Tree Service in Santa Monica, CA
Santa Monica looks after more than 35,000 public trees, but the ones on your lot are yours to decide on. Once you have, our Santa Monica tree service prunes or removes them, and we tell you what the city allows for street trees.
Tree care in Santa Monica
A city forest, and your own trees
In Santa Monica, the city cares for the street trees, and you care for the rest. The city has more than 35,000 public trees of over 250 kinds. It says it has no say over trees on private land, so choices about your own trees are mostly yours. Street trees are different: pruning one needs a public works permit, and removals go through 311 and may go to the Urban Forest Commission. The city has been a Tree City USA for over 40 years. Its old trees run from the park on the bluffs, given in 1892, to the landmark fig at the Miramar.
Your side of the sidewalk is your call. The parkway tree is the city's.
Who governs tree work in Santa Monica
City of Santa Monica
Tree work in Santa Monica follows the city's own tree rules. The City’s Municipal Code (Chapter 7.40 Tree Code) requires a public works permit to plant or prune a public tree. Removals must be requested via the 311 system and may require approval from the Urban Forest Commission. Tree Removals View More A list of upcoming tree removals and information on public tree removal appeals. Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before work begins — filing a permit is the property owner's responsibility, not ours.
Source: Santa Monica Urban Forest
What we handle
Your side of the parkway: Santa Monica pruning, removal and palms
Supreme Tree Experts prunes, removes and trims palms on private lots in Santa Monica, a city of 35,000-plus public trees. Parkway pruning needs a city permit; for trees behind the property line, Santa Monica owners call Supreme Tree Experts.
Tree Removal
We take down private trees in Santa Monica, lowering them in pieces over roofs, cars and shared walks. The city says it has no jurisdiction over trees on private land. It still tells owners to check county and state rules, so we look those up first.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
Behind your property line, our crews prune each tree to keep a natural shape. Parkway trees are public, and pruning one needs a city public works permit. We show you where your trees end and the city's begin.
Stump Grinding & Stump Removal
Even in a narrow side yard, we grind an old stump out well under the soil. Surface roots around it get ground out as well. The chips are hauled off, or left as mulch if you want them.
Palm Tree Trimming & Skinning
We take dry skirts, brown fronds and seed stalks off palms, then clean each trunk from our lift truck. The 2025 fires came close, and evacuation orders reached the city. Piles of dry fronds near a house are worth clearing before the next windy season.
Emergency Tree Service
Day and night, 24/7, we clear heavy limbs that winter storms drop onto roofs, cars and shared walkways. On crowded blocks, a fallen limb rarely lands on open ground. We cut it free and open the way fast.
Tree Maintenance
Before our yearly checks, we look at the city's Heritage Tree layer on its online tree map. Old trees nearby can change how we plan cuts and root work. Each visit takes out dead or cracked limbs before the winter storms.
Tree Height Reduction
Our crews reduce big yard trees by cutting back to side limbs, with no topping. The landmark Moreton Bay fig at the Miramar is over 80 feet tall with a crown about 120 feet wide. Figs like that outgrow most yards, so height work comes early.
Estate Tree Care
Apartment grounds and larger lots with several trees get one care plan from us. It lists each tree, its needs and the best season for work. Owners and boards know what comes next and what it costs.
Tree Shaping & Shrub Shearing
Hedges between close-set homes and apartments get sheared on a regular cycle by our crew. We keep them back from walks, windows and the lot next door. Every cutting leaves in our truck when we do.
Landscaping
We design planting around your sun, your fog and the room you have. The city grows more than 250 kinds of public trees, so many kinds do well here. Drip lines and mulch keep water use low.
Hardscape
In small front and back yards, our crews build compact patios and garden paths over a well-set base. Tree roots are found and mapped before any digging starts. We route the paving around them and leave the trunk plenty of open ground.
Santa Monica tree questions, answered
Start here — these 6 cover most of what you need before booking tree work in Santa Monica. If yours is not here, call 877-787-7363 and ask.
