Gary, IN Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

The Gary Municipal Code chapter on vegetation gives the city's board of park commissioners exclusive authority over the parkway strip, the strip of public right-of-way between the curb and the sidewalk. Under Section 44-27, the board can plant, trim, spray, preserve or remove street trees, supervise all permitted planting work, and maintain an Approved Street Trees list naming which species may line Gary streets. The board can also order removal or trimming of dangerous, diseased or obstructive trees on private property and has appointed a citizens' advisory urban forest committee to study city tree issues.

Section 44-28 requires every new or replacement street tree to come from the current Approved Street Trees list unless the board or its designee approves an exception, and bars anyone but a board-approved planter from setting out a street tree without first filing an application and getting a written permit; the board does not charge a fee for this permit unless it decides to. Section 44-29 extends the permit requirement to maintenance: the board's designees inspect, maintain and remove street trees, and no one may trim or prune a street tree without a written permit from the superintendent of parks or a designee, which can carry conditions on proper planting and upkeep.

The superintendent issues permits under Section 44-27(b) and any denial can be appealed to the board of park commissioners. Because the parkway strip is defined in Section 44-26 as public property under city control, homeowners who want a tree removed or a new one planted along their curb must go through the parks department rather than acting unilaterally.