Updated Sonoma County Tree Protection and Oak Woodland Ordinances

In Sonoma County, both the Tree Protection Ordinance and the Oak Woodland Ordinance place restrictions on removing certain trees, particularly focusing on protected species and oak habitats. As a homeowner, here’s what you need to know and how an arborist can help you navigate these regulations:
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In April, two new ordinances were passed in an effort to protect and maintain many of our native trees and habitats.  These ordinances were meant to strengthen policies that were originally created in the 80’s and 90’s. They only apply to Sonoma County land, not within cities or the coastal zone. It is also important to note that the Tree Protection and Oak Woodland Ordinances are more focused on limiting tree removal for large scale land alteration and development.  

Tree Protection Ordinance
This ordinance regulates the removal of protected trees that have a DBH (diameter at breast height) of 6” or more. If you need to remove one of these trees, you’ll typically need a Zoning Permit unless your property qualifies for an exemption. These trees include:

• Big Leaf Maple
• Black Oak
• Blue Oak
• Boxelder
• California Black Walnut
• California Buckeye
• Canyon Live Oak
• Coast Live Oak
• Cottonwood species
• Interior Live Oak
• Madrone
• Oregon Ash
• Oregon Oak
• Red or White Alder
• Valley Oak
• Willow species

• Cypress species (selected)
• Grand Fir
• Pine species (selected)
• Redwood
• Western Hemlock

*Some common species that are NOT protected are the California bay, ponderosa pine and Douglas fir.

Oak Woodland Ordinance
This ordinance specifically protects oak-dominated habitats. If your property falls within an oak woodland area, more stringent rules apply. For significant tree removals or habitat changes, you may need a Use Permit and a mitigation plan. 
Under the new ordinances, if you would like to remove a protected tree from your property, it may require a permit application, site plan and justification for removal as well as mitigation through replanting or paying an in-lieu fee of $510 per arboreal value point if replacement isn’t feasible.
There are a number of exemptions to these ordinances including fire risk reduction, property maintenance, hazardous, dead or dying trees, pest control, forest management, resource management and maintaining existing agricultural activities. These can allow homeowners to remove protected trees without the permitting and fees.

How an Arborist Can Help

• Assessing tree health and risk: They can confirm if a tree qualifies for removal due to safety or disease.
• Navigating permits and paperwork: Arborists can evaluate whether your tree qualifies for exemption and prepare required documentation.
• Creating mitigation plans: If removal requires replanting or conservation efforts, an arborist can design a compliant mitigation strategy.

For more detailed information, you can visit Permit Sonoma's resources directly at permitsonoma.org.