San Antonio's tree ordinance: what homeowners need to know
When San Antonio's tree ordinance applies, why a finished home usually needs no permit to remove a tree, which trees are protected, what a new house has to plant, and the oak wilt rules.
On this page: 5 sections
San Antonio's tree preservation ordinance is chapter 35, section 523 of the city's Unified Development Code. It applies to private property inside the city limits and in its extraterritorial jurisdiction, which reaches about 5 miles beyond them, and to city property.1
Removing a tree at your own home
If you live in a home where all construction is finished, you don't need a tree permit, or the City Arborist's sign-off, to remove a tree. You can prune or remove trees on your property yourself. If you hire someone, they have to hold a valid Tree Maintenance License from the city.2
The City Arborist doesn't assess trees on private property. The city suggests hiring a certified arborist for a tree you're worried about, and calling 311 about a tree that may be a danger to the public.2
When the ordinance applies: building and clearing
Before clearing vegetation, building or removing trees as part of development, in the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction, you need a tree affidavit or a tree permit application:1
- A tree permit lets you remove protected trees under the conditions on the approved permit.
- A tree affidavit can be filed instead, when the work won't remove or affect protected trees, whether or not the site has trees.
Both are filed through the city's BuildSA portal, and both carry fees from the city's fee schedule. Mitigation may also be required if not enough trees are preserved.1 The city's tree preservation page has the application forms and the information bulletins.
Which trees are protected
| Kind | Trunk diameter |
|---|---|
| Significant tree | 6 inches or more |
| Significant: Ashe juniper, huisache, mesquite, Arizona ash, hackberry | At least one trunk 10 inches or more |
| Significant: small species such as Texas persimmon, Texas redbud and Texas mountain laurel | 5 inches |
| Heritage tree | 24 inches or more (small species: at least one trunk 12 inches or more) |
The diameter is measured 4½ feet above the ground, from the high side of a slope. A newly planted tree is measured 6 inches above the ground.1
Building a new house
For a new single-family home, the final tree canopy has to cover 38 percent of the lot. That's reached by preserving trees on 35 percent of the lot, plus the shade of the new trees you plant, and every residential lot has to plant at least two. The same rule covers additions over 2,500 square feet.3
Trees along the street and oak wilt
Owners are responsible for the trees and shrubs on their property and along the streets, sidewalks and alleys next to it. Branches have to clear the street by 14 feet and the sidewalk by 8 feet.2
To slow oak wilt, a disease that kills oaks, the city's rules say:2
- every cut or wound on an oak has to be painted within 30 minutes;
- firewood from infected trees can't be brought into the city;
- oaks shouldn't be pruned between February 1 and July 1 where it can be avoided, when the fungus is most active.
The Development Services Department's tree line is 210-207-0278.4
City of San Antonio Development Services Department, checked October 2026.
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