Rochester Hills, MI Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Division 2 of Chapter 106 governs trees the city plants, or that an adjacent owner plants, within a street or road right-of-way. Section 106-56 sets the minimum planting distances for new street trees measured from fixed objects: 10 feet from curbs or the street edge, 10 feet from hydrants, 10 feet from driveways, 25 feet from public streetlights for deciduous shade and evergreen trees (10 feet for ornamentals), 25 feet from overhead utility lines for shade and evergreen trees, and 5 feet from underground utility lines for every tree type.

Sidewalk and pathway clearance runs from 5 feet for shrubs and deciduous shade trees up to 10 feet for evergreen and ornamental trees. Where a tree lawn is at least eight feet wide, trees go halfway between the sidewalk and the street, and a private property owner cannot plant in a tree lawn narrower than eight feet; evergreens need a tree lawn of at least 20 feet. No tree may go in the corner clearance triangle formed by the first 25 feet of right-of-way in each direction from a corner, and any tree near a road with a speed limit over 35 mph must sit at least 15 feet from the curb or road edge.

The director of Planning and Economic Development can approve closer spacing only after determining it will not create an unsafe condition, threaten safety, interfere with utilities, or crowd out the tree's mature size, and every planting by an adjacent private owner still needs a right-of-way permit under Section 94-33 before work starts.