Dearborn Heights, MI Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Sec. 33-28 ties street tree planting directly to move-in approval: before a certificate of occupancy will issue for new construction, the owner, contractor, or builder must plant one or more trees of the size and number set by the code, chosen from the hardwood varieties recommended in Article X of the zoning ordinance or another variety the public service administrator approves, excluding the four species Sec. 33-26 prohibits, poplar, willow, box elder, and elm. Placement and the number of required trees track that same Article X of the zoning ordinance.

If a residence is ready for occupancy during the winter window between November 1 and March 31, the city can issue a temporary certificate of occupancy instead of withholding it, provided the required tree or trees go in within sixty days after March 31 and the owner has posted an escrow equal to one and a half times the estimated planting cost for that November-to-March period. Every tree must also be properly planted and in a healthy, disease- and pest-free condition at the time of planting, and the Department of Public Works is responsible under Sec.

33-31 for keeping trees within city streets, alleys, and public grounds in a healthy, growing state afterward. Replacement plantings must likewise follow Article X's landscaping and screening standards, including staking and four inches of shredded hardwood bark mulch, and the code encourages species diversity by drawing replacements from the approved planting list rather than repeating a single variety along a block.