Financial Losses and Project Delays: Permitting Case Studies

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Case studies are kept anonymous due to concerns about harassment of property owners. Each case is verified by at least two individuals within our association. Want to contribute a case study that will be posted anonymously? We need examples! Please write to us > 

 March 2026 / Town of Yucca Valley

Retirees are building a small outdoor kitchen and shade structure requiring four footings (24-inch square, 12 inches deep). The nearest Joshua Tree is approximately 20 feet away.
Despite the minimal disturbance, the required mitigation fee exceeds $7,500—five times the cost of the structure itself ($1,500). 

 January 2026 / Town of Yucca Valley
A local developer has postponed rehabilitation of a red-tagged home due to uncertainty around Western Joshua Tree mitigation costs. The property has no Joshua Trees but the neighboring properties do.

The Town advised that a CDFW incidental take permit would be required, but there are no clearly published guidelines explaining how fees are calculated. As a result, project costs cannot be reliably estimated without completing the full permitting process—leaving the property undeveloped during an ongoing housing shortage 

April 2026 / Town of Yucca Valley

A homeowner is considering replacing his water line, which runs a long distance from the house to the road next to dozens of large Joshua Tree groves. The total “take” fee for trenching a new water line, even with the trees remaining standing, could run as much as $80,000. The estimate was made using prior CDFW take and fee decisions.

 December 2025 / Town of Yucca Valley

A couple planned a modest 1,400 sq. ft. (2 bed / 2 bath) retirement home on an infill lot. The design intentionally avoided a large grove of Joshua Trees, and the driveway was planned as gravel to minimize impacts.

To construct the home and driveway, 10 trees needed to be relocated. However, CDFW determined that 63 trees were “impacted,” including 53 that would remain standing. Including another project to build a storm drain, project permits will exceed $50,000. In addition, CDFW refuses to put into writing if the remaining trees would be invoke a double take during future projects.

Seven different project features were designed to minimize impact to the trees but were ignored. After two discussions to appeal, CDFW let the permit application expire.  The property owners are out the $10,000 in planning costs and are now back at square one with no clear path forward.