Worcester, MA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Planting permit
- Prior written tree warden approval required
- Species list
- DPW maintains approved street tree species list
- Private-land planting reach
- Up to 20 feet from public way layout
- Owner consent
- Required before planting on adjoining private land
- Fine
- Up to $300 per offense, per day
- Enforcing agency
- Commissioner of Public Works & Parks / tree warden
Summary
Planting any tree in a Worcester public way, or within twenty feet of one on adjoining private land, requires the tree warden's prior written permission under Chapter Twelve, Section 28(e), and every planting must follow the tree warden's spacing rules for curbs, sidewalks, structures and other trees.
(e) Planting Trees. No person shall plant any tree within the public way or the boundaries thereof, or within any city park, without the prior written permission of the tree warden. The department of public works & parks shall maintain a list of species of trees that are suitable trees for planting along streets. All trees shall be planted in compliance with the tree warden's instructions, including but not limited to the minimum distance from any curb, sidewalk, street, structure or other tree. (1) Planting Trees Abutting the Layout. The tree warden, if he or she deems it expedient, may plant shade trees on land adjoining the public way at a distance of not more than twenty feet from the layout of the public way for the purpose of improving, protecting, shading or ornamenting the same; provided, however, that the written consent of the owner of such adjoining land shall first be obtained.
Full Breakdown
Section 28(e), part of the city's 2009 Protection of Public Trees ordinance, controls who can put a tree in the ground along a Worcester street. No one may plant a tree within the public way or its boundaries, or in any city park, without the tree warden's prior written permission. The department of public works & parks keeps an approved list of street tree species, and any planting the tree warden does approve must follow his or her instructions on spacing, including minimum distances from curbs, sidewalks, streets, structures and other trees.
The section also lets the tree warden go the other direction and plant shade trees on private land next to the public way, up to twenty feet from the layout, if that will improve, protect, shade or ornament the streetscape, but only with the written consent of the abutting landowner first.
This planting authority sits inside a broader ordinance passed after Worcester lost a large share of its urban canopy to the Asian Longhorn Beetle eradication effort and the December 2008 ice storm. The same section separately requires the tree warden's written approval to cut, trim or remove any Public Shade Tree (subsection (c)), lets the department review landscaping plans for new subdivisions and commercial development to recommend where new Public Shade Trees should go (subsection (j)), and requires anyone protecting or damaging a tree during nearby construction to get a tree-warden-approved protection plan first (subsection (h)).
Violations & Fines
Section 28(m) sets a fine of up to $300 for each violation of the tree-protection section, including planting without the tree warden's written permission, with every day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. If the unauthorized planting damages or kills another public shade tree or park tree, the person responsible also owes the full replacement cost, valued under the ISA's professional tree evaluation guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant a tree on the strip between the sidewalk and street in Worcester?
What species can I plant as a street tree?
Can the city plant a tree on my property near the street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Worcester
Compare Worcester to another location·View the Massachusetts tree protection overview
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