Sausalito climbs straight up from the water. Homes stack on steep hillsides above Bridgeway, many reached by narrow roads, long stairways or both, and trees grow between and above them on every slope. Wind and fog push through the Golden Gate, and the hills catch the worst of both. Fog drip keeps hillside soil damp into summer, so trees here never get the dry rest inland trees do. A lot of the big trees here are Monterey pines, Monterey cypress and eucalyptus planted long ago, now towering over roofs and decks, while native coast live oaks hold the drier, sunnier slopes. With houses this close together, almost every tree job affects a neighbor.
Our crews are used to carrying gear up stairs and lowering wood down slopes by rope, since most Sausalito lots have no room for a truck near the tree. We handle careful tree removal, crown thinning and storm cleanup across town. Estimates cost nothing; call and we'll come up the hill.
Steep Lots, Stairs and Rigging
On a typical Sausalito hillside, the tree is uphill of one house and downhill of another. Nothing can be dropped. Every limb gets cut and lowered on ropes, and the crew works out where each piece will land before the first cut. Wood often has to be carried down stairs or lowered to the street in stages. That makes jobs here slower and more careful than on a flat lot, and it's the main reason prices vary so much between properties. Wind-shaped pines and cypress also tend to grow lopsided, which changes how they need to be taken apart. Mill Valley's steep canyon lots call for the same rope work.
Sausalito's Tree Permit Rules
Sausalito has some of the strictest tree rules in Marin. On developed private property, any tree 10 inches across or more at chest height is a heritage tree under city rules, and coast live oaks are protected starting at just 4 inches. Altering, pruning, shaping, trimming, topping or removing a protected tree all need a city permit, and on developed property the Planning Commission reviews those applications. On undeveloped land, any tree 4 inches across needs one. The big exception is the city's list of undesirable trees, which includes eucalyptus, the Monterey pines and cypresses, coast redwood and three acacias. Those can be removed or trimmed without a permit, whatever their size. For a dead or leaning tree over the house, our emergency storm tree service crew can get things moving quickly.
Common Questions
For protected trees, yes. Sausalito requires a permit to prune, shape, trim, top or remove a heritage tree, which on developed property means most trees 10 inches across or more, and any coast live oak over 4 inches. Trees on the city's undesirable list, such as eucalyptus and the Monterey pines and cypresses, can be trimmed or removed without a permit.
Sausalito's undesirable list covers coastal redwood, Monterey cypress, Monterey pine, blue gum eucalyptus, blackwood acacia, Bailey acacia and green wattle. Any of these can be removed or significantly altered without a tree permit, no matter how big. Most other trees over 10 inches across on a developed lot need one.