Upper Darby, PA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Chapter 506, Article I, Shade Trees (adopted 1976), places planting of any tree, shrub, or other woody plant along a public street, highway, avenue, park, or parkway under the Shade Tree Commission, a three-member board appointed by the Mayor (§ 506-2). Before anyone plants a street tree, § 506-4 requires a written permit from the Commission, which designates the type of tree and place where it is to be planted, and the Commission can refuse a permit for any species it finds unsuited to the location.

Section 506-5 then fixes the physical layout: no tree may be planted within five feet of any driveway, a tree on private property next to a sidewalk cannot go within three feet of it, and no tree may stand nearer to a street intersection than 25 feet from the point of intersection. Permit fees are set in § 506-9: a private contractor doing the planting pays $15 per job and must carry a certificate of insurance; a property owner planting on his own land personally pays no fee; and a public utility company clearing lines pays a permit per work crew.

The Township funds the Commission's planting, trimming, and removal program through Mayor-appropriated funds (§ 506-6). Violations of the article are civil, filed as a complaint under § 506-11, and unpaid Township costs for corrective work become a lien on the property under § 506-10.