Road Maintenance crews will trim or remove trees in the Town road right-of-way to maintain the safety of vehicular traffic and pedestrians. This includes site clearance near intersections; height clearance for vehicles and pedestrians; and elimination of hazards such as broken limbs or diseased growth.

Any tree on private property which encroaches onto the right-of-way must also meet these standards. We will notify you if a tree on your property needs to be trimmed. You may do the work yourself if you’d like; if not, we will trim the tree to provide the required clearance at no charge to you. The work we do is related to the use of the travel way by the public and is financed with gas tax revenues. The work is not financed with property taxes, and we are unable to trim trees for aesthetic purposes.

All public trees are regulated.  Public or street trees are all trees growing within the street right-of-way, on public property such as parks, and outside private property.  In many cases, property lines lie several feet behind the edge of the road.  A permit from the Public Works and Planning Departments is required prior to any tree and shrub plantings in the public right-of-way and any work on or within the dripline of any existing public/street tree. 

Trees that are under or near power lines are regulated. The State of California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requires all utilities in the State to maintain vegetation clearance from their electric conductors and related equipment. To comply with these rules and to deliver safe and reliable power to the residents and businesses of Portola Valley, PG&E has the authority to trim trees that threaten the integrity of power lines. If you see branches that are entangled in power lines, call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000.

Significant trees include trees of specific species, public or private.  Individual species of trees that are protected include but are not limited to Coast Live and Valley Oaks (greater than 11.5 inches in diameter) and Coast Redwoods (greater than 17.2 inches in diameter). 

View the Tree removal page  to learn about the complete list of trees and minimum sizes that require a site development permit (tree removal permit).