Tree Work for HOAs, Apartments and Commercial Lots

HOA Common Areas

Entrance oaks, greenbelts, trails and pool areas. Most HOA work is clearance and deadwood on a regular cycle, plus whatever the last storm did. Oaks in common areas have to be scheduled for July through January, which matters for boards that approve budgets in spring. Plan oak trimming into the fall and winter.

Apartments and Student Housing

Complexes near Texas State and along the I-35 corridor have lots of trees over walkways, parking and buildings, and a lot of foot traffic. Work gets planned around move-in and move-out, with walkways coned off and limbs lowered rather than dropped near buildings. Clearance over sidewalks and parking is the usual focus.

Retail and Office Sites

Parking lot islands, street frontages and signage. Trees that block signs or sight lines at driveways cause complaints and liability questions. Raising canopies and thinning for visibility, without butchering the trees, is the usual work.

Churches, Schools and Institutional Grounds

Large campuses with mature trees and limited maintenance budgets. A walk-through to sort trees into "now," "this year," and "watch" makes the money go further.

Meeting the City's Clearance Rule

The City of San Marcos asks property owners to keep vegetation at least 8 feet above the strip between the property line and curb and 16 feet above the street center. On a long commercial frontage, a notice can cover dozens of trees. Owners have 10 days to comply after a notice, so it pays to stay ahead of it.

Planning Checklist for Property Managers

• A list or map of trees by area, with any that are dead, split or leaning flagged
• Clearance problems over sidewalks, drives, parking and the street
• Which trees are oaks, so they can be scheduled outside February through June
• Access limits: gates, parking lots that can't close, hours when work can't happen
• HOA or ownership approval steps and who signs off
• Whether brush gets chipped on site or hauled
• Any trees tied to a site plan or landscape requirement from the city

Development and Construction Sites

On sites going through San Marcos permitting, trees are part of the paperwork. The city's site preparation permit asks for a Tree Protection Plan showing which trees will be removed and which protected, matched to a tree survey. City construction notes call trees 9 inches and larger at 4.5 feet above grade "regulated," and city specifications call trees 19 inches and larger "protected," with removal reviewed by the City Arborist. Tree protection measures have to be in place before site work begins. The city adopted an updated Land Development Code in June 2026 that reorganized its tree mitigation rules, including fee-in-lieu options.

Tree crews on these sites handle approved removals, protection fencing, pruning for clearance around construction, and cleanup. Confirm approvals with your engineer or the city Permit Center at 512-805-2630 before any tree on the plan comes down. Homeowners and small sites can start with the permit basics.

Commercial Questions