Tree service in Moraga
Tree removal, pruning, stump grinding and our other services in Moraga, about 12 miles from our yard in Martinez.
Emergency work 24 hours a day, 7 days a weekCall (925) 228-1010
In Moraga the kind of tree matters more than its size. A native tree, an orchard tree or a tree of historic significance, with a trunk 5 inches or more across, needs a permit from the Planning Director. Other trees on residentially zoned property, and any tree five feet or closer to a structure, are exempt.
Tree permits in Moraga
- Who reviews a permit
- Planning Department
- What the code protects
- What counts as a tree: a single trunk 5 inches or more in diameter, or multiple trunks with a total perimeter of 40 inches or more, measured three feet above natural grade.
- Native trees, the most common being bay, oak, redwood, toyon and knobcone pine; the Town's application form carries a native tree list.
- Orchard trees (fruit or nut trees planted for commercial agriculture), and trees of historic significance designated by the Town Council.
- What has to be planted back
- None set: the chapter lets the planning director attach reasonable conditions to a permit but names no replacement standard. A tree taken without a permit is a different matter — a fine of up to $1,000 each, and replanting at a ratio the director decides.
Checked on , against Moraga Municipal Code Chapter 12.12. Rules change, so confirm with the Town before work starts.
Defensible space in Moraga
Moraga is served by the Moraga-Orinda Fire District (opens in a new tab), which requires annual grasses and weeds cut to 3 inches or less, by June 1 every year.
Its Ordinance 23-03 also sets rules for the first five feet around a house or an attached deck: no bark, mulch or other combustible ground cover within two feet, and no Monterey pine or eucalyptus within five.
On CAL FIRE's 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, 2,290 acres of Moraga are rated Very High and 2,238 acres High.
Tree work in Moraga: common questions
- Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Moraga?
- In Moraga, a tree removal permit from the Planning Director is needed to remove a native tree, an orchard tree or a tree of historic significance on public or private property. Other trees on residentially zoned property, and any tree five feet or closer to a structure, are exempt. The full rules, with the code and the Town's own page, are on our tree permits page.
- What do I have to plant back after removing a tree in Moraga?
- None set: the chapter lets the planning director attach reasonable conditions to a permit but names no replacement standard. A tree taken without a permit is a different matter — a fine of up to $1,000 each, and replanting at a ratio the director decides.
- Who enforces defensible space in Moraga?
- The Moraga-Orinda Fire District, which requires annual grasses and weeds cut to 3 inches or less, by June 1 every year. Its Ordinance 23-03 also sets rules for the first five feet around a house or an attached deck: no bark, mulch or other combustible ground cover within two feet, and no Monterey pine or eucalyptus within five.
- Do you take emergency calls in Moraga?
- Yes. We take emergency calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (925) 228-1010.
Talk to someone about a tree in Moraga
Estimates are free. Tell us what you’re looking at and we’ll come and have a look.