Denver, CO Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- City forester permit before planting
- Enforcing agency
- City forester, Parks and Recreation
- Plan review fee
- Charged for sites over 10,000 sq ft
- Governing law
- DRMC § 57-19 and § 57-20(a)
Summary
Denver requires a permit from the city forester before anyone plants a tree in the public right-of-way, with planting, spacing, and species rules set by regulation.
Through the development and permitting process, the city forester may require the planting of trees on the public right-of-way or other public places in the city. The city forester shall establish rules and regulations for the planting, replacing, and maintaining of trees on any public right-of-way or other public place in the city and it shall be unlawful for any person to plant trees upon any public right-of-way or other public place in the city except as prescribed in such rules and regulations. The rules and regulations shall contain:
(1)Planting and spacing requirements for trees;(2)The types of trees which are prohibited from being planted;(3)Tree diversity standards;(4)Tree preservation specifications;(5)Requirements for maintenance, replacement, and removal of trees; and(6)Development and plan review fees to be charged by the city forester for review of developments on more than ten thousand (10,000) square feet of land area, developments required to have a site development plan review under the Denver Zoning Code, or other recurring plan reviews. (Ord. No. 121-02, § 1, 2-19-02; Ord. No. 325-08, § 1, 6-23-08; Ord. No. 1017-17, § 1, 10-16-2017)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 147 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
Denver's city forester regulates every tree planted in the parkway strip between the curb and the sidewalk. Under Revised Municipal Code § 57-19, the forester issues rules and regulations covering planting and spacing requirements, prohibited tree types, tree diversity standards, and preservation specifications, and it is unlawful to plant a tree in the public right-of-way except as those rules prescribe. Section 57-20(a) separately requires a permit from the city forester before planting, injecting pesticides into, or removing any tree on the right-of-way. Developments on more than 10,000 square feet of land face additional plan-review fees under § 57-19(6).
Violations & Fines
Planting a right-of-way tree outside the forester's rules, or without a permit under § 57-20(a), is unlawful and enforceable through administrative citations under Chapter 2, Article XVII.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to plant a tree in the parkway strip in Denver?
Who enforces Denver's parkway tree planting rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Denver
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