It is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation (other than the director of parks and recreation, with regard to public grounds or public property, or the road commissioner, with regard to public highways, or persons acting under their authority) to trim, prune, cut, break, deface, destroy, burn or remove any shade or ornamental tree, hedge, plant, shrub or flower growing, or to grow upon any public highway, public ground or public property within the county of Los Angeles without the written permit of the director of parks and recreation, with regard to public grounds or public property, or the road commissioner, with regard to public highways; or to deface, bend, break or destroy, or in any manner injure or remove any frame, post, trellis or other structure used to protect or support any such tree, hedge, plant, shrub or flower; or to hitch or to tie horses or other animals thereto, or to plant or place thereon or attach thereto any sign, notice or other advertising device. (Ord. 83-0163 § 3, 1983: Ord. 4447 § 1 (part), 1945: Ord. 584 § 3, 1919.)

A permit shall not be granted to any person, firm or corporation, except:
A. A person, firm or corporation who owns or is the tenant of the property adjacent to that portion of the highway on which the shade or ornamental trees, hedges, plants, shrubs or flowers which it is proposed to trim, prune, cut, break, deface, destroy, burn or remove, grow;
B. A person, firm or corporation having a valid, unrevoked easement or franchise, with the exercise of which the shade or ornamental trees, hedges, plants, shrubs or flowers interfere, and the trimming, pruning, cutting, breaking, defacing, destruction, burning or removing of which is necessary to the exercise of such easement or franchise;
C. A person, firm or corporation whose principal business is tree-trimming and maintenance and tree surgery, who in the opinion of either the director of parks and recreation, with regard to public property or public grounds, or the road commissioner, with regard to public highways, is qualified for such business, and who deposits with either the director of parks and recreation or the road commissioner a sum sufficient, in the opinion of either the director of parks and recreation or the road commissioner, to reimburse the county for any expense necessarily incurred to do corrective tree-trimming necessitated by any trimming done by the permittee. The county shall deduct from the deposit the actual cost of any necessary corrective trimming or pruning and shall refund the balance to the permittee. Should the cost be greater than the deposit, the permittee upon demand shall pay to either the director of parks and recreation or the road commissioner an amount equal to such excess. Further permits shall not be issued until such payment is made. (Ord. 83-0163 § 4, 1983; Ord. 4447 § 1 (part), 1945: Ord. 3419 § 1, 1939: Ord. 584 § 5, 1919.)

No permit for the removal of any tree shall be issued under this chapter unless and until the applicant agrees to replace the tree with another tree, of a type and quality to be determined by either the director of parks and recreation or the road commissioner. This condition may be waived by either the director or the road commissioner when replacement of such tree is not desirable in the public interest. (Ord. 83-0163 § 5, 1983: Ord. 6077 § 1, 1952: Ord. 584 § 5.1, 1919.)

Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than $5.00 nor more than $200.00, or by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period of not to exceed 50 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. (Ord. 584 § 4, 1919.)