Municipal Code, Complete - City of Santa Barbara

Sections:
22.10.010 Title.
22.10.020 Purpose.
22.10.030 Definitions.
22.10.040 Permit Required - Exceptions.
22.10.010 Title.
Chapter 22.10
VEGETATION REMOVAL
22.10.050 Application.
22.10.055 Fees.
22.10.060 Approval - Conditions.
22.10.090 Severability.
This chapter shall be known and referred to as the Vegetation Removal Ordinance of the City of Santa Barbara.
(Ord. 3808 §1, 1975.)
22.10.020 Purpose.
The purpose of this chapter is to control the removal of vegetation from hillside areas of the City of Santa Barbara
and areas designated as open space in the Open Space Element of the General Plan in order to prevent erosion
damage, reservoir siltation, denuding, flood hazards, soil loss, and other dangers created by or increased by improper
clearing activities; and to establish the administrative procedure for issuance of permits for vegetation removal. (Ord.
4043, 1980; Ord. 3808 §1, 1975.)
22.10.030 Definitions.
For the purposes of this Chapter, the following words shall have the meanings set forth herein unless the context
requires a different meaning:
A. "HILLSIDE DESIGN DISTRICT" means a parcel or a portion of a parcel which is within the Hillside
Design District as defined in Section 22.68.060 of this Code.
B. "PERSON" means any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, social club, fraternal
organization, corporation, estate, trust, business trust, receiver, syndicate, or any other group or combination acting as
a unit, and the plural as well as the singular number.
C. "SITE" means any lot or parcel of land or contiguous combination thereof under the same ownership, or
portion of any lot or parcel, where vegetation removal is performed or permitted.
D. "VEGETATION" means introduced or native plants, shrubs, trees, grasses, and roots thereof.
(Ord. 5416, 2007; Ord. 4878, 1994; Ord. 3808 §1, 1975.)
22.10.040 Permit Required - Exceptions.
No person may permit, cause to have done or perform vegetation removal on any site in the Hillside Design
District, as defined in Section 22.10.030.A contrary to the terms of or without first having obtained a permit from the
Division of Land Use Controls; except that a permit is not required for the following:
A. Harvesting of crops, fruit or nut trees.
B. Removal or destruction of vegetation on a site on which the total area of native vegetation removal is less
than one thousand (1,000) square feet within a period of one year, and not exceeding three thousand (3,000) square
feet in any five year period, if such removal or destruction of vegetation is deemed appropriate, taking into account
potential siltation or pesticide contamination of creeks, drainages or water supply reservoirs, by the Chief of Building
and Zoning. Removal or destruction of non-native vegetation on a site on which the total area of non-native
vegetation removal is less than two thousand (2,000) square feet within a period of one year, and not exceeding six
thousand (6,000) square feet in any five year period, if such removal or destruction of vegetation is deemed
appropriate, taking into account potential siltation or pesticide contamination of creeks, drainages or water supply
reservoirs, by the Chief of Building and Zoning. Removal or destruction of native or non-native vegetation will not
be subject to a Vegetation Removal Permit if the Applicant can show that the average slope of the removal site and
access to the removal site is less than twenty percent (20%).
C. The removal or destruction of vegetation performed, caused to be performed, required to be performed, or
approved by a fire prevention agency having jurisdiction including but not limited to weed abatement, clearance
around a building or structure, fuel breaks, fire breaks and controlled burns, except that when new construction is
proposed in the Hillside Design District and clearance will be required around the new construction under the
California Fire Code, a Vegetation Removal Permit shall be required unless the applicant can show that the
vegetation removal meets the exception set forth in Paragraph B above.
D. The removal or destruction of vegetation by public utilities on existing rights-of-way or property owned by
such utility or existing access rights-of-way to such utility rights-of-way or property.
391 rev. 12/31/09