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Los Altos
Tree Permits
Do you need a permit to cut down a tree in Los Altos, CA? Enter your address for Los Altos tree removal and pruning rules, size thresholds and how to apply.
Do you need a permit to cut down a tree in Los Altos, CA? Enter your address for Los Altos tree removal and pruning rules, size thresholds and how to apply.
Los Altos Chapter 11.08 (Ordinance 2024-506, adopted February 13, 2024) generally protects trees about 12 inches (38 inches circumference) at 48 inches, natives at 10 inches, and heritage, pending, or required trees. A dead or diseased tree is not automatically permit-required: the owner may submit photos for a City exemption, subject to inspection. Later amendments and multi-trunk rules were not verified, so this checker does not automate a permit or a no-permit answer. Checked November 6, 2026.
How to apply: Check with Los Altos before removing a tree. The City can consider a dead or diseased exemption from photos, then a field inspection. Do not treat that as a homeowner exemption.
Boundary: Santa Clara County LAFCO city limits (NAME LOS ALTOS), checked November 6, 2026, and Census place GEOID 0643280. Los Altos Hills (GEOID 0643294) is a different town and is not covered.
How to measure: most Bay Area cities measure trunk diameter (or circumference) at 4.5 ft (54") above natural grade, but some measure elsewhere: Berkeley at 4 ft, Redwood City at the widest point between 6" and 36". Where a city sets its limit by circumference, we show the diameter (circumference ÷ 3.14).
Official sources: mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/losaltosca-mee · losaltosca.gov/231/Tree-Removal · losaltosca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/814/Native-Tree-List-PDF