Richardson, TX Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Sidewalk clearance
- 7 feet minimum overhang height
- Street/alley clearance
- 14 feet minimum overhang height
- Paved alley setback
- Trim vegetation 1 foot from pavement
- Unpaved alley limit
- Max 1-foot encroachment into easement
- Related rule
- Corner sight-triangle limits, § 13-140
- Last amended
- Ord. No. 4437, § 3, 9-26-2022
Summary
Richardson requires tree branches and vegetation to clear seven feet above sidewalks and 14 feet above streets and alleys. Section 13-141 also makes property owners trim growth back one foot from paved alley pavement and caps encroachment into unpaved alley or utility easements at one foot.
(a)The minimum overhang of trees and vegetation shall be seven feet above sidewalks, and 14 feet above the street or alley surface.(b)Paved alleys. All trees and vegetation must be trimmed one foot back from the alley pavement.(c)Unpaved alleys. All trees and vegetation shall not exceed one-foot encroachment from the property line into the alley easement or utility easement.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 13-141, 'Overhang of trees restricted; plantings in alleys,' sets three specific clearance standards. Subsection (a) fixes the minimum overhang height for trees and vegetation at seven feet above any sidewalk and 14 feet above the surface of a street or alley, so a homeowner whose tree limbs droop lower than those heights over a public walkway or roadway is out of compliance regardless of whether the tree sits on private property. Subsection (b) addresses paved alleys specifically, requiring that all trees and vegetation be trimmed back one full foot from the edge of the alley pavement so encroaching branches or shrubs do not narrow the drivable surface.
Subsection (c) covers unpaved alleys, capping the allowed encroachment of trees and vegetation at one foot from the property line into the alley easement or the utility easement running alongside it. The section works alongside section 13-140's sight-obstruction rule, which separately bars trees, hedges, walls and similar plantings from blocking the sight-triangle at corner lots between two and a half and eight feet above the curb. Both sections were amended by Ordinance No. 3492 in 2004, and section 13-141 was amended again by Ordinance No.
4437 in 2022. Richardson's neighborhood services and public works staff enforce the overhang rule on complaint or during routine right-of-way inspections, and a property owner who fails to trim can be required to correct the encroachment or face a code citation.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the tree-overhang or alley-planting standards in section 13-141 is enforced through the Code's general penalty, section 1-8, which allows a fine of up to $500 per offense, or up to $2,000 if the encroachment is charged as a health-and-sanitation or right-of-way obstruction violation. Because the condition is ongoing, each day low-hanging branches or alley encroachment remains uncorrected can be cited as a separate offense until the property owner trims the growth back to the required clearance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high do tree branches need to be over a sidewalk in Richardson?
Can I let my hedge grow into the alley behind my house?
Who enforces Richardson's tree-trimming clearance rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Richardson
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