Tree service in Martinez
Tree removal, pruning, stump grinding and our other services in Martinez, where our yard is.
Emergency work 24 hours a day, 7 days a weekCall (925) 228-1010
In Martinez a Planning Division permit covers more than removal. Trenching, grading or filling within a protected tree's dripline needs one, and so does topping it, which the code defines as removing the upper 25 percent or more of its trunk or main leader. The rules date from December 2023.
Our work in Martinez
Clients here include:
- Martinez Unified School District
Tree permits in Martinez
- Who reviews a permit
- Planning Division, Community and Economic Development
- What the code protects
- On any property: oaks (including coast live, blue, California black and valley oak) and native trees (including coast redwood, white alder, red alder, bigleaf maple, California buckeye, madrone, California bay, California black walnut and California sycamore) 12 inches or more in diameter, measured four and one-half feet from grade.
- On any property: any tree in the public right-of-way, a private access easement or the Downtown Specific Plan area; trees an approved map, plan or condition of approval requires to be kept; and trees planted to replace an unlawfully removed tree.
- On developed commercial, office or industrial property, undeveloped property, and General Plan open space or recreation areas: any tree 24 inches or more in diameter at four and one-half feet, any multi-stemmed tree whose trunks add up to 24 inches, and groves of four or more trees.
- What has to be planted back
- One 15-gallon tree for each street tree, one for each tree 24 inches across or less, and two for each tree over 24 inches (MMC 8.08.047(A)) — or another ratio the Public Works and Community and Economic Development Directors approve. Species from the city's tree list; no sweetgum, Monterey pine, eucalyptus or poplar.
Checked on , against Martinez Municipal Code Chapter 8.08, as adopted by Ord. No. 1450 (December 20, 2023). Rules change, so confirm with the City before work starts.
Defensible space in Martinez
Martinez 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, no part of Martinez is rated Very High; 2,032 acres are rated High.
Tree work in Martinez: common questions
- Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Martinez?
- Martinez rewrote its tree rules in December 2023. A Planning Division permit is needed to cut down, top or remove a protected tree, or to trench, grade or fill within its dripline: on any property, oaks and native trees 12 inches or more in diameter, measured four and one-half feet from grade, and any tree in the public right-of-way, a private access easement or the Downtown Specific Plan area. 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 Martinez?
- One 15-gallon tree for each street tree, one for each tree 24 inches across or less, and two for each tree over 24 inches (MMC 8.08.047(A)) — or another ratio the Public Works and Community and Economic Development Directors approve. Species from the city's tree list; no sweetgum, Monterey pine, eucalyptus or poplar. Where the property cannot take a replacement, a payment for each 15-gallon tree owed, set by council resolution and spent on the city's tree education and planting program (MMC 8.08.047(C)). The city's fee schedule puts it at $275 a tree from July 2026.
- Who enforces defensible space in Martinez?
- 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 Martinez?
- Yes. We take emergency calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (925) 228-1010.
Talk to someone about a tree in Martinez
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