Tampa, FL Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Tampa Code § 22-312
- Approval authority
- City parks department
- Regulated area
- Parkway between sidewalk and curb
- Related rule
- Sec. 22-308 sight-obstruction standard
Summary
Tampa Code Sec. 22-312 bars anyone from planting or removing trees or shrubs in the parkway strip between the sidewalk and street curb without first getting parks department approval. The rule protects the public right-of-way strip citywide, not just in designated districts.
No planting of trees or shrubs shall be done in the parkways lying between the sidewalk area and the street curbing on the several streets in the city nor shall any trees or shrubs be removed from such parkways unless first approved by the parks department.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 148).
Full Breakdown
Sec. " That means a homeowner or contractor cannot unilaterally add or take out vegetation in the strip of public right-of-way that sits between the back of curb and the sidewalk, approval must come from the parks department before either planting or removal happens. This sits within the same technical-requirements division as Sec. 22-308's sight-obstruction rule, which separately makes it a violation for any tree, shrub, or other object placed on a parkway or adjacent private property near a street or driveway intersection to block a driver's line of sight or obscure a traffic-control device, measured against the TRR 541 (1975) sight-distance standard kept on file with the department of public works.
Read together, the two sections mean parkway landscaping in Tampa is regulated twice over: first through the planting/removal approval gate in Sec. 22-312, and again through the sight-line standard in Sec. 22-308 that can force removal of even previously approved plantings if they later grow to obstruct visibility. Violations of either section fall under the general Chapter 22 enforcement and penalty framework administered by the department of public works and city code enforcement.
Violations & Fines
Planting or removing a tree or shrub in the sidewalk-to-curb parkway strip without parks department approval violates Sec. 22-312 and can result in city-ordered removal or replanting at the owner's cost. If parkway vegetation later obstructs driver sight lines under Sec. 22-308, the city can issue a fifteen-day correction notice under Sec. 22-310, and uncorrected violations become a cost-recovery lien on the abutting property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Tampa resident plant a tree in the strip between the sidewalk and the street?
Does Tampa also regulate removing parkway trees?
Can an approved parkway planting still be ordered removed later?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tampa
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Tampa to another location·View the Florida tree protection overview
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