Bristol, CT Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Bristol's Tree Ordinance at Section 21-12 does not hand residents a species list or spacing table for parkway trees; instead it centralizes planting decisions in the tree warden. Section 21-12(3) designates the director of public works as tree warden under Connecticut General Statutes Section 23-58 and Section 46 of the City Charter. Section 21-12(4)d then gives that officer the authority to plant, remove, maintain and protect trees and shrubs on all city-owned property and rights-of-way as may be necessary to ensure and preserve the symmetry, beauty and safety of that property and those rights-of-way, meaning street tree planting along a parkway strip is the warden's discretionary call rather than a matter of an as-of-right resident planting permit.

Section 21-12(4)a separately charges the warden with enforcing every law or ordinance for preserving trees and shrubs on public property and rights-of-way, and Section 21-12(4)e assigns the public works, parks and recreation departments to assist. Section 21-12(1) states the ordinance's purpose as regulating the planting, maintenance and removal of trees and shrubs on public property in the city, and Section 21-12(2) directs that the section be read to promote planting, maintenance, restoration and survival of desirable trees on city property, protection of residents from injury, and protection of the city from damage caused by improper planting.

Because the section grants authority rather than fixed technical standards, anyone wanting a tree planted in a Bristol parkway strip must go through the tree warden's office rather than a published planting spec.