Tree Removal in Los Gatos

Per the Town's 2025 fee schedule, $256 for the first tree and $128 for each additional tree on the same application. If the Town denies the application, half the fee is refunded. Removing a protected tree without a permit costs a $337 administrative fee, and the Town says it can also pursue significant fines and civil action.

The Town Arborist generally decides within 10 to 15 business days of a complete application. Large Protected trees (48 inches or more in diameter, or oaks, buckeye and madrone at 24 inches or more) also need a neighbor notice with a 10-day comment period. An approved permit is valid for 90 days, has to be posted on site during the work, and Parks and Public Works wants 48 hours of notice before work starts.

Usually. The number is set by the canopy of the tree you remove. A canopy of 10 feet or less means two 24-inch box trees. Over 55 feet means ten 24-inch box trees or five 36-inch box trees. Single-family lots under 10,000 square feet that are not under Hillside standards can use 15-gallon trees for canopies up to 40 feet. With Town Arborist approval you can pay an in-lieu fee instead: $250 per 24-inch box and $500 per 36-inch box. Dead trees and trees the Town Arborist rates High or Extreme risk need no replacement.

Removals start at $1,000 per tree. What moves the number is access and what sits under the tree: a steep Hillside lot, a narrow side yard, or a roof under the canopy all add rigging time. Town permit fees are paid to the Town and are separate from our price. Stump grinding is quoted on its own line so you can take it or leave it. The estimate is free.

No, and the differences are big. Monte Sereno measures circumference at 48 inches above grade: an oak or redwood over 20 inches around, or any tree over 25 inches around, needs a permit, and healthy trees go to a public hearing before the Site and Architecture Commission. Saratoga protects any tree 10 inches in diameter and listed natives such as oaks and redwoods at 6 inches, and it wants a permit even for a dead or fallen protected tree. County pockets around town, including the Los Gatos Specific Plan area, protect trees 12 inches in diameter on certain parcels. Check which jurisdiction your parcel is in before you assume Los Gatos rules apply.