Champaign, IL Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Program name
- Cooperative Share-the-Cost Tree Planting Program
- Owner's share of cost
- One-half of tree purchase price
- Planting labor
- Performed by City forces, no charge
- How to request a tree
- Individual agreement with City Manager
- Self-planting permit
- Required, free, from Public Works Director
- Species standards basis
- International Society of Arboriculture
Summary
Champaign plants shade trees in the parkway through its Cooperative Share-the-Cost Tree Planting Program under Sec. 35-31: the city supplies and plants the tree at no labor charge, and the property owner pays only half the tree's purchase price. Owners request a tree through an individual agreement with the City Manager under Sec. 35-32.
Sec. 35-31. - Established. The Cooperative Share-the-Cost Tree Planting Program is hereby established, whereby the City shall offer to provide shade trees for planting in the public right-of-way to participating property owners at a cost equal to one-half of the purchase price of the shade trees planted. Such trees shall be planted by City forces without charge to the property owner. Sec. 35-32. - Individual agreements with property owners. The City Manager is hereby authorized to implement the program through individual agreements with property owners who request that one or more trees be planted on the public right-of-way abutting their property and who desire to share in the cost of those trees.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Section 35-31 establishes the Cooperative Share-the-Cost Tree Planting Program, under which the City offers shade trees for planting in the public right-of-way, the parkway strip, to participating property owners at half the purchase price, with the trees planted by City forces at no additional charge to the owner. Section 35-32 authorizes the City Manager to implement the program through individual agreements with property owners who ask for one or more trees on the right-of-way abutting their land and who agree to share the cost. Any property owner who instead wants to plant a parkway tree themselves, rather than go through the cost-share program, still needs the free permit required by Sec.
35-21 for planting on public property; the Director of Public Works issues that permit under standards set in Sec. 35-23, which are based on International Society of Arboriculture publications and specify desirable and prohibited species by longevity, disease resistance, and resistance to breakage from ice, snow, and wind. Whether planted through the cost-share program or by individual permit, every tree placed in the right-of-way becomes city property under Sec. 35-22, which also vests ownership of all right-of-way vegetation in the City of Champaign whenever the boundary is unclear.
Violations & Fines
Planting a tree in the right-of-way outside the cost-share program without the Sec. 35-21 permit is an unpermitted act on public property, and because Sec. 35-22 makes every right-of-way tree city property, an unauthorized planting can be removed or altered by the Director of Public Works without the planter's consent. Article violations are declared public nuisances and absolute liability offenses under Sec. 35-24.1.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a new tree planted in the parkway in front of my Champaign home?
Can I just plant my own tree in the parkway strip without going through the city's program?
Who owns a tree once it's planted in the right-of-way?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Champaign
Compare Champaign to another location·View the Illinois tree protection overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.