San Antonio, TX Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Sec. , and remove debris,' sits in Chapter 29's article on streets and sidewalks generally, and it places an ongoing, self-executing duty on whoever occupies, owns or manages a property in the city: keep the trees and shrubs on that premises well trimmed enough that they do not overhang the sidewalk or street and interfere with free passage. The same sentence extends the duty to debris, requiring the abutting owner, occupant or agent to keep the street and sidewalk next to their property clear of it.

The provision traces back to the 1950 and 1959 Codes (§ 52-10 and § 35-11), and it works alongside the separate sidewalk-maintenance duty in the next section, Sec. 29-11, which covers the physical condition of the sidewalk, curb, parkway and driveway themselves rather than tree canopy. Neither section names a minimum clearance height, so the standard the city enforces to is functional: branches or shrubs cannot be low enough or wide enough to block a pedestrian's free passage. Because Chapter 29 is not among the chapters Sec.

1-5 excludes from the citywide general penalty, a property owner who lets overhanging limbs block a sidewalk is exposed to that general fine schedule, and the obligation to trim runs continuously: it is a duty of upkeep, not a one-time permit condition, so it can be enforced again each time the growth becomes an obstruction.