Tree Removal in Placerville

Unlike most places on our list, Placerville has city government. County seat as well. Population in 2020: 10,747. The city name dates to 1854, when it incorporated, and comes from the placer gold in the ground here.

Before that it went by Dry Diggin's, and then Hangtown. The Hangtown name stuck after a mob hanged three men from an oak tree on Main Street in 1849. So yes, trees have been part of Placerville's story from the start.

This is the big one. County code 8.09 handles clearing for built-on parcels countywide, with one carve-out: the City of Placerville. That carve-out is spelled out on the Cameron Park CSD's own defensible space page.

Inside city limits, then, the City of Placerville is who you ask about clearing and tree rules. Outside city limits, county rules apply. Figure out if you are in or out before planning anything.

Either way, state defensible space law still sits underneath. And dead trees near the house are a hazard no matter whose rule it is.

El Dorado County Fire has Station 25 at 3034 Sacramento St, with firefighters on duty round the clock for the city and the area around it. Over at 730 Main St, Station 26 keeps the district's aerial ladder truck.

Placerville is hilly. Parts of it run from about 1,800 feet to nearly 4,000. Slopes change the work. Picture a pine on the bank above your roof. Nobody's dropping that in one piece. It comes apart bit by bit, each chunk roped down. Gear may have to be carried in by hand.

Guide numbers to start with:

Sources: Thumbtack Sacramento tree removal page and stump grinding guide (October 2026); This Old House tree removal guide (updated March 2026).

Slope, access and how close the house is will move your price more than the tree's size alone. Ask the pro to spell out what's included, line by line, before you agree to anything.

Back when it incorporated, only two towns in California were bigger. Coloma lost the county seat to Placerville in 1857, and it's stayed put since. The Placerville Union Cemetery was founded in 1871 and holds many of the city's founders. Old cemeteries and old churches often come with old trees. Big ones near headstones or historic walls need a careful, slow takedown.

Placerville is also where U.S. Route 50 crosses State Route 49. Downtown sits at about 1,867 feet.

In town, lots are tighter and trees sit closer to houses, sidewalks and power lines. Up in the hills, the issue is slope and long drives. Tell us which you've got when you call. It helps us match you with a pro whose gear fits the job.

See El Dorado tree removal, Diamond Springs tree removal and Gold Hill tree removal. Tree over the roof? Read trees close to the house. Full list: service areas.