Can You Remove a Tree for Fire Safety Without a Permit? City by City
Most cities treat fire hazard as a reason to approve a normal permit, not as an exemption. The exceptions, their conditions, and the source, city by city.
Dataset version 2026-10-21 · 56 cities · by Michael Schuck, ISA Certified Arborist WE-15750A, ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional WE-15750AF
Exempt (with conditions): Belmont, Corte Madera, Los Gatos, Marin County (unincorporated), Orinda, San Mateo County (unincorporated), Tiburon. Expedited route: Danville, Fairfax, Hayward, Lafayette, Larkspur, Los Altos Hills, Novato, Saratoga.
Zone 0 and defensible space rules come from the state and the fire district; the tree permit comes from the city. One does not cancel the other. Where a city exempts a fire-safety removal, the code names the condition (a distance from a structure, a fire-agency notice, a species list) and usually asks for documentation afterwards. Read the condition before cutting; the Zone 0 guide explains how the two sets of rules interact.
| City | Fire-safety removals | Rule | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atherton | No special treatment in the ordinance | Atherton's ordinance says nothing about fire or defensible space; a heritage tree may only be removed under a permit, with staff-level approval if the Town Arborist finds it 'dead or dangerous' (AMC 8.10.040(B)), and acacias, tree of heaven, mimosa and eucalyptus are not protected at all. | Normal permit; staff-level route only if the Town Arborist finds the tree dead or dangerous; otherwise Planning Commission review under 8.10.040(D) (failure probability, safety hazard, neighborhood, forestry, solar, reasonable use). | source |
| Belmont | Exempt from the permit when the conditions are met | No permit is needed to remove a protected tree that the fire marshal (or another city official acting officially) has determined is a substantial fire hazard that cannot reasonably be mitigated (BCC 25-5(b)(2)); any other fire-safety removal needs the normal permit, which must be issued without weighing criteria for blue gum, Monterey pine, palm, acacia and dead trees. | A written determination by the Belmont fire marshal (or other city official acting in official capacity) that the specific tree is a substantial fire hazard that cannot be reasonably mitigated. Without that determination the normal permit applies; BCC 25-7(c)(1)(B) lists species 'fire hazard' as a criterion supporting removal, and 25-7(b) requires automatic issuance for blue gum, dwarf blue gum, Monterey pine, palms, acacias and dead trees. | source |
| Belvedere | No special treatment in the ordinance | No fire-safety or defensible-space provision governs private tree removal; the only related rules are that staff may exempt 'undesirable' (fast-growing, flammable) species from Design Review under Policy 15.2, and that in a neighbor view dispute removal may be ordered to prevent growth 'with the consequent danger of increase in fire hazard' (BMC 8.28.080(E)). | source | |
| Berkeley | No special treatment in the ordinance | Berkeley regulates only coast live oaks on private land and its oak ordinance has no fire exception; the City Manager may grant an exception only if the tree is a potential danger to life, limb or property (BMC 6.52.010(C)), and the EMBER/WUI code (BMC 19.49.070) lets existing trees stay in Zone 0 if pruned to clearance rather than requiring removal. | Coast live oak removal requires a City Manager exception on a finding of danger to life, limb or property with removal the only reasonable mitigation (Coast Live Oak Pruning or Removal Exemption form to trees@berkeleyca.gov). Trees other than coast live oaks need no city permit. The WUI code does not require tree removal; FireSafe Berkeley Landscape Guide 2026: remove all vegetation within 5 ft of structures 'EXCEPT mature trees (consult a Berkeley Fire Department inspector)'. | source |
| Burlingame | No special treatment in the ordinance | Burlingame's ordinance is silent on fire and defensible space; a protected tree may be removed without a permit only on an emergency order of the Parks and Recreation Director (or, if unavailable, police, fire, parks or public works staff) for disease or danger to life or property (BMC 11.06.030), and the director weighs tree condition and failure likelihood under 11.06.060(c). | Normal permit; emergency removal only by order of the director (or named staff) for disease or danger to life or property; 11.06.060(c) factors include condition, 'likelihood and consequences of failure' and species desirability. | source |
