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Petaluma council advances broad tree preservation ordinance, sets fee and hardship review
Summary
Council introduced and voted to advance a comprehensive Tree Preservation Ordinance that expands protections to trees 6 inches and larger, clarifies single‑tree removal permitting, strengthens enforcement language and directs staff to set fees and hardship exemptions before final adoption.
Petaluma City staff presented a comprehensive update to the city's tree protection rules and the City Council moved on March 16 to introduce the ordinance and direct staff to finalize related fees and hardship guidance.
Heather Hines, special projects manager, said the proposed update would widen regulatory coverage from a short list of protected species to "all trees greater than 6 inches in trunk diameter," create a single tree removal permit process covering private and public trees and clarify replacement requirements and enforcement. "One of the key things that these modifications do is they create a broader applicability of the city's tree preservation regulations to all trees greater than 6 inches in trunk diameter," Hines said.
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