Akron, OH Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Director of Public Service approval, § 101.03
- Banned species
- willow, poplar, catalpa, ailanthus, fruit, evergreens, silver maple, box elder
- Minimum trunk diameter
- 2 inches (1.5 inches if bare-root)
- Minimum spacing
- 30 feet apart absent special permit
- Intersection setback
- no planting within 20 feet
- Appeal deadline
- 7 days, $15 deposit, to Tree Commission
- Penalty
- fourth-degree misdemeanor, § 101.99
Summary
Akron bars anyone from planting a tree, plant, or shrub in a public highway, parkway strip, or park until the Director of Public Service approves the species, size, and location and issues a planting permit under City Code § 101.03. The rule also blacklists eight species outright, from willow and poplar to fruit trees and box elder, on every city street.
No shade or ornamental tree, plant, or shrub shall be planted in any of the public highways or parks of the City until the Director of Public Service or his authorized agent approves its kind, size, and variety, designates the location therefore and grants a permit for planting. No varieties of willow (Salix), poplar (Populus), catalpa, ailanthus, fruit, evergreens, silver maple (acer saccahrinum), or box elder (Acer negundo) shall be set out hereafter on the public highways, nor any other tree unless it is free from infectious disease and otherwise satisfies the requirements of § 101.10 of this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64).
Full Breakdown
01). 10. That companion section sets the physical specifications: a new tree's trunk must measure at least two inches in diameter (one and one-half inches for a bare-root tree) six inches above grade, trees must stand at least thirty feet apart unless the Director grants a special permit, and none may be planted within twenty feet of a street intersection. 08 separately bans planting any bush or shrub within the street right-of-way at all, except inside the center parkways of divided streets. 13, which assigns species by street segment and spacing. 14.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Chapter 101, including planting without a permit or setting out a banned species, is a fourth-degree misdemeanor under § 101.99, carrying the general penalty schedule at § 130.99. The Director of Public Service can also order an unauthorized planting removed at the owner's expense; a person contesting a notice and order must file a written appeal with a nonrefundable fifteen-dollar deposit within seven days under § 101.14, with further appeal available to the Summit County Court of Common Pleas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to plant a tree in the parkway strip in front of my Akron house?
Which tree species can't be planted along Akron streets?
How far from a street corner must a new street tree be planted in Akron?
What happens if I plant a bush in the Akron street right-of-way outside a center parkway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Akron
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