LA County Public Works requires a no-fee permit before planting, removing, or pruning any tree in the parkway strip between sidewalk and curb. Approved species follow the LA County Street Tree Master Plan with separation from utilities and driveways.
In unincorporated areas, the parkway strip between sidewalk and curb is a county right-of-way managed by the Department of Public Works. Title 16 of the LA County Code requires an encroachment-style Parkway Tree Permit before any planting, removal, or significant pruning. DPW maintains an approved species list under the LA County Street Tree Master Plan, matching tree mature size to parkway width: small species like crape myrtle for 3-4 ft strips, medium like Chinese pistache for 5-6 ft, and large like coast live oak for 7 ft and wider. Setbacks include 10 ft from driveway aprons, 5 ft from water meters, and 25 ft from streetlights.
Planting unauthorized species or omitting the permit triggers removal at owner cost and fines up to $500. Damaging an existing parkway tree without DPW authorization can lead to appraised-value restitution running into thousands of dollars per tree.
Burbank, CA
A public tree removal permit is required to remove any public tree under BMC Chapter 7-4. The permittee must pay the full valuation of the tree being removed...
Burbank, CA
Public tree maintenance requires a written permit from the Parks and Recreation Department under BMC Chapter 7-4. Root pruning of public trees by non-authori...
See how Burbank's parkway planting rules stack up against other locations.
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