Gardena, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Chapter 13.60 places all Street Trees, defined to include trees growing in streets, public places, and city easements, under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Director, who also has authority over private trees to the extent they adversely affect an adjoining public place (§ 13.60.030). The Director must establish a Master Street Tree Plan setting the policies, procedures, and guidelines for planting, removing, and maintaining Street Trees, along with an Official Street Tree Specie List that designates which tree species may be planted on any street; both documents are reviewed periodically and updated as necessary (§ 13.60.070).

The Director's duties under § 13.60.060 include recommending suitable tree and shrub species for council approval, investigating parkway beautification, developing planting plans, and issuing planting permits with attached conditions. No Street Tree may be planted, maintained, or removed outside these provisions, though public utilities are exempt to preserve reliable overhead and underground line operation (§ 13.60.040). A parkway is defined as the portion of a street between the sidewalk and the roadway, or private property over which the city holds a property right (§ 13.60.020).

Planting on private property along street frontage that damages a public sidewalk, curb, or gutter, or interferes with a Street Tree, can be classified a Nuisance Tree and made subject to abatement under Chapter 8.64.