Norwalk, CT Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Section 112-6A encourages residents to help fill gaps in the City's tree line in public places and near the right-of-way, but only by following Chapter 112's procedures. Section 112-6B requires anyone planting a tree or shrub in a Public Place, defined in § 112-2 to include the right-of-way, Board of Education and Housing Authority property, and City parks, to apply in writing to the Tree Warden before planting, submitting a planting and maintenance plan that specifies the size, species and location of every new tree or shrub and names the person responsible for maintaining it for at least two years.

The Tree Warden inspects the site and must notify the applicant of a decision in writing within 30 days of a complete application (§ 112-6C). Once the two-year maintenance period in the approved plan runs out, the planted tree or shrub automatically becomes City property (§ 112-6D), and the Tree Warden reports every approved application quarterly to the Urban Forestry Commission, with each new tree added to the City's Tree Inventory (§ 112-6E). This planting permit sits inside Chapter 112's broader purpose, stated in § 112-1, of protecting and growing Norwalk's urban forest along public streets, rights-of-way and parks for present and future residents alike.