| Campbell | No special treatment in the ordinance | Campbell's ordinance has no fire or defensible-space provision; a protected tree may be removed without a permit only in an emergency on order of the Community Development Director or police/fire staff (notify first, permit within 10 days), as a declared public nuisance, or if determined dead or dying (CMC 21.32.060), and eucalyptus is not protected. | Normal permit with findings under 21.32.080 (diseased/danger of falling, structure damage, utility interference, overplanting, hardship). Exemptions only for emergencies ordered by the Director or police/fire, a public-nuisance declaration by the building official, Director or fire chief, dead/dying determination, fruit trees and eucalyptus. | source |
| Contra Costa County (unincorporated) | Fire hazard is a reason the city may approve a normal permit | Fire risk is an approval factor, not an exemption: a permit may be granted because 'The tree is a species known to be highly combustible and is determined to be a fire hazard' (816-6.8010(2)(E)); the only permit-free paths are an immediate hazard determined by the director, building inspector, sheriff, fire district or utility (816-6.1002(1)) and rangeland fire-risk thinning on agricultural parcels of 20 acres or more (816-6.1002(5)). | source | |
| Corte Madera | Exempt from the permit when the conditions are met | A listed fire-prone tree may be removed without a tree permit once the town confirms the species and the fire code official verifies it is a fire hazard (CMMC 15.50.050(9)); the eight undesirable species are exempt at any size, and fire hazard is also an approval factor for other trees (15.50.060(1)). | source | |
| Cupertino | No special treatment in the ordinance | Cupertino's ordinance has no fire or defensible-space exemption; a protected tree may be removed without a prior permit only in a hazardous emergency on order of the Director of Community Development, sheriff or fire department, with a no-fee retroactive application within five working days (CMC 14.18.150). | Normal permit (14.18.110-.120); inspection priority for hazard or disease requests; emergency route only on order of the Director, sheriff or fire department. | source |
| Danville | Expedited or fee-waived route | A tree removal permit is still required, but the application fee is waived when the tree must be removed because it is close to the primary residence or to maintain defensible space or a fuel break in order to comply with a notice from your fire insurer or a fire protection agency; that notice is also a ground for approval (Danville Mun. Code 32-79.5.b.1, 32-79.7). | A written notice from the property owner's fire insurance provider or a fire protection agency (San Ramon Valley Fire) requiring removal of the tree for proximity to the primary residence, defensible space or a fuel break. Immediate-hazard trees may be removed first with an after-the-fact permit (32-79.5.c.1). | source |
| Dublin | No special treatment in the ordinance | Dublin's heritage tree ordinance has no fire or defensible-space provision; a heritage tree may be removed without a permit only if it presents an immediate hazard to life or property and the Director, City Engineer, Police Chief or Fire Chief approves (DMC 5.60.050(B)(1)). | Normal permit decided within 10 working days on condition, development necessity, erosion and neighborhood criteria; exemption only for an immediate hazard approved by one of the named officials. | source |
| East Palo Alto | No special treatment in the ordinance | East Palo Alto's ordinance is silent on fire; a protected tree may be removed without a permit only if it presents an immediate hazard to life or property as defined by ANSI A300 and the City Manager, Building Official or Director orders it, with an after-the-event permit (EPAMC 18.28.060(E)). | Normal permit with ISA-certified arborist report; emergency route only on order of the City Manager, Building Official or Director for an ANSI A300 immediate hazard. | source |
| Fairfax | Expedited or fee-waived route | An undesirable-species tree that the Fire Department has deemed a fire hazard gets a ministerial permit from the Director with no Tree Committee hearing (FMC 8.36.040(B)(3)); fire-department-required trimming for fire or WUI code compliance is not an 'alteration' and needs no permit, and 'potential fire hazards' is an approval consideration for every other tree (8.36.020, 8.36.060(B)(1)). | source | |
| Foster City | No special treatment in the ordinance | Foster City has no private tree removal permit, so no fire exemption is needed; its code regulates only park trees and parking-strip plantings (FCMC 12.36, 12.40). | No permit regime for private trees; public/street trees via Public Works Engineering. | source |
