Detroit, MI Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Who must comply
- New residential subdivision developers
- Required trees
- Salt-resistant street trees
- Standards source
- Recreation Department planting standards
- Covers
- Soil depth, irrigation, staking, tree grates
Summary
New residential subdivisions in Detroit must plant street trees meeting Recreation Department standards for soil depth, irrigation, tree grates, staking, and salt resistance under the zoning code's landscaping requirements.
Notwithstanding the exemption in Section 50-14-303 of this Code, the developer of any new residential subdivision shall install street trees. Such plantings shall be consistent with planting standards that are maintained by the Recreation Department, which specify soil depth, irrigation requirements, tree grates, staking, and other planting details. Street trees shall be salt-resistant.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
Under Detroit City Code § 50-14-376, any developer of a new residential subdivision must install street trees along the parkway strip, and the plantings must follow standards maintained by the Recreation Department covering soil depth, irrigation requirements, tree grates, and staking. The ordinance also requires that all street trees be salt-resistant, given Detroit's use of road salt in winter. This planting mandate applies regardless of any landscaping exemption elsewhere in the zoning code, since the section opens by overriding the exemption in Section 50-14-303.
Violations & Fines
This is enforced through the site plan review process; site plans that omit required street trees or Recreation Department-standard plantings are not approved for permitting, and subdivision developers must revise plans to comply before building permits issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Detroit homeowner have to plant a street tree?
Does Section 50-14-376 explain why street trees must be salt-resistant?
Does this rule apply in Hamtramck or Highland Park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Detroit
Compare Detroit to another location·View the Michigan tree protection overview
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Parkway Planting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle parkway planting.