Tree service in Monrovia, California

Empire Tree Care takes calls for tree work in Monrovia, and an oak is the first thing to size up. The city's ordinance covers any tree in the oak family 10 inches across or more at two feet above level ground. Where the oak stands counts too, because the rule reaches front yards and street-facing side yards of single-family properties, the multiple-family, commercial and industrial zones, and any vacant lot. Put a tape on the trunk at that two-foot mark before you call, so the number is ready when you do.

A permit is the next question. Monrovia asks for an oak tree preservation permit to remove a covered oak by any means, or for substantial pruning, meaning more than a third of the crown or any pruning of the root system. Trimming that only removes dead wood is exempt, and the application goes to the Planning Division. On the cutting side, a trim sits under oak tree trimming and a tree coming out sits under tree removal. Whichever it is, get the city's answer on the permit before you set a date.

On the fire side, the city asks owners to keep the area within 30 feet of any structure clean and green and to remove hazardous vegetation for at least 200 feet around their buildings. That ground work is brush clearance. Trimmings follow a size rule. The green barrel takes brush, branches and tree trimmings under 3 inches across or 3 feet long, and palm fronds and yucca leaves belong in the black trash container. A bigger pile is tree debris removal, and a palm is its own trim under palm tree trimming.

For a tree that may not be yours, start with the city, whose Report an Issue page says to contact Public Works for any other concerns or questions it does not list. Near power lines, vegetation management is done and maintained by the electric utility, and power line work is not something Empire Tree Care does. So when you call, say whether a wire runs through the tree. A tree on your own lot and clear of the lines is the one to book. Sierra Madre has oak and brush rules of its own, laid out on that town's page.

What Empire Tree Care does in Monrovia

• Oak tree trimming: Oaks under the ordinance need a city permit to remove or to take off more than a third of the crown
• Brush clearance: The city asks for 30 feet kept clean and green and 200 feet of hazardous vegetation cleared
• Tree debris removal: The green barrel takes trimmings under 3 inches across or 3 feet long, so bigger cuts need a haul
• Palm tree trimming: Palm fronds go in the black trash container, not the green barrel
• Tree removal: An oak under the ordinance needs a permit before it comes out
• All 35 services

Before you call, read how Empire Tree Care prices a tree service job.

Also near Monrovia

Arcadia, Duarte, Sierra Madre, Pasadena, Temple City, and the rest of the San Gabriel Valley.