Tree Removal Altadena, CA

Tree removal in Altadena: the County rulebook

Tree removal in Altadena follows Los Angeles County rules because Altadena is unincorporated County land, not part of Pasadena. The difference matters most for oaks. Pasadena protects natives only over 8 inches and, on single-family lots, only in certain yards; the County's Oak Tree Permit (Zoning Code Chapter 22.174) covers any living oak with one trunk of 8 inches, or two largest trunks totaling 12 inches, measured 4.5 feet above natural grade, anywhere on the lot, plus oaks planted as permit replacements at any size.

The permit reaches past the trunk. It covers cutting, removal and damage, and work inside the oak's protected zone, which runs from the trunk to 5 feet past the dripline or 15 feet from the trunk, whichever is greater. Trenching, paving or parking heavy equipment there can need a permit even if the oak stays. The County keeps no list of approved tree companies and points residents to the International Society of Arboriculture's arborist search.

Other species have no County removal permit in Altadena: deodar cedars, pines and sycamores aren't protected there the way sycamores are in Pasadena. Street trees are another matter: the deodars of Christmas Tree Lane, for example, line a public street.

Burned and damaged oaks after the Eaton Fire

Burned oaks in Altadena are presumed alive for two years. County Code section 22.256.070.A.4.b says that for protected oaks that lost all their canopy in the disaster, “the County shall presume that such trees are alive for at least two years following the disaster.” The County's rebuild guidance adds that damaged oaks can't be removed during that monitoring period unless the County Forester deems the tree a hazard, and then only with an Oak Tree Permit exemption.

Patience often pays. A UC team's 2026 survey found about 20 percent of street trees that survived the fires had since been lost, partly to too little watering after the fire and to removals during cleanup, and experts advised waiting at least one full growing season before calling a tree dead. Two years from January 2025 is about January 2027, which is when more burned oaks may come up for decisions; check with County Forestry for your tree. See oak tree removal and oak tree trimming for how oaks are handled.

What the free federal cleanup did, and didn't, cover

After the January 2025 fire, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleared debris, including hazardous trees, from private lots whose owners signed a Right of Entry. Only trees that threatened crews or the public were taken, judged by certified arborists, and stumps were left in the ground. The Corps finished Eaton debris removal on August 29, 2025. Owners who opted out paid for their own hazard-tree removal. So many Altadena lots still have stumps, damaged trees and regrowth to deal with during rebuilding.

• ✓Stumps left from the cleanup: see stump grinding before a rebuild's grading
• ✓Damaged non-oak trees (pines, deodars, eucalyptus) that a hazard assessment says won't recover
• ✓Oaks inside a new building's protected zone: like-for-like rebuilds are exempt only if they don't encroach more than the old structure
• ✓Overgrown, fire-damaged lots: LA County supervisors directed a coordinated vegetation plan in June 2026

Power lines, brush and parkway trees in Altadena

Southern California Edison

Altadena is SCE territory. Homeowners who hire their own trimmers must notify SCE first for any tree within 10 feet of SCE lines, or any tree that could hit wires if it fell, and SCE offers a free make-safe cut. See tree trimming near power lines.

LA County Fire brush inspections

County inspections start May 1 inland. Combustible species, including eucalyptus, pine, cedar and cypress, must be removed within 30 feet of a structure or kept free of dead material, but the County says not to remove trees until your inspection gives guidance. Homes destroyed or more than 25 percent damaged in the Eaton fire are exempt for 2026 until rebuilt and occupied. See brush clearance and eucalyptus tree removal.

Parkway trees

Street trees in Altadena belong to LA County Public Works, which maintains more than 170,000 parkway trees in unincorporated areas. An adjacent owner may trim or remove one only with a County Road Encroachment Permit.

Tree removal cost in Altadena

More detail on tree removal cost and on dead or failing trees at hazard tree removal. For Pasadena addresses, see tree removal in Pasadena.