Syracuse, NY Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Revised General Ordinances Sec. 22-3 puts the commissioner of parks and recreation in charge of tree policy for every city street right-of-way and public place: the commissioner determines the rules for planting, removal, and maintenance, formulates standards for siting, spacing, and the structural form of street trees, and can restrict or prohibit particular tree species from being planted in the right-of-way at all.

Sec. 22-4 turns that policy into a permit requirement for anyone who wants to add a tree. No person may plant in a city street right-of-way or public place without a written permit from the commissioner, and the permit's conditions are binding: a resident cannot substitute a different species than the one specified in the permit, even along their own frontage. Once a tree goes into the right-of-way under a permit, Sec. 22-4(b) declares it a permanent fixture that becomes the property of the city of Syracuse, not the abutting property owner, which is why the department of parks and recreation, not the resident, ultimately controls the tree's future maintenance and removal.

The chapter defines its terms narrowly: a 'street tree' is any tree on the public right-of-way between the sidewalk and the adjacent property line, and a 'tree' is any perennial woody plant with a mature height potential over 10 feet, so shrubs and small ornamentals fall outside the planting-permit requirement. Violating the planting-permit rule in Sec. 22-4(a) carries a penalty under Sec. 22-11: imprisonment not to exceed 15 days, a fine not to exceed $150, or both.