Orange County, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- Orange County Codified Ordinances § 7-9-285
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Orange County subdivisions only
- Required areas
- Roadway medians, parkway strips, slopes, common areas
- Deviations
- Requested under § 7-9-291
- Enforced during
- Tentative map review by Subdivision Committee
Summary
New subdivisions in unincorporated Orange County must landscape roadway medians and parkway strips as part of tentative map approval, alongside slopes, common areas and preserved trees, under the county's Subdivision Code design standards.
The design of the areas listed below shall include appropriate landscaping for aesthetic, noise suppression, fire protection and/or erosion control purposes: (a)Man-made slopes greater than five (5) feet in height;(b)Common areas;(c)Roadway medians and parkway areas;(d)Lots containing existing significant trees or other plants proposed to be preserved;(e)Fuel modification areas;(f)Other open space areas.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 157).
Full Breakdown
Section 7-9-285 of the Subdivision Code requires that roadway medians and parkway areas be landscaped when a new subdivision is designed, along with man-made slopes over five feet, common areas, lots with significant trees being preserved, fuel modification areas and other open space. The landscaping must serve an aesthetic, noise-suppression, fire-protection or erosion-control purpose. The requirement is folded into tentative map review by the Subdivision Committee for land in unincorporated Orange County; it does not reach any of the county's 34 incorporated cities, which review their own subdivisions under separate municipal codes.
Violations & Fines
Failing to landscape roadway medians and parkway areas is treated as a design-standard deficiency under the Subdivision Code: the Subdivision Committee can deny or condition tentative map approval, and deviations require a separate request under Section 7-9-291.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rule apply inside Anaheim, Santa Ana or other Orange County cities?
What areas of a new subdivision must be landscaped?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orange County
California rules heatmap·Compare Orange County to another location·View the California tree protection overview
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