Placentia, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Plan adopted by
- Placentia City Council
- Plan contents
- Type, variety, location and spacing of trees and shrubs, plus a map
- Administered by
- Director of public works or designee
- Owner watering duty
- Young city trees, not beyond three years
- Parkway landscaping change
- Parkway Design Guidelines and encroachment permit
- Damage fine
- Replacement value or $5,000, whichever is greater
Summary
In the City of Placentia, California, street trees follow a Master Street Tree Planting Plan that the public works department prepares and the City Council adopts. The plan sets the type, variety, location and spacing of trees and shrubs and includes a city map. The public works director controls planting, removal and maintenance in public streets, and adjoining owners maintain the parkway.
(a) The public works department shall prepare or have prepared and submit to the city council for its adoption a Master Street Tree Planting Plan for the public streets of the city and recommend revisions thereto as conditions warrant. This plan shall include at a minimum: (1) The type, variety, location and spacing of trees and shrubs to be planted. (2) A map of the city which graphically portrays the master street tree plan. (b) The director shall be responsible for the administration of the Master Street Tree Planting Plan adopted by the city council and shall control the planting, removal and maintenance of trees and shrubs in or upon the public streets of the city in accordance with the provisions of such plan and this chapter.
Full Breakdown
Placentia Municipal Code § 14.12.050(a) directs the public works department to prepare, or have prepared, and submit to the city council for adoption a Master Street Tree Planting Plan for the public streets of the city, with revisions recommended as conditions warrant. At a minimum the plan includes the type, variety, location and spacing of trees and shrubs to be planted, and a map of the city that graphically portrays the plan. Under subsection (b) the director is responsible for administering the adopted plan and controls the planting, removal and maintenance of trees and shrubs in or upon the public streets in accordance with the plan and Chapter 14.12.
The director means the director of the department of public works or designee (§ 14.12.020). Section 14.12.030 adds duties to develop and recommend changes to the Master Street Tree Plan, develop tree maintenance guidelines and standards for street trees, inspect planting, maintenance and removal in public areas, and review landscaping plans as they affect trees in public areas. The streetscape and transportation advisory commission serves as the tree advisory board and makes recommendations on designated tree species for specific streets and neighborhoods (§ 14.12.040).
The parkway is the portion of a public street not improved for actual street, curb, gutter or sidewalk use and available for planting and maintaining street trees (§ 14.12.020). Property owners must maintain the parkway adjacent to their property, whether or not the property is developed, including routine maintenance, adequate watering and keeping the strip free from weeds or obstructions contrary to public safety (§ 14.12.060(a)). They water young city trees planted in adjacent parkways during dry weather until the tree becomes acclimated, though not beyond three years, and that duty is waived to the extent it conflicts with governmental water-use restrictions. Changing the landscaping in a residential parkway calls for the city's Parkway Design Guidelines and a city encroachment permit.
No permits are issued for pruning or removal of city trees; city employees or contractors do that work (§ 14.12.110).
Violations & Fines
Under § 14.12.150(1) it is prohibited and unlawful to damage, injure, carve, disturb, transplant, prune, root prune or remove any city tree. A violation draws the penalties in Chapter 1.08, including a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding one year (§ 1.08.010). Anyone who removes, damages, injures or destroys a city tree also pays the full replacement value of the tree or $5,000, whichever is greater, into the tree replacement and planting fund (§ 14.12.180(b)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides which trees get planted on Placentia streets?
Can I replant the parkway strip in front of my Placentia home?
Am I responsible for watering a city tree next to my property?
Can I prune or remove a city street tree myself in Placentia?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Placentia
California rules heatmap·Compare Placentia to another location·View the California tree protection overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Parkway Planting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle parkway planting.