Public Works uses an outside contractor to inspect and maintain trees in the public right-of-way, medians and parks.  If you are unsure if a tree in front of your property is within the public right-of-way or on private property please contact Public Works for verification.

It shall be the responsibility of the property owner to water all trees located in a parkway abutting his/her property as necessary to promote healthy growth, to protect the improvements within the parkway, and to do such trimming as can be done from the ground to preserve the neat appearance and unobstructed use of the parkway.

It shall be unlawful for any person, other than City personnel, to trim any street tree without first obtaining a permit from the Public Works Department. The permit shall be issued when the Public Works Department finds that pruning is necessary and that the proposed method is satisfactory. A permit is not required for removing sucker growth, watersprouts, or low hanging branches lower than 8 feet from the ground.

Consistent with the availability of resources, the Public Works Department shall initiate and administer a program to provide for the planting, maintenance, care, removal, and replacement of Approved Street Trees. Please contact Public Works to determine if there is current funding for planting trees in the public right-of-way. At this time, the City does not have dedicated funding for planting new trees. 

If public funds are not available to plant trees, a property owner may elect to plant a tree at their own cost per Public Works guidelines. Trees with attributes most appropriate to their location and surroundings will be selected by the Director of Public Works or his/her representative from the Approved Street Tree List. Trees planted in the public right-of-way and tree planting easements shall conform to the City street tree planting standard detail.

It shall be unlawful for any person to plant or remove any tree in any public right-of-way without first obtaining a written permit from the Public Works Department. Said permit shall specify the location and variety of trees or plants to be planted or removed.

Norco understands it is important to preserve trees because of their inherent value to the community. Trees are trimmed in conformance with the International Society of Arboriculture Standards to enhance the health and integrity of our City's trees.

Trees are trimmed on a 5 year cycle based on the zone which they are located.  See the tree trimming map to determine when the trees in front or adjacent to your property will be trimmed. Sticking to this schedule is very important because the City has limited resources available for tree trimming and therefore will not honor request for tree trimming outside the set schedule.

Trees are not trimmed due to:

• Leaf litter
• Blocked view from homeowner property
• Personal preference

Residents are asked not to trim City trees beyond the initial 8 feet of the tree height; we have Certified Arborists on contract to provide tree trimming. 

Yes, the City’s Urban Forest Specifications and Standards includes a list of trees that are appropriate for the public right-of-way and a list of trees for underwire locations (i.e. under SCE or telephone lines).

Except for an emergency, which shall be an imminent threat of injury to persons or property, a tree may not be removed without the review and approval of the Director of Public Works or his/her representative. To make a request for a tree to be evaluated for removal, contact Public Works.

There are many reasons why trees need to be removed in the urban area and staff will evaluate each tree considered for removal on a case by case basis. The criteria listed below will be used when evaluating trees for possible removal.

• The tree is dead or dying
• Tree is deformed due to improper pruning
• The tree is deemed hazardous, when the hazardous condition cannot be corrected through pruning or other reasonable arboricultural practices.