The city says it has no jurisdiction over trees on private land. That means Santa Monica itself does not issue a permit for your backyard tree. The city still tells owners to check county and state rules before a removal. If the tree stands in the parkway, it is a public tree, and the city handles it.
Not on your own. Parkway trees are public, and the city's tree code requires a public works permit to prune or plant one. The simple path is a 311 request, which also covers removals. Some removals go to the Urban Forest Commission, which meets every other month at the Main Library.
The city keeps a Heritage Tree layer on its online tree map. One well-known old tree is the Moreton Bay fig at the Miramar, likely planted around 1889 and named a city landmark in 1976. It is over 80 feet tall with a crown about 120 feet wide. Check the map before you plan work near an old tree.
Because the 2025 fires came close. In January 2025, mandatory evacuation orders for the Palisades Fire included Santa Monica. Dead limbs and piles of dry palm fronds near a house are worth clearing before the next windy season. An arborist can show you which ones to take first.
Yes — $600 for tree services, wherever the job is. In a city of apartments and tight lots, the price often turns on how the crew reaches the tree and carries the wood out.
Yes, 24/7. Winter storms can drop a heavy limb onto a roof, a car or a shared walkway on the city's crowded blocks. Call 877-787-7363.
What happens after you call from Santa Monica
- 01.
Lot line first
Our arborist finds where your lot ends and the parkway begins. Any city tree goes to the city through 311.
- Private trees sorted
- 311 for city trees
- 02.
Pick the cuts
We tell you which limbs we plan to cut, and why. On big old trees, we take less, not more.
- Natural shape kept
- No topping
- 03.
Crew and chipper
The crew cuts, lowers and chips on site, then clears the street edge.
- Chips hauled off
- Street edge swept
35,000 city trees, plus yours: the crew Santa Monica owners hire
Tree work goes wrong when it is rushed or under-equipped. We run our own 75-foot boom trucks, lift trucks, chippers and stump grinders, and every crew works under an ISA Certified Arborist — so the job gets done right the first time.
We hold California license #1002853 for both landscaping and tree and palm work, we are bonded, we carry general liability and every employee is on workers’ compensation.
ISA Certified Arborist
Before any quote, our arborist sorts your trees from the 35,000-plus public trees the city looks after. The estimate is free.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
The city wants its own trees pruned by licensed tree trimmers only. Our CSLB license #1002853 covers tree service (C-61/D-49) and landscaping (C-27), and we are bonded with every worker insured.
Southern California Since 1985
Santa Monica has been a Tree City USA for more than 40 years. Our family firm has worked on Southern California trees since 1985.
Our Own Equipment
Our own 75-foot boom trucks reach tall crowns over two-story roofs, and our own chippers haul the brush away.
Reviews to read before you book in Santa Monica
Every word below was written by a customer on Google, not by us. Long reviews are shortened to fit the card — never reworded. None of them was left in Santa Monica: they come from customers across Southern California. Read them for how a crew behaves on a job, then decide whether that is who you want in Santa Monica.
“Great pricing & service. Highly competent with tricky jobs. We have used them for more than 10 years.”
Melanie Butler
Local Guide
“We got bids from five contractors. After I talked to them all and checked out their licenses and work, we decided to go with Supreme. … The job took a day and a half, and when they were done, they left the place immaculate.”
Hank Shaeffer
“Great tree trimmers! I’ve used Supreme Tree Experts twice to trim the palm trees in my yard. … The guys who come out are quick thorough, and clean. And very careful not to damage property.”
Emilie Pacheco
“These guys have worked on my property 3 times now. They are always on time and do a fantastic job. I highly recommend them!”
Ray Thompson
“After soliciting several quotes on some difficult yard work, we chose Supreme because of their licensed Arborist Temis … The crew was extremely hard working and we couldn’t believe their continuous work ethic on one of the hottest days of the year.”
Gary Brown
Local Guide
Santa Monica and the area around it
Santa Monica runs from the bluffs and the pier inland, across 8.4 square miles of close-set homes and apartments.
- ZIP code
- 90402