| Fremont | No special treatment in the ordinance | Fremont's ordinance has no defensible-space exemption; a protected tree may be removed without a permit only when fire department personnel actively fighting a fire, a city official or the landscape architect determine immediate removal is necessary to prevent imminent injury or property damage (FMC 18.215.050(c)(4)). | Normal free permit (18.215.110, 15-day lead); 18.215.070(a)(1) supports removal where the tree 'is in danger of falling and injuring persons or causing substantial damage to property' and cannot be made safe. | source |
| Hayward | Expedited or fee-waived route | A protected eucalyptus, pine, acacia, tanoak or Italian cypress whose trunk is within 100 feet of a habitable structure or 30 feet of an evacuation road, or a tree in a high/very high fire severity zone that the Hayward Fire Marshal finds is an unmitigable risk, may be removed without first getting a permit, but a retroactive permit with photographs must be filed afterwards at no fee (HMC 10-15.26(2)(c)-(d)). | Either (c) species eucalyptus, pine, acacia, tanoak or Italian cypress with trunk within 100 ft of any habitable structure (including neighbours') or within 30 ft of a road necessary for emergency evacuation; or (d) tree within a CAL FIRE High/Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone plus a Hayward Fire Department Fire Marshal determination that the tree poses an increased risk and cannot reasonably be mitigated. | source |
| Hillsborough | No special treatment in the ordinance | Hillsborough's ordinance has no fire provision; the only fast route is the hazard track, where a certified arborist's written opinion that the tree must be removed within 30 days because of disease, damage or danger, verified by a town-qualified arborist, lets staff issue the permit (HMC 14.04.040(E)). | Normal permit; hazard track requires a certified arborist's written 30-day hazard opinion verified by the town arborist. 14.04.040(F) factors: type, desirability, condition re disease/danger of falling/utilities, erosion, forestry, trees remaining, alternatives. | source |
| Lafayette | Expedited or fee-waived route | A tree whose trunk is within 5 feet of a building or attached deck may be removed with no permit, no fee and no replacement, and pruning for 10 feet of building/chimney clearance needs no permit (LMC 6-1705(a)); trees that Contra Costa County Fire has noticed for defensible space or a fuel break still need a permit but the fee is waived (6-1705(b)(4)); the Director may also waive the permit for Gov. Code 51182 defensible space in consultation with the fire district (6-1705(c)(3)). | (a)(2): trunk within 5 ft of an existing building or attached structure, measured at 4.5 ft above grade; (a)(1): excluded species (invasive/fire-prone list in 6-1702); (b)(4): a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District notice identifying the specific trees to be removed or pruned for defensible space or a fuel break; (c)(3): a Director determination, in consultation with CCC FPD, that removal is needed for Gov. Code 51182 defensible space (applicant pays processing costs). | source |
| Larkspur | Expedited or fee-waived route | A listed fire-prone tree still needs the heritage tree permit, but once the Fire Code Official verifies it is a fire hazard the City Manager must grant the permit with the fee waived and no notice, findings or hearing (LMC 12.16.070(K)); the fee schedule also waives the fee for pyrophytic trees required for removal by the Fire Department. | source | |
| Los Altos | No special treatment in the ordinance | Los Altos' ordinance is silent on fire; a tree may be removed without a permit only when a hazardous or dangerous condition requires immediate action and the development services director, public works director or any police or fire department member orders it (LAMC 11.08.110(A)); dead or diseased trees can be exempted on photo review. | Normal permit with mandatory 1:1 replacement; exemption only on an official's order for an immediate hazard, or a dead/diseased photo exemption subject to field verification. | source |
| Los Altos Hills | Expedited or fee-waived route | The code has no fire clause, but the adopted 2026 fee schedule charges no fee for 'Hazardous Oak Tree Removal (Dead/Emergency/Defensible Space)' and the Town page says a dead Heritage Oak creating a fire hazard is permitted over the counter with the fee waived; the permit itself is still required unless the City Manager finds an immediate danger. | source | |
