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Tree removal in Scotts Valley

Scotts Valley's own rules on tree removal, with the code text for every value.

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

What Scotts Valley's code says

Scotts Valley code What Scotts Valley's code adds
Exemptions
  • No permit needed if a city official, police officer or fire district employee orders removal of a hazardous tree.
    Applies: Emergencies where the tree is an immediate hazard to life or property; the director may require a certified arborist to confirm.
    § 17.44.080 · code text
    1. Emergencies. If the condition of a tree pres
Permit to remove
  • Yes, a permit is required.
    Applies: Damaging, destroying or removing any protected tree on private or public property.
    § 17.44.080 · code text
    it is unlawful for any person to damage, destroy or remove, or cause to be damaged, destroyed or removed, any protected tree defined in subsection B.7, upon any private or public property in the city without first having obtained a permit to do so issued pursuant to this chapter.
Protected trees
  • Any tree with a trunk 25 inches or more around (about 8 inches across), measured 54 inches above natural grade.
    Applies: Hillside residential zones where the slope within 20 feet of the tree exceeds 20%.
    § 17.44.080 · code text
    Any tree having a main stem or trunk which measures twenty-five inches or greater in circumference (eight 8 inches in diameter, approximately) measured fifty-four inches above natural grade, located in a hillside residential zone where the slope of the area within twenty feet of where the tree is located exceeds twenty percent;
  • Any tree that had to be preserved as part of an approval under an earlier zoning ordinance.
    Applies: The tree existed at the time of that approval.
    § 17.44.080 · code text
    Any tree which existed at the time of any approval granted under any zoning ordinance in effect prior to the adoption of the ordinance codified in this title and which was required to the preserved as part of such approval;
  • Any tree planted to replace an unlawfully removed tree.
    § 17.44.080 · code text
    Any tree that was or is required to be planted as a replacement for any unlawfully removed tree;
  • Any oak with a trunk 25 inches or more around (about 8 inches across), measured 54 inches above natural grade.
    Applies: Oak trees.
    § 17.44.080 · code text
    Any oak tree having a main stem or trunk which measures twenty-five inches or greater in circumference (eight inches diameter, approximately) measure fifty-four inches above natural grade.
  • Any multi-trunk oak with a trunk over 12 inches around (about 4 inches across), measured 54 inches above grade.
    Applies: Multi-trunk oak trees.
    § 17.44.080 · code text
    Any multi-trunk oak with an individual trunk of over twelve inches in circumference (four inches diameter, approximately) measured fifty-four inches above the natural grade;
  • Any street tree, of any size.
    Applies: Street trees: any tree within 5 feet of a public or private street or right-of-way.
    § 17.44.080 · code text
    Any street tree, as defined in subsection B.9, regardless of size;
  • Heritage trees listed in a city council resolution and shown on the planning department map.
    Applies: Heritage trees.
    § 17.44.080 · code text
    Heritage tree, as adopted in a resolution approved by the city council and shown on the map on file in the planning department;
  • Trees with any trunk 40 inches or more around, measured 54 inches above grade; multi-trunk trees use total circumference.
    Applies: Excludes eucalyptus (blue gum), fruit trees, acacias, and bay laurel under the drip line of an established oak.
    § 17.44.080 · code text
    All trees which have a forty-inch or greater circumference of any trunk measured fifty-four inches above the natural grade or, in the case of multi-trunk tress, a total of above the natural grade.

Who this affects

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Scotts Valley?

Scotts Valley's code: Yes, a permit is required. (Damaging, destroying or removing any protected tree on private or public property.) (§ 17.44.080); Any tree with a trunk 25 inches or more around (about 8 inches across), measured 54 inches above natural grade. (Hillside residential zones where the slope within 20 feet of the tree exceeds 20%.) (§ 17.44.080).

General information, not legal advice.

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