Arborist Report for a East Palo Alto Tree Permit
East Palo Alto requires an arborist report with every private-tree removal application. We write reports to East Palo Alto's checklist, measured as EPAMC Development Code Title 18, Art. 3, Ch. 18.28 specifies.
What East Palo Alto requires
Required. Every Tree Removal Permit application, private or development-related: 18.28.060(A) 'A Certified Arborist report as noted below, is required'; 18.28.060(B) 'The application shall include a tree report by a Certified Arborist report. Any expense associated with the preparation of the tree report shall be the responsibility of the applicant.' Planning handout (6/16/2025) STEP 1: 'Obtain an arborist report from an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist. The report must cite one, or more, of the criteria listed in Section 18.28.070'; required contents: site plan, photos, species, height, circumference at 54 inches, health, risk, why the tree cannot be saved (risk-management pruning, structural support, site/cultural conditions, IPM), reason per 18.28.070, proposed replacement. Development projects also need an Arborist Report and Tree Protection Plan covering all trees 6" DSH and greater with CTLA appraisal, and a final arborist report before acceptance (18.28.060(C)). Emergency removals need a certified arborist report within 5 working days (handout).
Who may write it: 'Certified Arborist. An arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture and approved by the Director.' (18.28.020); handout: 'ISA certified arborist'.. None published that I found; code requires Director approval of the arborist.
“Tree Removal Permit. No person shall remove, destroy or disfigure any protected tree within the city without a permit. ... A Certified Arborist report as noted below, is required.” municipal code
The rule the report has to address
| Protected trees | Any species: 'Protected Tree' = any tree on private property with a main stem or trunk 8" or greater in diameter at 54" above grade (DSH) (about 25" circumference, the figure on the city's June 2025 handout); plus any tree required to be preserved or planted as a condition of a development approval, and any replacement tree for an unlawfully removed tree (any size). Trees in a public street or right-of-way: any size, through Public Works (Ch. 12.16). No species exemptions; Cal-IPC-listed invasive trees are a removal criterion, not an exemption. |
|---|---|
| Size threshold | 8" DSH (any species) at 54" above grade; city handout expresses it as 25" circumference at 54" |
| Dead or hazardous trees | Dead trees, trees expected to die within 5 years, trees at ISA high or extreme risk, and Cal-IPC invasive trees are removal criterion A (18.28.070(A)); the permit and ISA-certified arborist report are still required, but 'Where an arborist report indicates that a tree fits this category, fees may be waived.' Emergency (18.28.060(E)): a tree that 'presents an immediate hazard to life or property, as defined by ANSI A300' may be removed without a permit only 'on order of the City Manager, Building Official, or the Director; an after-the-event permit will be required.' City handout: the person acting must report to Community Development within 5 working days with a certified arborist report and photographs documenting the condition; an encroachment permit may be needed from Public Works. |
| Permit fee | Comprehensive Fee Schedule effective July 18, 2026 (Planning): 'Tree Removal* 1-2 trees Base $519; 3 or more Per Tree $30' (the schedule does not say whether the $30 per-tree line is added to the $519 base or replaces it). Fees may be waived when the arborist report shows the tree is dead, dying within 5 years, high/extreme risk or invasive (18.28.070(A)). Financial security (check or approved alternative) for the appraised value of affected trees plus replacement-tree value and staff time, refunded on proof of replacement or in-lieu payment (18.28.060(G)); handout: bond/deposit equal to the appraised value, or replacement-tree cost for a dead tree. Appeals to Planning Commission $9,595 (general Planning line). In-lieu fee = CTLA appraised value of the removed tree (18.28.080(B)). |
| Penalty for removal without a permit | Violation is unlawful and a public nuisance, enforced under Chapter 1.118 (handout cites 18.118); intentional or negligent removal without a permit requires replanting each tree with two or three new trees, or more as the Director determines, to replace the lost canopy within 10-15 years, under a five-year maintenance agreement; if on-site replacement is insufficient the Director sets a civil penalty equal to the CTLA-appraised value of the tree(s) plus the cost of planting elsewhere, in addition to penalties prescribed by law; tree-removal, landscaping and construction businesses face business-license revocation (18.28.110). |
| Department | Planning Division, Community and Economic Development Department, 1960 Tate Street, East Palo Alto 94303; (650) 853-3189; planning@cityofepa.org. Public/street trees: Public Works/Engineering, Engineering@cityofepa.org, 853-3189. |
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 East Palo Alto that means measurements taken in diameter 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. Reports are delivered 7 to 10 business days after the site visit; responses to East Palo Alto comments are $350 per round unless the proposal includes one. Fees are confirmed in writing before the visit.
Full city rules: Tree permits in East Palo Alto. Not sure the tree is protected? Run the permit checker.
Request a East Palo Alto arborist report
Questions about East Palo Alto reports
Does East Palo Alto accept a report from any arborist?
'Certified Arborist. An arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture and approved by the Director.' (18.28.020); handout: 'ISA certified arborist'. None published that I found; code requires Director approval of the arborist.
What if my tree is dead or dangerous?
Dead trees, trees expected to die within 5 years, trees at ISA high or extreme risk, and Cal-IPC invasive trees are removal criterion A (18.28.070(A)); the permit and ISA-certified arborist report are still required, but 'Where an arborist report indicates that a tree fits this category, fees may be waived.' Emergency (18.28.060(E)): a tree that 'presents an immediate hazard to life or property, as defined by ANSI A300' may be removed without a permit only 'on order of the City Manager, Building Official, or the Director; an after-the-event permit will be required.' City handout: the person acting must report to Community Development within 5 working days with a certified arborist report and photographs documenting the condition; an encroachment permit may be needed from Public Works.
How much is the East Palo Alto permit itself?
Comprehensive Fee Schedule effective July 18, 2026 (Planning): 'Tree Removal* 1-2 trees Base $519; 3 or more Per Tree $30' (the schedule does not say whether the $30 per-tree line is added to the $519 base or replaces it). Fees may be waived when the arborist report shows the tree is dead, dying within 5 years, high/extreme risk or invasive (18.28.070(A)). Financial security (check or approved alternative) for the appraised value of affected trees plus replacement-tree value and staff time, refunded on proof of replacement or in-lieu payment (18.28.060(G)); handout: bond/deposit equal to the appraised value, or replacement-tree cost for a dead tree. Appeals to Planning Commission $9,595 (general Planning line). In-lieu fee = CTLA appraised value of the removed tree (18.28.080(B)). The report fee is separate.