| Los Gatos | Exempt from the permit when the conditions are met | A protected tree may be removed or severely pruned without a Town permit when the work is done to implement or maintain Defensible Space under Town Code Chapter 9 (Sec. 29.10.0970(3)), except blue oak, black oak, buckeye and madrone 8 inches or larger on developed residential lots and heritage or large protected trees, which need a permit supported by a Fire Chief direction finding (Sec. 29.10.0992(11)). | The removal must conform with Defensible Space as defined and required by Town Code Chapter 9 (Fire Prevention and Protection; Santa Clara County Fire). Not available for 29.10.0960(3) trees (blue oak, black oak, California buckeye, Pacific madrone 8 in. or more on developed residential property) or 29.10.0960(10) trees (heritage trees, large protected trees); those need the permit with the Fire Chief-direction finding. Separate species exceptions (29.10.0970(2)): acacia, tulip tree, tree of heaven, blue gum and red gum eucalyptus (other eucalyptus hillsides only), palm (not Canary Island), privet under 24 in. diameter. | source |
| Marin County (unincorporated) | Exempt from the permit when the conditions are met | A protected or heritage tree 'identified by a Fire Inspector as a fire hazard' may be removed without a Tree Removal Permit (22.62.040.E); public-agency fuel-break work is also exempt (22.62.040.I), and replacement conditions defer to fire-district vegetation management requirements (22.27.040.A). | source | |
| Menlo Park | No special treatment in the ordinance | Menlo Park's heritage tree ordinance has no fire provision; removal without a permit is allowed only when a heritage tree is imminently hazardous and the police chief, fire chief or public works director orders it (MPMC 13.24.040), and permits are granted on death, ISA high/extreme risk, health, species, development or utility grounds (13.24.050(a)). | Normal permit; good cause under 13.24.050(a) (death, high/extreme risk rating, health, invasive/low-desirability species, development, utility). Emergency only by order of the police chief, fire chief or public works director. | source |
| Mill Valley | Fire hazard is a reason the city may approve a normal permit | Removing a tree 'to protect the public health and safety by reducing or eliminating fire danger' is one of the findings on which the city may grant the normal tree removal permit (MVMC 20.67.090(A)); there is no fire exemption, and only an immediate-threat tree can be removed on an emergency permit. | Normal permit (heritage trees: noticed Zoning Administrator hearing); the applicant must show removal is necessary to reduce or eliminate fire danger; a tree report may be required. Emergency permit (20.67.080) only if the tree 'poses an immediate threat to the safety of persons or property', with notice/hearing waived and removal within seven days. | source |
| Milpitas | No special treatment in the ordinance | Milpitas' ordinance has no fire provision; the only exception to prior Public Works Director approval is an emergency defined as an imminent threat of injury to persons or property (MMC X-2-5.01). | Normal permit; no approval criteria codified; emergency only for an imminent threat of injury. | source |
| Monte Sereno | No special treatment in the ordinance | Monte Sereno's ordinance has no fire exemption; the code exempts only emergency removals approved by order of the City Manager (MSMC 10.15.020(A)), gives dead and 'unsuitable' species (blue gum, red gum, black acacia, tree of heaven, tulip tree, palms, privet, Monterey pine, fruit trees) a staff-level permit, and the City separately offers a Hazardous Tree Removal Rebate for fire-hazard species in the WUI. | Normal permit (Site and Architecture Commission hearing) unless the tree is dead or an unsuitable species (staff decision, no fee per city form). Rebate (not a permit route): WUI parcel, listed species at least 25 in. circumference at 4 ft, up to 50%/$1,000, apply with two bids before removal. | source |
| Moraga | No special treatment in the ordinance | Chapter 12.12 has no fire-hazard exemption or criterion; only the emergency clause (immediate danger to structures or life, oral Town Manager permission) and the exemption for any tree within five feet of a structure apply. | source | |
| Mountain View | No special treatment in the ordinance | Mountain View's ordinance has no defensible-space exemption; a heritage tree may be removed without a permit only if a disaster has damaged it and an officer declares it dangerous (owner notifies the director within five days), if firefighters actively fighting a fire require it, or if the city arborist has determined it is dead (City Code 32.27(b)). | Normal nondevelopment permit (32.30) decided on 32.35 criteria (condition, danger of falling, proximity to structures, etc.). Living hazardous trees not damaged by a declared disaster must be secured pending a permit (32.36). | source |
