Less $300; b) Each Additional Tree After Three $50 (Planning Fees line 27). Appeal: the code fixes the tree-permit appeal fee at $100 (15.50.040(c)); the fee schedule's generic 'Appeal to Town Council' is $1,500 (line 34a). The report fee is separate.