Hawthorne, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- HMC § 17.86.040(J)
- Applies to
- TIO Trucking Intensive Overlay zone projects
- Minimum tree height
- 8 feet at planting
- Minimum trunk diameter
- 4 inches at 4 feet above grade
- Species/placement authority
- Director of Parks and Recreation
- Spacing requirement
- Evenly spaced along property line
Summary
In Hawthorne's Trucking Intensive Overlay zone, Section 17.86.040(J) requires street trees planted in the public right-of-way along the property line, sized and spaced to a fixed standard, with the director of parks and recreation choosing species, placement, and count for the project.
Street trees shall be planted in the public right-of-way adjacent to the property. The director of parks and recreation shall determine the type of trees, locations, size and number. Street trees must be a minimum of eight feet tall, have a trunk diameter of at least four inches measured four feet above grade, and be evenly spaced along property lines.
Full Breakdown
040(J) sits inside the development standards for trucking uses permitted in the TIO overlay zone. It requires landscaping and hardscape at building and site entrances, at least five percent of any visible on-site parking lot to be landscaped, and a six-foot landscaped strip along rights-of-way, with fencing kept to the rear of that strip and only on-premises signage allowed within it. Within that same subsection, the code turns specifically to street trees: they must be planted in the public right-of-way adjacent to the property, and the director of parks and recreation determines the type of tree, its location, size, and number.
The ordinance then fixes a minimum physical standard rather than leaving it entirely to discretion: trees must stand at least eight feet tall at planting, carry a trunk diameter of at least four inches measured four feet above grade, and be evenly spaced along the property line. The requirement traces to Ordinance 1725, Section 6, adopted in 2001, and was amended by Ordinance 1939, Section 19, in 2009. Because a TIO trucking use permit review runs through the planning, building, public works, fire, police, business license, and community services departments, street tree compliance is checked as part of that multi-department construction plan review before any trucking use permit issues.
Violations & Fines
A TIO trucking use permit is reviewed against the project construction plans before issuance, so street trees that are undersized, wrongly spaced, or missing from the approved landscape plan can hold up plan check approval by the planning and public works departments. Because Section 17.86.040(H) bars transferring a TIO trucking use permit and requires a new permit application after material property changes, a later removal or failure to maintain the required street trees can be treated as noncompliance during the permit's required annual inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who picks the street tree species for a Hawthorne TIO zone project?
How big must a Hawthorne TIO zone street tree be?
Does this street tree rule apply everywhere in Hawthorne?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hawthorne
California rules heatmap·Compare Hawthorne to another location·View the California tree protection overview
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Parkway Planting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle parkway planting.