| Novato | Expedited or fee-waived route | A permit is still required, but for a pyrophyte (Monterey pine, bishop pine, acacia or eucalyptus species) the Director may waive public notice and the 10-day appeal period and issue the permit immediately (NMC 17-1.4(e)(2)), and no notice is needed for removals already covered by an approved fire management plan (17-1.4(f)). | source | |
| Oakland | Fire hazard is a reason the city may approve a normal permit | Fire safety is not an exemption in Oakland; the city may grant the normal tree removal permit where removal is necessary to protect public health and safety from a 'potential hazard to life or property' or to implement S-11 vegetation management prescriptions (OMC 12.36.050(A)(1), (A)(5)), and eucalyptus and Monterey pine are not protected at all. | Normal non-development permit (12.36.080) with findings under 12.36.050(A); no denial ground in (B) applies (e.g., removal avoidable by trimming). Eucalyptus and Monterey pine are not protected trees (12.36.020). Emergency waiver only for an immediate threat, by the Parks or Public Works Director. | source |
| Orinda | Exempt from the permit when the conditions are met | No tree permit is needed when the removal is required by the Moraga-Orinda Fire District for Fire Code compliance, ordered by a fire official in an emergency, or required to obtain or keep insurance, provided the fire district's or insurer's documentation is given to the Planning Department (OMC 17.21.3.B.2, B.5, B.7). | A Moraga-Orinda Fire District notice or communication identifying the trees that must be removed for Fire Code compliance (or an insurer's written requirement, or a fire-official emergency order). The exception does not relieve other requirements such as an encroachment permit or easement restrictions. | source |
| Pacifica | No special treatment in the ordinance | Pacifica's ordinance exempts only tree removals the City itself carries out under a fire mitigation program (PMC 4-12.10); private owners need the normal permit, with priority review for disease or imminent hazard (4-12.04(h)), and emergency removal only on order of the Director or Director of Public Safety (4-12-09). | Normal permit; priority for disease/imminent hazard applications; emergency only on order of the Director or Director of Public Safety (costs charged to the owner). The fire-mitigation exemption applies to City programs only. | source |
| Palo Alto | No special treatment in the ordinance | Palo Alto's ordinance has no fire provision; a protected tree may be removed only under a permit from the urban forester on a designated arborist's report showing it is dead, hazardous or a public nuisance, crowding another protected tree, in decline, or damaging a residence foundation or eaves (PAMC 8.10.050(a)(1)). | Normal permit with a designated arborist's tree report; 'hazardous' is defined by the Tree and Landscape Technical Manual (8.10.030(e)). City notice page: hazardous or arborist-confirmed dead trees may be exempted from the 14-day posting. | source |
| Piedmont | No special treatment in the ordinance | Piedmont has no private tree removal permit, so no fire exemption is needed; the only private-tree provisions let the City order removal of a tree that is an imminent hazard to public property on 24-hour notice (City Code 3.21) and govern view disputes (3.22). | No permit regime for private trees. | source |
| Pleasant Hill | Fire hazard is a reason the city may approve a normal permit | A tree located close to a structure in a high fire hazard area whose removal is needed to create defensible space under fire-safety laws or Fire District requirements is one of the factors the Zoning Administrator weighs in approving the normal permit (PHMC 18.100.030(E)(9)); no permit is needed only for firefighting removals, imminent hazards (permit within five days) and dead trees (18.100.040). | Normal permit with a certified arborist letter report (18.100.030(D)); the tree should be in a high fire hazard area, close to a structure, and removal necessary for defensible space under fire-safety law or Contra Costa County Fire Protection District requirements. | source |
