Weekly mowing, heritage-tree permits, electric-blower-only crews since 2005 — we know the 11.5-inch trunk rule, the city arborist's office, and how to keep a 100-year-old coast live oak on Emerson Street healthy for another hundred. On the Peninsula since 1998.
1 · 11.5 inches. That's the number that changes everything. Palo Alto's protected-tree ordinance is the strictest on the Peninsula. Any tree with an 11.5-inch trunk diameter (measured 4.5 feet above grade) on private property is protected in most zoning districts — plus all coast live oaks and valley oaks of any size in some zones, plus every street tree regardless of size. On a typical Palo Alto job, one to three trees in the yard are protected. We check every quote against the city's tree data before we schedule, and every Palo Alto quote includes the permit line item upfront.
2 · No gas leaf blowers. Not since 2005. Palo Alto banned gas-powered leaf blowers for commercial and residential use in 2005 — one of the earliest bans in California. Crews that aren't equipped can't legally work here. Ours have been battery-electric (Stihl BGA / BR-class) for 20+ years. That matters on two levels: we don't have to scramble when a new city adopts the ban, and the quieter operation means we work comfortably in Midtown and Old Palo Alto at the earlier end of the allowed hours.
3 · City-owned utilities change the water conversation. Palo Alto is one of a very small number of California cities that owns its water, wastewater, gas, electric, and fiber. Water rules are set by the city council, not by a big water district — and they change with the council's docket each spring. We track it. During drought stages the city typically enforces a 2-days-a-week outdoor schedule; drip irrigation often keeps more flexibility. We adjust controllers the week any new rule lands, not the week customers start getting surprise bills.
Palo Alto rewards crews who read the code book and show up in the right equipment. We've been doing both since 1998.
The core is weekly lawn care. Around it, these are the jobs that come up most often across Old Palo Alto, Midtown, and South Palo Alto.
Electric-blower-only crews, 8:30 am start weekdays. Most Palo Alto yards cut at 2.5–3", 3–3.5" in full sun. Fall aeration included on annual plans.
Structural pruning on coast live oaks, valley oaks, and protected ornamentals. We pull the Palo Alto permit whenever the trunk is 11.5"+ or the job touches a protected zone.
Older systems leak, over-spray, and aren't MWELO-compliant. Retrofit to pressure-regulated heads, EPA WaterSense controllers, and drip where turf conversion makes sense.
Replace thirsty lawn with Carex pansa meadow, native meadow mix, or low-mow sedge. Designed to meet city rebate program requirements where available.
Annual prune for Meyer lemons, Washington navels, Fuyu persimmons, and apples. Timed for dormancy in Feb–March.
Old Palo Alto formal to California-casual, Midtown ranch front refresh. We partner with licensed landscape architects on scope-appropriate jobs.
Palo Alto sits in Sunset climate zone 16 — warmer than coastal Burlingame, cooler than inland South Bay. ET₀ is higher than on the west side of the Peninsula, and during drought stages the city typically enforces a 2-days-a-week outdoor schedule. Starting points below; actual run times come from the controller's ET-adjusted settings.
| Season | Weekly water | Cycles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun–Sep | 1.0–1.25 in | 2–3 | Early morning, cycle-and-soak on clay. If city is in 2-day-a-week stage, split across those days. |
| Apr–May | 0.5–0.75 in | 2 | Ramp up; first aeration pass in April. |
| Oct | 0.5–0.75 in | 2 | Taper with cooling nights; fall over-seed for thin zones. |
| Nov–Mar | Rainfall typically | 0 | Spot-water after 10+ dry days. Controller off in wet weather. |
Palo Alto water is managed by the city-owned City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU), sourced from SFPUC / Hetch Hetchy. Current outdoor watering rules are posted on the CPAU site; we track changes in real time.
