Southfield, MI Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Southfield City Code § 3.25 sets the physical layout for parkway trees: a minimum 40-foot spacing between trees planted in the parkway, and no tree closer than 3 feet to the curb or sidewalk line. Where the parkway strip is narrower, between 4 and 6 feet wide, a tree may instead go midway between the curb and sidewalk, and the superintendent of parks and recreation may grant other exceptions. New parkway trees must also be at least 1½ inches in diameter, measured 6 inches above the ground, so undersized saplings do not qualify.

These location standards operate together with the rest of Chapter 28: no one may plant a tree or shrub in a highway, park, or public place, which includes the parkway, without first getting a written permit from the superintendent of parks and recreation under § 3.26, and the species itself cannot be one of the eight varieties barred by § 3.24 (including willow, poplar, and Tree of Heaven). The superintendent has exclusive authority under §§ 3.22 and 3.23 to direct and control all planting, insect and disease control, fertilizing, and removal of trees and shrubs on public property, and enforces the chapter directly.