| Pleasanton | Fire hazard is a reason the city may approve a normal permit | The director may grant the (free) permit for a protected tree in a CAL FIRE high or very high fire severity zone if the Livermore-Pleasanton fire marshal determines it poses an increased risk to life or property that cannot reasonably be mitigated (PMC 17.16.020(C)(6)); only an active-failure emergency allows removal without a permit. | Tree within a CAL FIRE High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone; a Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department fire marshal determination that the tree poses an increased risk to life or property; no reasonable mitigation available. Normal permit (no fee; City Arborist inspection). | source |
| Portola Valley | No special treatment in the ordinance | Portola Valley's ordinance has no defensible-space exemption; a significant tree may be trimmed or removed without the site development permit only in an emergency when it is hazardous or dangerous to life or property and a utility, police or fire department member or town staff orders it (PVMC 15.12.050). | Site development (tree) permit required even for dead trees (Town page); emergency only on an official's order. | source |
| Redwood City | No special treatment in the ordinance | Redwood City's 1972 ordinance has no fire provision; the Director weighs disease, danger of falling and proximity to structures and gives priority to hazardous or diseased trees (RCMC 35.4), and an emergency hazardous tree may be removed with permission of any Police, Fire or Park Department member (35.5). | Normal free permit; emergency requires permission from Police, Fire or Parks staff (city FAQ: contact the City Arborist within 72 hours for an after-the-fact permit). | source |
| Ross | Fire hazard is a reason the city may approve a normal permit | A fire-hazard tree (designated in writing by the fire authority, a listed fire-prone species, or any tree within 5 ft of a house or structure) still needs the permit, but 'the alteration or removal is necessary due to fire hazards' is an approval criterion, hazard trees carry the reduced $278 fee and a 2-inch replacement requirement, and fire-safety spacing can justify an in-lieu fee instead of replanting. | source | |
| San Anselmo | No special treatment in the ordinance | Chapter 13 has no fire-safety or defensible-space exemption or finding; the only fire-related routes are the Fire Chief's emergency authorization for an immediate hazard (4-13.06(b)) and the permit-free removal of Council-designated nuisance species (acacia, eucalyptus, Monterey pine, plum, privet, liquidambar), and the Town's page notes that fuel reduction usually means limbing up and clearing ladder fuels rather than removing the tree. | source | |
| San Bruno | No special treatment in the ordinance | San Bruno's ordinance has no fire provision; a heritage tree may be removed without a permit only in an emergency when it poses an imminent hazard and a police, fire or public works department member orders it (SBMC 8.25.030), and hazard-based applications get priority (8.25.040(C)). | Normal permit on 8.25.040(B) criteria (disease, danger of falling, proximity to structures, utilities, economic enjoyment, erosion, neighborhood, parcel capacity); emergency only on an official's order; blue gum eucalyptus permits may have conditions waived. | source |
| San Carlos | No special treatment in the ordinance | San Carlos' ordinance has no fire provision; a protected tree may be removed without the application procedure only in an emergency with the oral permission or order of the City Arborist, and permits are issued for good cause such as death, ISA high/extreme risk, health, low-desirability species, development or utility interference (SCMC 18.18.070(E)-(F)). | Normal permit; priority for hazard/disease applications; emergency only with City Arborist oral permission (replacement still required). Eucalyptus is not a protected species (per matrix). | source |
| San Francisco | No special treatment in the ordinance | San Francisco's Public Works Code has no fire provision for significant trees; removal follows the street-tree permit procedure (30-day posted notice) and the Director may order immediate removal only on a written finding of manifest danger and immediate necessity (PWC 810A(b)(4)), with hazard-tree status one of the factors considered (810A(c)(6)). | Normal permit via Sec. 806(b) with 30-day posting; hazard-tree determination by the Director; emergency only on the Director's written manifest-danger finding. | source |
| San Jose | No special treatment in the ordinance | San Jose's ordinance has no fire provision; a tree whose trunk is within 5 feet of the dwelling or garage, an invasive/unsuitable species, or an imminently hazardous tree documented by a certified arborist is an 'Unsuitable Tree' that gets the same-day over-the-counter permit, but the five-foot rule is framed as structure proximity, not fire safety (SJMC 13.32.020). | Over-the-counter Unsuitable Tree permit: trunk within 5 ft of the dwelling/secondary unit/garage, Council-listed unsuitable species, or certified-arborist imminently-hazardous report; otherwise the normal permit. | source |
