Whittier, CA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Planting authority
- Parks, Recreation & Community Services Director
- Species choice
- Director selects, city manager reviews
- Owner petitions
- Advisory only, council decides
- Subdivision trees
- Subdivider plants and pays
- Standards detail
- Parkway Tree Manual
Summary
Street tree planting in Whittier's parkways is controlled by the city, not by adjacent property owners. Municipal Code Section 12.40.030 puts the director of parks, recreation and community services in charge of choosing which trees, shrubs or plants go in on any street, park or alley, and requires subdividers to plant and pay for parkway trees before the city approves a subdivision map.
It shall be the duty of the director to oversee the duties to plant, trim, prune and care for all trees, shrubs, or plants and to authorize removal of all objectionable trees, shrubs or plants in and upon any street, park, alley or public place in the city, subject to the review of the city manager. Subject to said review, the director shall have the power to designate the kind or variety of trees, shrubs or plants to be planted upon any street, park, alley or public place of the city; providing, however, that the owners of property fronting on any street, alley or public place may petition the city council that such trees, shrubs or plants shall be of a certain kind or variety, but the petition shall be advisory to the action of the council. All trees planted in any public property in a new subdivision shall be in accordance with the rules and regulations of the director and shall be paid for by the subdivider. The council may require any subdivider to appropriate money for proper tree planting along the streets of any new subdivision before approving any subdivision map.
Full Breakdown
020 as the head of the parks, recreation and community services department or an authorized designee such as a certified arborist. 030 gives that director the duty to plant, trim, prune and care for all trees, shrubs or plants on any street, park, alley or public place, and the power to authorize removal of objectionable plantings, subject to city manager review. The director alone designates the kind or variety of tree planted in public rights-of-way; property owners fronting a street may petition the city council for a particular species, but the code makes that petition purely advisory to the council's decision.
New subdivisions carry their own obligation: all trees planted on public property within a new subdivision must follow the director's rules and are paid for by the subdivider, and the city council can require a subdivider to set aside money for street tree planting before it will approve a tentative or final subdivision map. 050(C).
Violations & Fines
Planting, removing or altering a street tree without the director's authorization, or in a variety other than what the director designated, violates Section 12.40.030 and the companion permit requirement in Section 12.40.040. A subdivider who plants street trees without following the director's rules, or fails to fund required parkway planting, is out of compliance before final map approval; penalties for noncompliance are calculated under the parkway tree manual per Section 12.40.130, with appeals under Section 12.40.140.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides what trees are planted along Whittier streets?
Can I request a specific tree species for my street?
Who pays for street trees in a new Whittier subdivision?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Whittier
California rules heatmap·Compare Whittier to another location·View the California tree protection overview
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Parkway Planting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle parkway planting.