Tree work rules in California

California licenses tree work through the Contractors State License Board. Its C-49 Tree and Palm Contractor license covers planting, pruning, removal and stump grinding, and older C-61/D-49 licenses are still valid.¹

Cities and counties in California set their own tree rules. In unincorporated San Mateo County, for example, you need a permit to remove a tree with a trunk 38 inches or more around at 4 1/2 feet up, unless an official finds it has to come down to remove a hazard to life and property.²

If a tree is touching the power line to your house, keep clear and call your utility first. Clearing the line is the utility's job, and a tree company can't start until it's done.

California law keeps people, tools and equipment 6 feet from high voltage overhead lines over 750 volts, and breaking it is a misdemeanor. The law sets no duty to notify the utility.³

California's one-call law doesn't name stump or root removal, and it defines excavation broadly. Call 811 before a stump is ground or dug out, and the one-call center can say whether your job needs a locate.⁴

Pest control for hire in California needs a Pest Control Business License from the Department of Pesticide Regulation. The qualified applicator category is B Landscape Maintenance.^5-6