Home / Counties / Santa Clara County, CA

Last reviewed 2026-10-19

Tree Removal Cost: Santa Clara County, CA

In the South Bay, the job is often a big valley oak or coast live oak on a hillside lot above Los Gatos, Saratoga or the Evergreen foothills, a redwood planted too close to a house in Cupertino or Sunnyvale, or a storm-split eucalyptus or pine. As a reference point, HomeGuide's 2026 nationwide pricing has a typical tree at $400 to $1,200.

It's oak country. The Forest Service's 2024 FIA evaluation for California estimates about 269,400 acres of forest land in Santa Clara County: western oak 78.0%, tanoak/laurel 13.9% and redwood 2.8%, mostly in the Diablo Range to the east and the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west.

The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counts 1,795 single-family buildings authorized in Santa Clara County in 2025, after 1,926 in 2024.

Cost at a glance

Santa Clara County tree removal cost at a glance
Item	Typical cost	Source
Typical single tree	$400-$1,200	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Oak (most common forest group here)	$300-$2,500	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Tree 60-80 ft	$850-$2,000	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Stump removal	$100-$500+	HomeGuide, Feb 2026 (national)
Removing a protected tree without a permit	$5,000 civil penalty per tree	Santa Clara County C16-17
Heritage tree removed without a permit	$10,000-$200,000 per tree	Santa Clara County C16-17

Permits

In unincorporated areas, the County's Tree Preservation and Removal ordinance (Division C16) requires a permit before removing a protected tree: any tree the ordinance lists with a trunk of 37.7 inches circumference (12 inches diameter) or more at 4.5 feet on parcels zoned Hillsides of three acres or less, in design review districts or in the Los Gatos Hillside Specific Plan area; any oak anywhere in the County with a circumference of 117 inches (37.5 inches diameter) or more; and any heritage tree. The County code's Section C16-17 sets a civil penalty of $5,000 per tree removed without a permit; the code also sets a misdemeanor fine of up to $1,000, and the code's heritage tree penalty is $10,000 to $200,000 per tree. Cities such as San Jose, Palo Alto and Los Gatos have their own ordinances.

Burning: the Bay Area Air District's Regulation 5 prohibits burning residential yard waste, so debris is chipped or hauled.

Foothill clearance: homes in the state's mapped fire hazard zones must hold back vegetation for 100 feet under Public Resources Code Section 4291, so Saratoga and Los Gatos hillside calls are often thinning, not removal.

Step 1: check your city or County zoning and the trunk size. Step 2: if the tree is protected, apply with County Planning before cutting. Step 3: plan chipping or haul-off, since burning isn't allowed. Step 4: compare itemized written bids. Step 5: call 811 before stump grinding.

Local conditions

Rock east of San Jose: the Diablo Range half of the county (NRCS's Eastern Santa Clara Area survey, CA646) is 80.5% steep ground of 15%-plus grade, and 77.5% of it has bedrock inside roughly 39 inches (100 cm); oaks on Evergreen and Mount Hamilton lots root into fractured rock.

Western foothills: NRCS's Santa Clara Area, Western Part survey (CA641) rates 42.3% of acres at 15% slope or more and finds 40.9% with bedrock within about 39 inches, mostly along the Santa Cruz Mountains near Los Gatos, Saratoga and Cupertino.

Storms and fire: FEMA's declarations data list 14 weather-related major disasters for Santa Clara County, including 6 severe storms, 4 floods and 2 fire declarations, most recently the August 2020 wildfires and the January and April 2023 winter storms that toppled oaks and eucalyptus across the valley.

Drought stress: years of drought followed by wet winters weaken shallow-rooted trees on clay soils near the bay, raising failure risk.

What drives local prices

Species: HomeGuide's table lists oak at $300-$2,500 and pine at $250-$1,600; a big redwood near a house often needs a crane.
Height: backyard redwoods in Cupertino and Sunnyvale reach 60-80 ft within a few decades, an $850-$2,000 bracket on HomeGuide's chart.
Permits: arborist reports and replanting plans add cost before any cutting, and the County's $5,000 per-tree civil penalty makes skipping a permit expensive.
Access: tight lots and steep hillsides mean rigging; HomeGuide lists hourly rates of $100-$400+.
Stump: HomeGuide's survey puts stump removal at $100-$500+, more in rocky hillside soil.
Method: the species, height, hourly and stump dollars are HomeGuide's February 4, 2026 nationwide figures and not South Bay bids; protected-tree sizes and penalties are quoted from Division C16, burning from Bay Area Air District Regulation 5, clearance from PRC 4291. Checked October 19, 2026.

Common jobs

Oak work under a County or city permit
Redwood and pine removal near houses
Eucalyptus and storm-damage cleanup
Defensible-space thinning in the foothills

Service area

We hear from San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Milpitas, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Morgan Hill and Gilroy. US 101 runs the length of the valley to Gilroy, I-280 and I-880 cross San Jose, Highway 17 climbs to the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Highway 85 links Mountain View to south San Jose.

The bordering county page on this site is San Mateo County, which meets Santa Clara along San Francisquito Creek and the Santa Cruz Mountains ridge.

PG&E serves most of the county, with municipal utilities in Palo Alto and the City of Santa Clara; only utility crews should handle limbs near lines. Want a number? Tell us the tree, roughly how tall, and what's under it in the form at the bottom of the page, and you'll get an email back.

Communities: San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Milpitas, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Morgan Hill, Gilroy

When something can’t wait

Downed limbs on wires are PG&E's (or Palo Alto's or Silicon Valley Power's) to clear; call them or 911 and keep away. HomeGuide notes emergency jobs run 2 to 3 times the usual price; document a hazardous protected tree before removal.

Questions about Santa Clara County

How much does tree removal cost in Santa Clara County?

HomeGuide's 2026 survey puts a typical tree at $400 to $1,200. Big oaks, redwoods and hillside work cost more.

Do I need a County permit to remove a tree?

In unincorporated areas, yes for protected trees: 12 inches in diameter or more on small Hillsides parcels and in design review districts, any large oak, and heritage trees.

What happens if I cut a protected tree without a permit?

Division C16-17 sets a civil penalty of $5,000 per tree, and much more for heritage trees.

Can I burn tree debris?

No. Bay Area Air District Regulation 5 prohibits burning residential yard waste.

Do I live in a city with its own rules?

Likely. San Jose, Palo Alto, Los Gatos and other cities run their own tree ordinances; check with your city's planning office.

Sources

Bordering county

Tree problems

Local fees and rules change. Confirm with the county or state office named above before you clear. For published price ranges, see land clearing cost per acre or follow the worked estimate. Estimate your clearing cost.