Tree service in Lafayette
Tree removal, pruning, stump grinding and our other services in Lafayette, about 8 miles from our yard in Martinez.
Emergency work 24 hours a day, 7 days a weekCall (925) 228-1010
Lafayette's tree ordinance, in effect since January 2025, depends on where a tree stands. On a developed lot it protects listed oaks and other species from 12 inches across; on an undeveloped lot, native trees from 6 inches; and native trees in a restricted ridgeline area, street trees and trees in a commercial district at any size.
Our work in Lafayette
Clients here include:
- City of Lafayette
Tree permits in Lafayette
- Who reviews a permit
- Planning & Building Department
- What the code protects
- Developed lots: black oak, blue oak, California bay, California buckeye, canyon oak, coast live oak, cork oak, interior live oak, madrone, Oregon white oak or valley oak with a trunk 12 inches or more in diameter.
- Undeveloped lots: a native or native riparian species 6 inches or more in diameter, or any other species 12 inches or more.
- Within 30 feet of a creek's top of bank: a native riparian species 6 inches or more in diameter, or with one trunk of 4 inches or more on a multi-trunked tree.
- What has to be planted back
- One 15-gallon tree for a protected tree under 24 inches across, two from 24 to 30 inches, three at 30 inches or more (§ 6-1708(a)) — the same whether a development is involved or not. Planted on the same property, five feet clear of buildings, and in the same size group as the tree that went.
Checked on , against Lafayette Municipal Code Chapter 6-17, as replaced by Ord. No. 694. Rules change, so confirm with the City before work starts.
Defensible space in Lafayette
Lafayette is served by the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (opens in a new tab), which requires weeds kept to no more than 3 inches on a parcel of five acres or less, by June 1 in 2026.
On CAL FIRE's 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, 41 acres of Lafayette are rated Very High and 5,309 acres High.
Tree work in Lafayette: common questions
- Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Lafayette?
- Lafayette requires a Tree Permit to remove, destroy or extensively prune a protected tree, under a Tree Protection Ordinance in effect since January 9, 2025. What's protected depends on species, trunk size and where the tree stands: a developed or undeveloped lot, a creek, a ridgeline, a street or downtown. The full rules, with the code and the City's own page, are on our tree permits page.
- What do I have to plant back after removing a tree in Lafayette?
- One 15-gallon tree for a protected tree under 24 inches across, two from 24 to 30 inches, three at 30 inches or more (§ 6-1708(a)) — the same whether a development is involved or not. Planted on the same property, five feet clear of buildings, and in the same size group as the tree that went.
- Who enforces defensible space in Lafayette?
- The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, which requires weeds kept to no more than 3 inches on a parcel of five acres or less, by June 1 in 2026.
- Do you take emergency calls in Lafayette?
- Yes. We take emergency calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (925) 228-1010.
Talk to someone about a tree in Lafayette
Estimates are free. Tell us what you’re looking at and we’ll come and have a look.