Caldwell, ID Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Caldwell's Tree Ordinance defines the 'Parkway' or parking strip as the portion of public right-of-way between the curb line and the abutting property line, intended to improve pedestrian safety and the visual and environmental quality of city streets through landscaping. Section 10-02-10-16 makes the City Forester the gatekeeper for any planting there: no person or property owner may plant a tree in the public right-of-way until the City Forester issues a permit, and the application must specify a tree type and variety drawn from the approved street tree list.

The City Forester evaluates each proposed tree for suitability and disease or pest resistance and can deny an application, though a denied applicant may refile or appeal. Section 10-02-10-17 then sorts recommended street trees into three classes tied to available parkway width. Class I trees, generally topping out at 25 to 30 feet, are steered toward planting under power lines or in small planting areas with a four-foot minimum parkway width. Class II trees, reaching 30 to 40 feet with a similar canopy spread, need a six-foot minimum parkway width, and Class III trees, which can grow from 40 to 100 feet with canopy spreads up to 80 feet, require a ten-foot minimum parkway width.

Evergreens are discouraged as parkway trees because they create sightline problems for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, and fruit- or nut-bearing trees are excluded because dropped fruit stains sidewalks and creates a slip hazard. Section 10-02-10-19 goes further, barring Class I and Class III trees entirely from the right-of-way unless the planter strip is at least ten feet wide, and prohibiting conifers and shrubs taller than three feet in the right-of-way altogether.