Pearland, TX Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted zone
- 20-ft triangle at each street corner
- Tree branch clearance
- 15 ft above street gutter flow line
- Shrub/hedge cap
- 3 ft tall in the same zone
- City enforcement power
- Can enter and remove growth, no liability
- Applies to
- Corner-lot sight triangles only
Summary
In the 20-foot triangular sight area at every Pearland street corner, Sec. 26-45 of the Code of Ordinances bars tree branches or foliage below 15 feet from the street gutter flow line, and the city can enter private property to remove any growth that violates it without owner liability.
(a)All of that portion of land lying within a triangular shaped area on each street corner within the city described by metes and bounds as follows: Beginning at the precise corner of the intersection point of the curbs of each of the two (2) streets forming each corner and extending twenty (20) feet along each such curbline from the curb intersection point, the third side being determined by the drawing of a straight line from the ends of such twenty (20) foot extensions, whether the land be privately owned or unpaved or untraveled street right-of-way property. ... Sec. 26-45. - Minimum clearance of trees. Any trees planted, grown and maintained in any restricted area shall not have branches or foliage extending from the trunk thereof at a height lower than fifteen (15) feet from the street gutter flow line.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
Division 3 of Chapter 26 (Sight Obstructions at Intersections) restricts a specific triangular corner area at every street intersection in the city: Sec. 26-43(a) defines it as beginning at the exact point where the curbs of two intersecting streets meet, extending 20 feet along each curbline, with the third side of the triangle formed by a straight line connecting the ends of those two 20-foot extensions, applying whether the land is privately owned or unpaved right-of-way. Sec. 26-44 caps non-tree plantings, hedges, and shrubs at 3 feet tall within that triangle, measured from the street gutter flow line.
Sec. 26-45 addresses trees specifically: any tree planted, grown, or maintained in the restricted triangle cannot have branches or foliage hanging lower than 15 feet from the street gutter flow line, so a homeowner's corner-lot tree must be trimmed up well above head height in that zone even though ordinary yard trees elsewhere in the city are not subject to this height rule. Sec. 26-42 backs the height limit with a direct enforcement tool: in addition to any fine, the city can enter the triangular corner area and remove any prohibited growth itself, with no liability to the property owner for that entry and removal.
This clearance rule exists to preserve driver sightlines at intersections, not as a general citywide tree-trimming ordinance, so it applies only within the 20-foot sight triangles Sec. 26-43 defines, not to street trees or sidewalks elsewhere on a lot.
Violations & Fines
Maintaining foliage that violates the 3-foot shrub cap or the 15-foot tree clearance in a restricted corner triangle exposes the owner to the general Chapter 26 penalty (a misdemeanor fine, since Division 3 does not set its own separate fine amount) and to the city physically entering the property under Sec. 26-42 to cut back or remove the violating growth at the owner's expense, with the owner having no recourse against the city for that removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pearland require tree branches to be trimmed over the street?
Can the city remove a tree branch on my Pearland property?
Does this clearance rule apply to my whole yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pearland
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