Tree Removal in El Dorado, CA
Page path: Home › Places › El Dorado
El Dorado is on our list, the small town just southwest of Placerville. Ring (530) 479-3598 and we'll go find a tree pro who works that stretch of road.
In town or out on the back roads, it's the same easy call.
Mud Springs, then El Dorado
The name means "The Golden" in Spanish. The first name wasn't so fancy. Wikipedia says folks called the spot Mud Springs, since the cattle and horses had turned a nearby watering place into a muddy mess.
A Mud Spring post office opened in 1851. By 1855 the name on the door read El Dorado. The town incorporated that year too, then gave it up in 1857.
These days it's unincorporated. ZIP 95623. Roughly 1,608 feet up, about 4 miles from Placerville to the southwest. State landmark #486.
A stop on the old routes
Around 1849 and 1850 it ran a whole mining district, and freight wagons and stagecoaches crossed paths here. It was a Central Overland Pony Express station. Rider Sam Hamilton came through on the 13th of April, 1860, swapped mounts at the old Nevada House and kept going west. In his saddlebags: the first mail the Pony Express ever carried that direction.
Later it became a road stop of a different kind. In 1945 an old Wells Fargo weigh station was turned into a barbecue joint. Drivers headed between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe pulled off here, the Rat Pack included.
Fire service out here
El Dorado and Diamond Springs share fire history. Their two volunteer fire companies merged in 1979, says the county fire district's history page, and became one district for both towns. Voters backed it by a big margin. The district says nobody had done a merger like that before.
In 2026 that combined district joined the bigger county fire district.
For you, that means one district to ask about burning and clearing questions. Its main phone is (530) 644-9630.
Old town lots and old trees
Got a big old tree leaning over a roof or a shed? Then that's a job for a pro with ropes, not a weekend saw.
A few things to sort out before anyone shows up:
- Is it an oak? Then check the size against the county rules on our oak removal page.
- Is it dead? Get a written note from an arborist if it's an oak, since that can change the rules.
- Does it hang over a neighbor's place? Talk to them first.
- Is there a power line near it? Mention it when you call.
Price notes for El Dorado
For a tall tree, 60 to 80 feet, This Old House lists $800 to $1,500. An oak runs $200 to $2,000 on that same chart. If the tree is already down after a storm, LawnStarter says $85 to $300 is typical.
Chipping and hauling cost extra unless the pro says they're included. Ask. LawnStarter puts hauling at $50 to $90 and chipping at $65 to $125 if they're added on.
Asked in El Dorado
Does El Dorado count as Placerville?
Nope. Separate place, unincorporated, about 4 miles southwest of the city. The county's rules are the ones that count here.
Which fire district covers El Dorado?
The county fire district. The old Diamond Springs-El Dorado district became part of it in 2026.
Can you help with a tree on a business lot?
Yes. Call (530) 479-3598 and tell us what's there. We'll look for a pro who takes that kind of job.
More places
Down the road: Diamond Springs, Placerville and Nashville. Back to tree removal in Shingle Springs. Or see every place we cover.