Pacific Palisades
Tree Service in Pacific Palisades, CA
Need tree work in Pacific Palisades? Call 310-455-8250 and we will connect you with a licensed, insured tree service for trimming, removal, stump grinding or fire- and storm-damaged trees. The Palisades is part of the City of Los Angeles, so LA's rules apply here, not Santa Monica's. Since the January 2025 fire, many properties also have trees that need a second look.
City of Los Angeles
Tree Care in the Palisades
Pacific Palisades sits in the northwest of Los Angeles City Council District 11, next door to Santa Monica. It is a community of the City of Los Angeles, not a separate city, so tree and fire rules come from Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
The city is preparing a Long-Term Recovery Plan for the Palisades after the 2025 fire. Whether your trees came through the fire or not, the common jobs are the same: trimming for clearance, removing dead or damaged trees, grinding stumps and replanting. See tree removal and tree trimming for how each job works.
Nearby, see Brentwood, where parts of the hills are also in the LAFD's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and Malibu, also hit by the 2025 fire. Or see all the areas we serve.
LAFD rules
Brush Clearance in Pacific Palisades
The LAFD treats the Palisades as a high fire-risk area. In the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, owners must keep vegetation cleared year-round within 200 feet of any structure. For trees, the LAFD requirements include:
- Trees taller than 18 feet: no foliage within 6 feet of the ground.
- Chimneys: branches kept 10 feet from chimney outlets.
- Roofs: 5 feet of clearance above the roof.
- Fences and driveways: vegetation cleared within 10 feet of combustible fences and driveways.
For 2026, the LAFD set a May 1 compliance date and inspected every property in the zone, burned or not, from May 1 to June 30. The state has also adopted "Zone 0" rules for the first five feet around a home, but as of October 2026 they are not in effect for existing homes: check the LAFD's Zone 0 page before you plan around them.
After the fire
Trees After the Palisades Fire
The Palisades Fire started on January 7, 2025 and burned 23,448 acres. CAL FIRE counts 6,845 structures destroyed and 975 damaged.
During the federally funded debris cleanup, a tree on an enrolled property was removed only if it was at least 6 inches across, close enough to a structure to be a hazard, and dead or likely to die within five years. Owners could sign a waiver to keep trees, taking on responsibility for them. That program finished its private-property work in early September 2025, so any damaged tree still standing is now the owner's to manage.
If a tree near your home was scorched, is dropping limbs or has started to lean, have it looked at before it fails. Replanting is a job of its own: see tree planting.
Slopes and canyons
Burn Scars, Slopes and Access
Rain on burn scars can bring mudslides and debris flows, and Cal OES asked residents not to remove the erosion-control materials placed on burned slopes. Across the Palisades and Eaton burn scars, crews placed more than 630,000 feet of them to hold the ground in place.
So if the tree is on a slope, in a canyon, or near wattles or other erosion controls, say so when you call. It changes how the work is planned and where the wood can go.
What we arrange
Tree Services in Pacific Palisades
Questions
Frequently Asked
Does Santa Monica's tree code apply in Pacific Palisades?
No. Pacific Palisades is part of the City of Los Angeles, so LA's rules and the Los Angeles Fire Department's brush clearance requirements apply, not Santa Monica's.
How much brush clearance does the LAFD require around my home?
In the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, the LAFD requires vegetation to be cleared year-round within 200 feet of any structure. Trees taller than 18 feet must have no foliage within 6 feet of the ground.
Can I still get a burned tree removed through the fire cleanup program?
That program finished its private-property debris removal in early September 2025. A damaged tree still standing is now the property owner's responsibility, so call for an estimate.
How much does tree service cost in Pacific Palisades?
It depends on the tree, the slope and access, and whether it was damaged by fire. The estimate is free and there is no obligation.
Call today about trees in Pacific Palisades, from fire-damaged trees to clearance trimming, and get a free, no-obligation estimate.
Get Your Free Tree Service Estimate
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