Dallas, TX Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Sec. 51A-10.125(a)(1) sets the baseline residential tree count by lot size: three large or medium trees on a lot of 7,500 square feet or more, two trees on a lot between 4,000 and 7,499 square feet, and one tree on a lot under 4,000 square feet, and subsection (a)(1)(D)(iv) lets an existing, healthy protected tree on the lot or in the parkway count toward that requirement, as long as it isn't a boundary tree shared with an adjacent private property. Every required tree, wherever it's planted, must come from the director's approved tree species list, carry a minimum two-inch caliper, and sit at least 20 feet on center from the nearest overhead electric line under Sec. 51A-10.125(a)(1)(D)(i)-(iii).

For shared access developments, Sec. 51A-10.125(a)(2)(A)(iv) requires one plant group for every 40 feet of street frontage and defines 'parkway,' for that subsection, as the portion of a street right-of-way between the projected street curb and the front lot line or corner side lot line. Those plant groups may sit in the parkway only if all private licensing requirements of the city code and charter are met, meaning the property owner still needs the city's separate right-of-way use license before putting a required tree in public land. If a large or medium tree would conflict with utility lines, the director can approve a substitute small tree from the approved list instead.