Coeur d'Alene, ID Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Curb and sidewalk distance
- Small 1 ft 6 in, medium 2 ft 6 in, large 4 ft (12.36.410)
- Tree spacing
- Small 25 ft, medium 35 ft, large 45 ft (12.36.405)
- Streetlight distance
- Small 15 ft, medium 25 ft, large 35 ft (12.36.415)
- Under power lines
- Only small species within ten lateral feet of primary overhead lines
- Commercial sidewalk
- Six feet clear sidewalk and seven feet of branch clearance
- Planting permit
- Valid thirty days from issuance
Summary
In the City of Coeur d'Alene, street trees must stay at least one foot six inches (small), two feet six inches (medium) or four feet (large) from any curb or sidewalk. Spacing, streetlight and power line separations sit in the same chapter, and planting on public right of way needs a permit.
A. The distance trees may be planted from curbs and sidewalks shall be in accordance with the three (3) species size classes established by resolution of the city council, and no trees other than the exceptions listed in subsections B and C of this section may be planted closer to any curb or sidewalk than the following: 1. Small trees: One foot six inches (11/2'); 2. Medium trees: Two feet six inches (21/2'); 3. Large trees: Four feet (4'). B. Street (public) trees may be planted in sidewalk right of way locations in areas of commercial zoning or use subject to the provisions outlined in sections 12.36.450 and 12.36.455 of this chapter. C. The curb and sidewalk spacing requirements may be reduced by the coordinator when the controller agrees to install root control barriers, engineered soil, or planter cells between the proposed tree planting location and the adjacent curb and sidewalks.
Full Breakdown
Section 12.36.410 sets how close a tree can go to a curb or sidewalk, and the distance depends on the species size class that the city council establishes by resolution. Small trees need at least one foot six inches, medium trees two feet six inches and large trees four feet. In areas of commercial zoning or use, street trees can go in the sidewalk right of way under sections 12.36.450 and 12.36.455. The coordinator can reduce the curb and sidewalk distances when the controller agrees to install root control barriers, engineered soil or planter cells between the planting spot and the adjacent curb and sidewalk.
Other separations sit in the same chapter. Section 12.36.405 spaces street right of way trees twenty five feet apart for small trees, thirty five feet for medium and forty five feet for large, and applies the same spacing to street trees that section 17.06.835D requires along the entire street frontage of a development. No tree goes closer to a streetlight than fifteen feet (small), twenty five feet (medium) or thirty five feet (large) under section 12.36.415. Only small tree species can be planted under or within ten lateral feet of a primary power overhead line under section 12.36.420. Only species on the city council's official public tree list can be planted without prior approval of the urban forestry committee (12.36.400), and no tree with a diameter under one and one-half inches at six inches above ground can go in street right of way (12.36.120D).
Commercial districts carry added rules under section 12.36.455: planting at grade, six feet of clear sidewalk from the front edge of the building to the trunk, seven feet of clearance from sidewalk grade to the lowest branch, and a root control planter, engineered soil or cell planter where less than one hundred square feet of pervious surface surrounds the tree. A planting permit is valid for thirty days (12.36.310). Where the controller is allowed to defer sidewalks, curbs or paving, the controller can also defer street trees or pay a fee equal to the reasonable value of the tree as the city determines (12.36.424).
Violations & Fines
Section 12.36.610A makes any violation of chapter 12.36 a misdemeanor punished under section 1.28.010: a fine of not more than $1,000, imprisonment not to exceed 180 days, or both, with each day a separate offense. A tree planted where it obstructs or impairs free use of the right of way falls within the public nuisance definition of section 12.36.505, and the controller answers for repairing root damage to the street, sidewalk or curb under section 12.36.105G.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far from the curb can I plant a street tree in Coeur d'Alene?
Can I plant any species in the parkway strip?
What is different for a tree in front of a downtown business?
Can I plant under a power line?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coeur d'Alene
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