TREE TRIMMING AND REMOVAL

City Trees

Did you know the City maintains approximately 2000 trees? Street trees are a simple and beautiful way to add aesthetic value to a neighborhood. Besides providing shade during our hot summers, street trees also filter air for dust and other particles, are important to the ecosystem providing habitat, and they can increase property values.

City trees are generally located in the parkway between the street and the sidewalk in residential and commercial areas. Some newer tracts have street median strips in which street trees are located. The City has many different layouts for City/private responsibility, so be sure contact the Street Maintenance Division if you are unsure if a tree is the City’s or not before deciding to trim one.

Please fill out an Action Request Form to notify us of a City tree that needs trimming or removal.

The City of Paso Robles has an adopted Street Tree List [pdf:98k/2pp] of those trees that are acceptable for planting in the City right-of-way.

Annual Tree Removal Project

Each year the City identifies city-owned trees needing removal. These trees are either diseased to the point that they are a liability or are damaging private property to the extent that maintenance is cost prohibitive. For example, a particular tree, the Modesto Ash, is systematically being removed and replaced throughout the City due to their widespread infestation with common tree diseases.

Around the time the project goes out to bid, a dot is painted on trees to be removed for the purpose of allowing potential bidders (and eventually the successful contractor) to know which trees are to be removed for bidding/removal purposes. The City’s budget only allows a certain number of removals per year and an effort is made not to remove ALL trees at once on a block.

Private Property Trees

Property owners are responsible for trimming and maintaining trees on private property. Oak trees are protected by local ordinance and have certain conditions and/or permission required for trimming or removal.  See the information on oak trees below for more information.

The City must protect public safety by assuring that private landscaping does not compromise certain views or otherwise create a nuisance. The City may leave a door hangar if a tree from private property is encroaching into the public right-of-way. It is the property owner’s responsibility to remedy this encroachment.

Oak Trees

Private Property

Trimming - A permit is required to trim an oak tree on private property only in conjunction with development (new or improvements to existing). There is a $50 permit fee required upon submittal of the request to trim.   For questions regarding trimming, contact the Public Works Department, Streets Division at 237-3864.

Removal - Permits are always required to remove an oak tree.  The Community Development Department handles requests for removal. If you have questions about removal, contact the Planning Division at 237-3970.  For more information on the Oak Tree Preservation Ordinance, visit the Planning Division's page on Oak Trees.

City/Public Property
If the Oak tree in need of a trim is a City tree, please fill out an Action Request Form or notify Public Works at 237-3861.