| San Mateo | No special treatment in the ordinance | San Mateo's ordinance is silent on fire; the Managing Arborist decides removal permits on tree condition, danger to people or property, structures/utilities, economic enjoyment, erosion, neighborhood and parcel capacity, and gives priority to hazard-based applications (SMMC 13.40.100(b)). | Normal permit; priority review for hazard; replacement still owed (15-gallon for dead trees per matrix). | source |
| San Mateo County (unincorporated) | Exempt from the permit when the conditions are met | No permit is needed to remove eucalyptus, pine, acacia, tanoak or bay laurel under 38 inches diameter whose trunk is within 100 feet of a habitable structure or 30 feet of an evacuation road, or to remove any protected tree identified by CAL FIRE, the County Fire Marshal or the local fire authority as needed for defensible space in a High or Very High fire hazard zone (County Ord. Code 8.400.100(4)-(5)). | Species exemption: eucalyptus, pine, acacia, tanoak or bay laurel; trunk within 100 ft of any habitable structure (including neighbours') or within 30 ft of a road needed for emergency evacuation; under 38 in. diameter at standard height. Defensible-space exemption: parcel in SRA or LRA High/Very High Fire Hazard zone and the tree identified by a CAL FIRE officer, the County Fire Marshal or the local fire authority as needed for defensible space around a legally permitted structure. Coastal Zone: the annual Director notice (July 1, 2026-July 1, 2027) waives permits and fees for the same five species within 100 ft of a habitable structure or 30 ft of an evacuation road under Sec. 12,020.1(c) of the Significant Tree Regulations; 'No notice to the County is required.' | source |
| San Rafael | No special treatment in the ordinance | San Rafael has no private tree removal permit (SRMC 11.12 regulates only trees in, upon or along public streets and sidewalks), so no fire exemption is needed; defensible space is enforced by the San Rafael Fire Department's Wildfire Mitigation team. | No permit regime for private trees (development-review conditions aside). | source |
| Santa Clara | No special treatment in the ordinance | Santa Clara's ordinance has no fire provision; the city approves a protected-tree removal only on findings such as disease, danger of falling, potential damage to essential structures, trunk within five feet of the residence or garage, or listed unsuitable species on single-family lots (SCCC 12.35.090(c)(4)), and the five-foot rule is framed as structure proximity rather than fire safety. | Normal permit with an ISA-certified arborist report; findings under 12.35.090(c)(4). | source |
| Saratoga | Expedited or fee-waived route | A permit is still required, but for a protected tree whose main trunk is within five feet of a building the Community Development Director may skip neighbor notice and issue the permit with no appeal period, and defensible-space removals within 100 feet of a structure in the WUI, ember-resistant-zone removals, and any Monterey pine or blue gum in the WUI are express grounds for approval (City Code 15-50.070(b), 15-50.080(a)(11)-(13)). | Notice/appeal waiver: main trunk within five feet of a building (city page: trunk below the first branch within 5 ft of the home), or the (a)(12) ember-resistant-zone case; the ember-resistant zone must be kept clear for the life of the structure and the city requires a recorded Ember Resistant Buffer Maintenance Agreement. Approval grounds: property in the Wildland Urban Interface Area; defensible space created per CAL FIRE or Santa Clara County Fire standards; wildfire risk not addressable by maintenance; or Monterey pine/blue gum in the WUI. Emergency removal only on order of the City Manager, PW or CDD Director, peace officer or fire department (15-50.060). | source |
| Sausalito | No special treatment in the ordinance | Sausalito's ordinance has no fire exemption; blue gum eucalyptus, Monterey pine, Monterey cypress, coast redwood and three acacias are 'undesirable trees' that are never protected (SMC 11.12.020), and otherwise a protected tree may be removed without a permit only when the Fire Chief, Police Chief or City Engineer, with an arborist, finds an imminent ISA high/extreme risk (11.12.030(F)). | Undesirable species: no permit at any size. Other protected trees: Planning Commission permit; emergency only on authorization of the Fire Chief, Police Chief or City Engineer in consultation with an arborist for a probable/imminent, high/extreme ISA risk. | source |
