Mountain View, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing plan
- Master street tree plan (Sec. 32.4)
- Planting permit
- Required for all street tree work
- Permit validity
- Void after 30 days
- Parkway shrub height cap
- 12 inches (Sec. 32.16(g))
- Enforcing official
- Director of Parks and Recreation
- Unpaid abatement lien interest
- 6% per year
Summary
Mountain View plants and regulates every tree and shrub in its parkway strips through a citywide master street tree plan. City Code Sec. 32.4 requires the director of parks and recreation to draft the plan and the parks and recreation commission to adopt or amend it, fixing the type, form and location of official street trees, with a copy kept on file at the city clerk's office.
A master street tree plan shall be established, which master street tree plan shall designate the type, form and location of all street trees and shrubs in the city. The master street tree plan shall be prepared by the director of parks and recreation for consideration and adoption by the parks and recreation commission. Such master street tree plan may from time to time be changed, modified, altered and amended by the parks and recreation commission. A copy of the master street tree plan shall be kept on file in the office of the city clerk.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 34 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
Property owners do not choose their own parkway tree. Under Sec. " Planting is folded into the same permit system that covers all street tree work: Sec. 6 bars anyone from cutting, trimming, pruning, planting, spraying, removing or injuring a street tree or shrub without the director's prior written permission, and any permit issued expires after thirty (30) days. The director can condition a permit on replacing a removed tree with one that conforms to the master plan. Once planted, the parkway strip carries its own maintenance rule: Sec.
16(g) declares shrubs and plants taller than twelve (12) inches, measured from curb grade, growing in the strip between curb and sidewalk to be a public nuisance, and Sec. 15 makes the abutting property owner responsible for watering street trees and shrubs there, though the parks and recreation department may water at its own discretion. Anyone building nearby must also protect existing plantings: Sec. 11 requires contractors erecting, repairing or removing a structure to install guards sufficient to prevent injury to nearby street trees during the work.
Violations & Fines
Interfering with the director of parks and recreation or crew members carrying out Sec. 32.6 permitted work is unlawful under Sec. 32.7, as is fouling soil around a parkway tree with oil, dye or other deleterious substances, or capping roots with cement, under Sec. 32.9. Nuisances under Sec. 32.16 that go unabated let the city council order removal at the owner's expense; unpaid costs draw six (6) percent annual interest and, after thirty (30) days, a ten (10) percent delinquency penalty recorded as a lien on the property under Sec. 32.18.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant my own tree in the Mountain View parkway strip?
Does planting a street tree require a permit?
How tall can shrubs be in the parkway strip?
Who waters newly planted street trees?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mountain View
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Parkway Planting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle parkway planting.