San Francisco: no view claim, Article 16 at the street, and unregulated trees in the back yard

What the City protects (PWC Article 16)

• Street trees: any size; maintained by SF Public Works, Bureau of Urban Forestry, since July 1, 2017. Work requires a Public Works permit.
• Landmark trees: designated by the Board of Supervisors; any size, anywhere on the lot.
• Significant trees (§ 810A): on Public Works property, or on private property with any part of the trunk within 10 feet of the right-of-way, and over 12 inches DBH, over 20 feet tall, or over 15 feet in canopy width.
• Everything else on private land: generally unregulated under Article 16, though Planning may regulate trees tied to a development approval.
• Fees (FY 2026-27): removal application $499 for one to three trees; pruning permit $441; in-lieu replacement $2,646 per tree.
• Penalty: $10,000 per tree or replacement value, whichever is greater; $20,000 for a repeat within a year; criminal fines and up to six months (§ 811(c)).

Full permit rules →

Why this changes a neighbor dispute

1. Backyard trees can be removed. A neighbor who owns an unregulated tree can take it out without a permit. That makes a well-documented hazard or damage claim far more likely to end in removal here than anywhere else in the Bay Area, and makes a tree owner's independent report the thing that stops an unjustified demand.
2. The 10-foot line matters. A trunk 9 feet from the sidewalk is a significant tree at $10,000; 11 feet and it is not. The report measures it.
3. Street trees are a City claim. Roots from a street tree lifting a garage slab or entering a lateral are reported to 311 and the Bureau of Urban Forestry; the arborist report documents cause for the claim and the City's own program handles the tree.
4. Lots are small and laterals are shared. A single large tree affects three or four neighbors, and sewer laterals under shared rear yards are a recurring source of root disputes where the pipe, not the tree, usually failed first.

What disputes look like here

Monterey cypress and pine in the Sunset and Richmond, pittosporum and ficus hedges grown into 40-foot trees on the east side, a single eucalyptus or acacia shading an entire block interior in Bernal and Glen Park, and ficus street trees lifting sidewalks and garage aprons citywide. Views of the Bay and the bridges are the most emotionally charged complaint and the least legally actionable.

What the report does in San Francisco

1. Measures the trunk against the right-of-way and states whether the tree is significant, street, landmark or unregulated.
2. Confirms ownership between neighbors, or identifies the City as the responsible party.
3. Traces encroachment and states cause: fence, slab, lateral, roof.
4. Assesses hazard, and for an unregulated tree states plainly whether removal is warranted, which is often what ends the dispute.
5. Cites the Civil Code and PWC Article 16.

Dispute Assessment Report, from $850. Start the report

Sources

1. San Francisco Public Works Code Article 16, §§ 800–811, via Urban Forestry Guide, San Francisco tree permit (verified July 31, 2026; fees checked October 9, 2026).
2. SF Public Works, Bureau of Urban Forestry, 628-652-8733 or 311.