| South San Francisco | No special treatment in the ordinance | South San Francisco's ordinance is silent on fire; a protected tree may be removed without a prior permit only in an emergency ordered by the director (or police, fire, parks or public works staff) for disease or danger to life or property, with a report to the commission and a retroactive permit (SSFMC 13.30.070). | Normal per-tree permit with fee and deposit; priority for hazard/disease applications (13.30.060(b)); emergency only on an official's order. | source |
| Sunnyvale | No special treatment in the ordinance | Sunnyvale's ordinance has no fire provision; a protected tree permit may be approved if the tree is diseased or damaged, represents a potential hazard to people, structures or other trees, or restricts reasonable use (SMC 19.94.060), and the chapter is waived only for rescue or utility repair in natural-disaster emergencies (19.94.150). | Normal permit filed at least ten working days before removal (19.94.050(b)); hazard is an approval standard; no self-help route except disaster rescue. | source |
| Tiburon | Exempt from the permit when the conditions are met | If the fire marshal declares a tree a fire hazard, the chief of police, public works superintendent, planning director or town manager may authorize its removal without a permit; the removal must be reported to the planning director on the next business day (TMC 15A-4(b)). | A fire marshal (Tiburon Fire Protection District) declaration that the specific tree is a fire hazard, followed by authorization from one of the four named town officials (police chief, public works superintendent, planning director/director of community development, town manager). The fire marshal declares; the town official authorizes. | source |
| Walnut Creek | No special treatment in the ordinance | Walnut Creek's ordinance has no fire provision; the Director grants the permit on findings such as danger of falling or proximity to structures that cannot be remedied by less drastic means, or that the tree is a Tasmanian blue gum or Monterey pine (WCMC 3-8.04(d)), and applications are filed at least 10 days before removal. | Normal permit (application at least 10 days before removal for non-development removals); hazardous-tree emergency removal only with the Director's written permission (3-8.03, per matrix and city page). | source |
| Woodside | Fire hazard is a reason the city may approve a normal permit | A Tree Destruction Permit is always required, but the Planning Director must grant it when thinning is recommended by the Woodside Fire Protection District for fire protection or the trees are eucalyptus, acacia or Monterey pine (WMC 153.436(A)(4)-(5)); the Town waives the fee for those species and for removals under the Defensible Space and Home Hardening Program. | A Woodside Fire Protection District recommendation to thin the specific significant trees for fire protection (or the trees are non-landmark eucalyptus, acacia or Monterey pine). Emergency removal only by order of the Town Manager or designee (153.433). | source |
What to do before a fire-safety removal
- Check whether the tree is protected at all (species and size) with the permit checker; many fire-safety removals are below the threshold.
- If it is protected and the city has no exemption, apply and cite the fire reason; most cities approve these.
- If the city exempts it, meet the condition exactly and keep the fire-agency notice, photographs and measurements; cities ask for them afterwards.
- Pruning for clearance is usually not a removal; check the pruning limit (often 25 percent of the crown) on the city page.
Questions
Does Zone 0 override my city's tree permit?
No. The state Zone 0 rule (adopted August 2026, withdrawn from OAL in September 2026, so not yet in effect) and local fire codes set what must be cleared; the city's tree ordinance still decides whether a protected tree needs a permit to be removed. Berkeley's EMBER ordinance is the exception that writes both into one code.
My insurer wants trees removed. Is that an exemption?
Not by itself in any city verified here. It is a strong reason for approval, and some cities waive the fee for removals required by a fire agency or insurer notice (Danville, for example).
Every cell comes from the verified 56-city dataset (CSV and JSON available there). Each city page links the code section and source.
Need the fire case written to the city's code?
An arborist report that cites the fire-safety ground the ordinance names, and the defensible space plan to go with it.