Ridgewood, NJ Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Chapter 190, Article IX of the Village of Ridgewood Code governs street tree planting under § 190-84. Trees must go on both sides of the street within the public right-of-way and cannot be spaced more than 50 feet apart, a rule aimed at consistent canopy coverage along Village streets. Placement also has to avoid conflicts with sidewalks, buried utility lines or pipes, the throw of streetlighting fixtures, and sight distance at intersections and driveways. Species selection is not left to the installer: the Village's Planning Board must approve the choice, and the code directs that species be matched to the neighborhood's hardiness, soil, light exposure and moisture conditions, and be resistant to pests and disease and low-maintenance.

Every street tree must have a minimum trunk caliper of 1 3/4 to 2 inches at installation, a measurable nursery-stock standard rather than a vague size description, and must be trimmed so the lowest branches sit at least six feet above grade at the base of the tree at planting time, keeping pedestrian and sidewalk clearance built in from day one. Before any tree goes in the ground, its condition must be approved by the Village's Director of Parks and Recreation, giving that office a direct sign-off role separate from the Planning Board's species approval.

These standards apply as part of site plan and subdivision review under Article VII of Chapter 190, so a developer's landscaping plan for street frontage has to show compliant spacing, caliper and clearance before the Village Engineer or Planning Board will certify the application.