Clifton, NJ Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Clifton Code Ch. 433, Art. III governs plantings in the public right-of-way. Section 433-15 bars planting any shade or ornamental tree or shrub in or along a public street or park until the Director of the Division of Public Works approves the species and location and issues a permit, on a $10 application fee. Section 433-16 then locks in the specifications: only listed species qualify, including pin oak, red oak, scarlet oak, London plane, sweet gum, moraine sugar maple, Norway maple, moline elm, sycamore, green spire linden, kwanson cherry and Bradford pear; stock must be nursery-grown and at least two inches in diameter measured 12 inches from the ground, with a straight trunk and no more than one leader, staked with at least two supports, and pruned so the lowest limbs clear the street by at least 12 feet.

Section 433-17 requires an open, unpaved area around each street tree of at least eight linear feet parallel to the curb by three linear feet between curb and sidewalk to keep air, water and fertilizer reaching the roots, and bars any person from covering that area with stone, concrete or cement without written Public Works permission. Separately, § 433-37(D)(7) requires that when tree removal under a site-clearing or driveway permit triggers mitigation, replacement major trees must be planted on 30-foot centers as street trees between the curbline and the right-of-way edge, at a location set by the City Engineer.