Fall River, MA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Jurisdiction
- Streets, parks, ROW, easements citywide
- Permit needed
- To plant any street or parkway tree
- Species/location
- Set by Board of Park Commissioners
- Governing section
- Fall River Code § 54-135
Summary
Fall River's Tree Ordinance gives the City exclusive control over street trees, shrubs and plantings in every street, park, right-of-way, and public easement, with a permit required before anyone plants there.
The City of Fall River shall have control of all street trees, shrubs, and other plantings now or hereafter in any street, park, public right-of-way or easement, or other public place within the City limits, and shall have the power to plant, protect, care for, maintain, remove and replace such trees, shrubs and other plantings.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4739915; v14 updated 2025-12-23; through 12-23-2025).
Full Breakdown
Under § 54-135, the City of Fall River 'shall have control of all street trees, shrubs, and other plantings now or hereafter in any street, park, public right-of-way or easement, or other public place,' with power to plant, protect, maintain, remove and replace them. In practice this means no resident, contractor, or utility may plant a tree along a city street or in a parkway strip without a permit from the Board of Park Commissioners under § 54-144, and the Board decides tree location, species, cultivar, and caliper size before issuing it.
Violations & Fines
Planting, removing, or disturbing a street tree without a Board-issued permit violates §§ 54-144 and 54-146, exposing the violator to Fall River's general $300-per-offense penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant a tree in the parkway strip in front of my Fall River home?
Who picks the tree species for street plantings?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fall River
Compare Fall River to another location·View the Massachusetts tree protection overview
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