How this works
79 national forests list a 2026 Christmas tree permit on Recreation.gov, and 65 Bureau of Land Management offices list one in BLM's permit store. We read both on Nov 12, 2026 and print what they say: the dates, the price, the limit and the rules, each with its source. Sale times are in each place's own time zone. Recreation.gov prints them in Eastern, and we convert. A permit is the agency's to sell, and the rules on it are the agency's. We quote them and link them. We don't sell permits, and nothing here is one.
2 forests have pages on Recreation.gov with no permit type named and no dates on them. We print what the page says and no date. 53 more Forest Service units and 50 BLM field offices don't list a permit in either store. We say "not posted yet" for those, never "no program": some sell at the office and never post one online. Distances are straight lines to a forest's boundary, not to the cutting area and not by road. The forest's own map shows where you can cut. How we read the agencies · Not a permit, not the agency
Read from the agencies Nov 12, 2026
Christmas tree permits near Sacramento 8 places within 100 miles
6 of them sell a permit today. The nearest national forest is the Eldorado National Forest, about 40 miles from Sacramento in a straight line, and it's on sale today. It publishes its own cutting-area map.
National forests, nearest first
- Stanislaus National ForestAbout 55 milesOn sale nowNov 27 to Dec 31cutting daysOn the permit pageRecreation.gov's records disagree
- Mendocino National ForestAbout 70 milesSales open Nov 14, 7 a.m. PacificNov 14 to Dec 31cutting days$10 per tree
- Humboldt-Toiyabe National ForestAbout 80 milesOn sale nowNov 1 to Dec 31cutting days$5 to $10 per tree
- Lassen National ForestAbout 95 milesOn sale nowNov 1 to Dec 24cutting daysOn the permit pageRecreation.gov's records disagree
BLM offices, nearest first
- BLM Carson City DistrictIts area starts about 85 miles outSales open Nov 15Nov 15 to Dec 24cutting daysOn the permit page
Not posted yet
- Lake Tahoe Basin Management UnitAbout 75 milesNot posted yet
Opening next near Sacramento
The Mendocino National Forest opens sales Nov 14, 7 a.m. Pacific.
Ranger districts nearest Sacramento
Georgetown Ranger District, about 40 miles. Office: (530) 333-4312.
Placerville Ranger District, about 40 miles. Placerville or Pacific Ranger District, Camino: (530) 644-2324.
Amador Ranger District, about 45 miles. Office in Pioneer: (209) 259-3774.
Pacific Ranger District, about 50 miles. Placerville or Pacific Ranger District, Camino: (530) 644-2324.
American River Ranger District, about 45 miles. Office in Foresthill: (530) 492-5631.
Yuba River Ranger District, about 50 miles. Office in Camptonville: (530) 265-4531.
Calaveras Ranger District, about 55 miles. Calaveras District - Highway 4 Corridor: (209) 795-1381.
Feather River Ranger District, about 55 miles. Office in Oroville: (530) 534-6500.
Districts from the Forest Service's ranger district layer, read Nov 11, 2026. Offices from each permit's listing on Recreation.gov, read Nov 12, 2026.
Every distance here is a straight line from the Census Bureau's point for Sacramento city (read Nov 11, 2026) to a boundary, not road miles and not to the trees. The forest's own map shows where you can cut.
What locals say
Sacramento families headed for the Tahoe's American River district go to the Sugar Pine Reservoir area, off one paved road, and park at Parker Flat.
From r/Sacramento, "Tahoe American River Christmas Tree Permit Advice" (2023), read Nov 11, 2026.
From the forests' own pages
The Eldorado says its permits are expected to sell out quickly, and locals say they do.
From Eldorado National Forest, r/tahoe, "Christmas tree permit" (2024) and r/Sacramento, "Tahoe American River Christmas Tree Permit Advice" (2023), read Nov 11, 2026.

