Tree removal in Pleasanton: the local rules

Each rule below links to the section of the Pleasanton Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Pleasanton's code says

Pleasanton code What Pleasanton's code adds
Exemptions	No permit is needed for normal maintenance and pruning. Applies: Pruning must follow the city's pruning guidelines. § 17.16.010 · code text Normal maintenance and pruning of a protected tree shall not require a permit but shall in all cases be in conformance with the guidelines in Section 17.16.080.
Permit to remove	Grounds include a dead, dying, diseased or hazardous tree, or one damaging utilities or structures that cannot be saved. Also needed improvements (home expansion, ADU, pool) or fire risk in high/very high fire zones. Not grounds: debris, pollen, surface roots, landscape renovation, disliked species. § 17.16.020 · code text The tree is dead, dying, or diseased and good forestry practices cannot be reasonably undertaken to preserve it; Yes. A permit is required. Applies: Applies to removing or effectively removing any protected tree in the city. § 17.16.010 · code text No person shall remove, or effectively remove, any protected tree growing within the city without a permit except as provided in this chapter.
Replacement trees	Climate-appropriate replacement trees at least 1:1 and 15-gallon size, watered until established. Applies: Applies to removing a protected tree, as the director decides. § 17.16.020 · code text the applicant shall plant climate-appropriate replacement tree(s) at a minimum of a 1:1 replacement ratio and 15-gallon size A payment to the urban forestry fund: appraised value of trees removed minus the cost of trees installed. Applies: Minor development needing an arborist's report, when the director chooses to require payment. § 17.16.070 · code text may be required to provide a tree bond and/or a payment towards the city's urban forestry fund based on the appraised value of the trees removed from the site less the cost of installed trees.

Who this affects

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Pleasanton?

Pleasanton's code: Grounds include a dead, dying, diseased or hazardous tree, or one damaging utilities or structures that cannot be saved. (Also needed improvements (home expansion, ADU, pool) or fire risk in high/very high fire zones. Not grounds: debris, pollen, surface roots, landscape renovation, disliked species.) (§ 17.16.020); Climate-appropriate replacement trees at least 1:1 and 15-gallon size, watered until established. (Applies to removing a protected tree, as the director decides.) (§ 17.16.020).

Tree removal in Pleasanton

What Pleasanton's code says

Who this affects

Frequently asked questions

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