Everything here affects what we can do, when, and what needs a permit. We update this quarterly and cite primary sources.
| Topic | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Noise hours (powered equipment) | Mon–Fri 8 am – 6 pm · Sat 9 am – 6 pm · Sun / holidays 10 am – 6 pm | Palo Alto Municipal Code § 9.10 |
| Gas leaf blowers | Prohibited — commercial and residential — since 2005. Electric and manual only. | Palo Alto Municipal Code § 9.10 |
| Heritage / protected trees | All species ≥ 11.5" trunk diameter (at 4.5 ft) protected in most private-property zones. All coast live oaks and valley oaks of any size in some zones. All street trees regardless of size. | Palo Alto Tree Protection — cityofpaloalto.org/trees |
| Business registry | Contractors must register before working in Palo Alto. | City of Palo Alto Finance |
| Water restrictions | Typically 2 days/week outdoor irrigation during drought stages. Drip often has more flexibility. No runoff onto hardscape. | City of Palo Alto Utilities |
| MWELO irrigation standard | New and retrofit irrigation must meet Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance requirements (DWR state standard + local thresholds). | CA Dept. of Water Resources + CPAU |
| Yard waste / compost pickup | GreenWaste of Palo Alto — distinct from neighboring cities' Recology contracts. Weekly compost cart; extra brown bags Nov–Jan. | greenwasterecovery.com |
This is a summary — not a substitute for the ordinance. When a real job touches a protected tree, we always verify against the current city data.
Palo Alto is big. Old Palo Alto's century-old oaks are a different job from a Midtown ranch front yard, and Barron Park's foothill-adjacent lots need defensible-space thinking that College Terrace doesn't. We run routes through all of them.
Palo Alto protects all trees with a trunk diameter of 11.5 inches or greater (measured 4.5 ft above grade) on private property in most zoning districts. It also protects all coast live oaks and valley oaks of any size in some zones, plus all street trees regardless of size. It's the strictest protection on the Peninsula — homeowners are often surprised how many of their trees qualify.
No. Gas-powered leaf blowers have been prohibited in Palo Alto for both commercial and residential use since 2005 (Palo Alto Municipal Code § 9.10). We run battery-electric blowers on every Palo Alto job — Stihl BGA / BR-class — and we've been running them for 20+ years. We made the switch two years before the city required it.
Powered equipment (electric-only in Palo Alto) is permitted Mon–Fri 8 am – 6 pm, Sat 9 am – 6 pm, and Sun / holidays 10 am – 6 pm. Our routes typically start 8:30 am weekdays and 9:30 am Saturdays.
Yes — on any job where a protected tree (11.5-inch trunk or any size oak in protected zones) needs removal or more than 25% canopy reduction. The permit fee and expected city-arborist review timeline are included on the quote, so there are no surprises at invoicing. We can request expedited review for hazard cases.
$65–$99 per visit for most flat-lot Palo Alto yards (Midtown, South Palo Alto, College Terrace). $129+ in Old Palo Alto, especially on lots with protected oaks to work around. Pricing is driven by measured turf area, not lot size. We send a real measured quote in 15 minutes.
Yes. Replacing thirsty lawn with Carex pansa meadow, native meadow mix, or low-mow sedge is one of the most common Palo Alto jobs we do. Where CPAU has an active rebate program, we design to meet its requirements and help with the paperwork.
Japanese maples, camellias and azaleas (where soil is amended), citrus and Fuyu persimmons, Carex / Festuca / lomandra groundcovers, redbud, Chinese pistache, and ginkgo all perform well in Palo Alto's climate and soil. We tailor recommendations to your specific microclimate and existing plantings.
Yes. CSLB C-27 Landscape Contractor license #1049723, general liability and workers' comp current, Palo Alto business registry current. Certificates of insurance are available on request.
Drop your address and we'll text a measured price in 15 minutes. Electric-blower crew, permit-aware, no surprises.
We run weekly routes across the Peninsula — here are the neighbors.