You may have a tree where you want to build, repair a wall, or open up part of the yard before selling. In Arcadia, the answer depends on the tree’s species, trunk size, number of trunks, and location on the lot. Certain oaks and sycamores are protected, as are some other mature trees within required yard setbacks. Protected oaks and sycamores cannot be removed, relocated, damaged, or encroached upon in their protected zones unless an Oak Tree Permit is granted. The city’s Trees page describes mature setback trees as protected under Ordinance No. 2338 but does not give a permit procedure for them.
This is general information and not legal advice.
Which trees are protected on a private lot?
Arcadia protects certain oaks and sycamores, plus some mature trees in required yard setback areas.
According to the city’s Trees page, Ordinance No. 2323 protects oak and sycamore trees through Chapter 7 of the Arcadia Municipal Code. The listed size thresholds vary by species and by whether the tree has one trunk or several.
Ordinance No. 2338 added another category. Mature trees, except those on the city’s Unprotected Trees list, are protected when they stand within a required front, side, street-side, or rear yard setback and are larger than 12 inches in diameter. For a tree with multiple trunks, the listed threshold is larger than 10 inches in diameter.
That distinction matters when you are reviewing a property. A large tree is not automatically protected just because it is large, and a tree does not become unprotected simply because it is on private land. You need the species, measurements, trunk pattern, and location in relation to the required setbacks.
How do you measure an oak or sycamore?
You measure the listed oak and sycamore trunk sizes at a point four and one-half feet above the root crown.
An Engelmann oak or coast live oak falls within the protected size description when its trunk is larger than 4 inches. If it has two or more trunks, the threshold is trunks measuring 3 inches or more.
For any other living oak, the listed threshold is a trunk larger than 12 inches. A multi-trunk oak is covered when it has two or more trunks measuring 10 inches or more.
For a sycamore (Platanus racemosa), the threshold is a trunk larger than 6 inches. With two or more trunks, the listed measurement is 4 inches or more.
Which trees are unprotected?
Some non-oak and non-sycamore trees are unprotected because of their location or because the species appears on the city’s exclusion list.
A non-oak, non-sycamore tree outside a required setback is unprotected under the description on the Trees page. The city also identifies species and groups that are unprotected anywhere on the property: fruit and nut trees, Shamel ash, eucalyptus, tree of heaven, palm trees, Brazilian pepper, carob, European white birch, silk oak, mulberry, silver maple, and Italian cypress.
Before relying on the list, confirm the species and the tree’s position on the lot. If either is uncertain, the label “unprotected” may rest on an assumption rather than the details the city uses.
What do you file for a healthy protected tree?
For a healthy protected tree, you apply to the Planning Division with a Certified Arborist tree report and an explanation supporting removal.
The application should explain why removal is necessary and why removal is more desirable than alternative project designs. It also includes mitigation measures and a fee under the city’s fee schedule. The city may require another fee so it can hire its own Certified Arborist. The Trees page does not give a fee amount or a decision period for a healthy-tree application.
Three exemptions from the Oak Tree Permit are listed. One covers removal approved through a development permit called a Combined Permit. Another covers removal needed for line-of-sight distances required by the Director of Public Works. The third covers actions to protect utility lines or the property of a public utility.
If the tree affects a planned addition or other property change, settle the tree question before treating that design as available. Another city’s oak permit process is covered in the Calabasas oak tree permit guide.
An Arcadia owner told us he planned to remove a large tree before submitting plans for an addition. His contractor considered it ordinary site preparation, but we asked him to check the city’s tree requirements first. The tree’s location and classification could matter independently of whether the addition itself was allowed.
Does an HOA review come before the city application?
Yes, an applicant in an Arcadia Homeowners Association area shall submit the removal plan to the association’s Architectural Review Board before filing with the city.
That board may approve, conditionally approve, or deny the plan. The city’s page does not state what any particular association’s tree rules require, so check the documents governing the property rather than assuming every association uses the same standard.
The Planning Division can tell you whether a property is within one of these areas at (626) 574-5423. If it is, read the Arcadia HOA Architectural Review Board guide and gather the association’s response before submitting the city application.
See the California HOA disclosure guide for broader association paperwork.
What changes for a diseased or hazardous oak?
A diseased or hazardous oak has a specific application path that begins with Planning Services and an evaluation from a Certified Arborist.
The Development Services Director or designee has seven working days to approve or deny that application. If granted, the permit becomes null and void when it is not used within 12 months. A denial may be appealed to the Planning Commission.
Keep the arborist evaluation tied to the tree identified in the application. Ask whether the application has been approved, whether any appeal is pending, and whether the permit remains within its 12-month period. Those details are more useful to a buyer than a general statement that the tree is unsafe or scheduled for removal.
The city page provides this timing for a diseased or hazardous oak. It does not give the same decision period for an application to remove a healthy protected tree.
What does the Santa Anita Park request show?
The city’s page lists two permit numbers for the Santa Anita Park request, one for removal and one for encroachment, and says processing is on hold as of September 9, 2026.
The city’s Oak Trees at Cross Country Course page identifies Protected Healthy Tree Removal Permit No. TRH 26-11 and Protected Tree Encroachment Permit No. TRE 26-09. The request concerns removal of 34 protected oak trees associated with the LA28 cross-country course, planting 34 new trees, and allowing proposed improvements and the course to encroach within 45 oak trees.
In an update dated September 9, 2026, the city said processing had been placed on hold at Santa Anita Park’s request. At that time, no decision on the proposed removals was pending before city staff or the City Council. If a revised application is submitted, the public notification process will begin again so the community can review and comment on the revised plans.
The October 6, 2026 City Council minutes in the city’s October 20 packet record public comments opposing the proposed removal and the City Manager saying updated information was on the city website.
The example does not predict the result of a private application. It does show why the permit number, current status, proposed mitigation, and scope of any encroachment should be checked instead of treating an application as an approval.
The short version
Protected oaks and sycamores need an Oak Tree Permit unless an exemption applies, and other trees depend on species and location.
Start by identifying the species. Measure an oak or sycamore at four and one-half feet above the root crown, note whether it has multiple trunks, and check where it stands in relation to the required yard setbacks. If the tree is protected, match the application to its condition: a healthy protected tree requires a Certified Arborist report and supporting explanation, while a diseased or hazardous oak requires a Certified Arborist evaluation.
For a property in a Homeowners Association area, obtain the Architectural Review Board’s response before filing with the city. During a purchase or sale, ask for the application, arborist material, approval, appeal status, and any applicable expiration date.
Then place the tree constraint alongside the property’s price and your plans by using the home value tool.
Common questions
Are all trees on an Arcadia property protected?
No. Protection depends on the species, trunk size, number of trunks, and, for some trees, whether the tree is within a required yard setback.
Do you need an arborist report to remove a protected tree?
The city's Trees page calls for a Certified Arborist evaluation for a diseased or hazardous oak and a Certified Arborist tree report for a healthy protected tree removal application.
Does an Arcadia HOA review a tree removal plan before the city?
If the property is in a Homeowners Association area, the applicant shall submit the plan to that association's Architectural Review Board before filing with the city.
Was the Santa Anita Park tree removal request approved?
No decision had been made as of the city's September 9, 2026 update. Processing was placed on hold at the applicant's request.
