Kalamazoo, MI Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Kalamazoo City Code Chapter 42, the Tree Ordinance, governs what property owners may plant in the curblawn, the strip of City-owned right-of-way between the street and the sidewalk. Under § 42-6.A, an abutting owner may plant a tree there only after getting prior written permission from the Public Works Department, and once planted the tree becomes a City tree subject to City control. Spacing is fixed by mature size class: small trees need 25 feet of separation, medium trees 35 feet, and large trees 45 feet, though the Public Works Department may grant written exceptions for special landscape plantings.

Placement near infrastructure is also regulated: no tree may stand closer to a curb or sidewalk than two feet for small trees, three feet for medium trees, or four feet for large trees, and only small or medium species may go within 10 lateral feet of an overhead primary electric wire. The ordinance separately bars a long list of species, including Box Elder, Tree of Heaven, several elm varieties, Black Locust, Willow, and Mulberry, from curblawn and right-of-way planting altogether. Trees planted before the chapter's enactment are exempt from the spacing rule.

A Tree Committee, created under § 42-4 with members from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and utility companies, develops planting guidelines for City Commission approval. Separately, § 42-7 requires a Public Works permit before anyone plants, removes, trims, sprays, or performs tree surgery on curblawns or rights-of-way, and permit holders must carry liability insurance and hold the City harmless.