City of Houston, Texas Tree and Shrub Ordinance
Gold Clearing House Blog Provides The City of Houston, Texas Tree and Shrub Ordinance Guidelines That Are To Be Taken Very Seriously:
Landscape Regulations for Development
Tree and Shrub Ordinance
The City of Houston Tree and Shrub Ordinance provides standards for planting trees
and shrubs and installing landscaping buffers. The ordinance further protects Houston’s
greenery by prohibiting removal of certain trees and offering incentives to property
owners who preserve and care for existing trees on private properties.
Based on a property’s size, the ordinance establishes minimum planting
requirements for street trees, parking lot trees, and shrubs. These minimum
requirements ensure that Houston will have aesthetically pleasing developments and
enhanced greenspace, making it a better place to live. The ordinance’s planting
requirements apply to all new commercial and multi-family residential developments
that require a building permit or any property expansion exceeding 1,000 square feet.
The ordinance also applies to all new single family construction.
Who Must Plant
• All new commercial and multi-family development
• New single family residential
• Building additions to non-SF residential that exceed 1000 square feet
• New parking lots or expanded portion of old lots
Landscape Plans
A landscape plan is a drawing that identifies the locations of existing and proposed
utility lines, roadways, sidewalks, street lights, trees, shrubs, groundcovers, natural
features, landscape buffers, other landscape elements, and planting or construction
details. Make certain that the plant species and planting size of all trees and shrubs are
noted on the plan. All protected trees on the plan must be identified for preservation,
transplanting or removal. Applicants must submit a landscape plan for review when
applying for a development plat or building permit.
Tree and shrub analysis forms are available at the City’s Code Enforcement Division
at 3300 Main Street or online at www.houstontx.gov/planning/forms/forms.htm.
Protected Trees
The ordinance protects certain trees from removal. The following list defines
protected tree types:Right-of-Way: trees along a public street’s right-of-way
Corridor Tree: trees 20 inches or more in diameter in the building setback area
along a local street or major thoroughfare
Green Corridor: a portion of a major thoroughfare (at least one mile long)
designated by City Council with trees 15 inches or more in diameter
Designated Tree: trees designated by City Council that have particular historical
or arboricultural significance. These trees can be located anywhere in the city
Parkway Tree: a) a tree 15 inches or more in diameter within a Green Corridor;
or b) a tree 20 inches or more in diameter outside of a Green Corridor located
between a street curb and an adjacent property line
Removing Protected Trees
Individuals who want to remove a protected tree must complete the following steps:
1. File a written notice of intent to remove the tree.
2. Provide a site map showing the location of the proposed tree for removal and
provide a plan showing where replacement trees will be planted. Submit both to the
Planning Department 20 days prior to the tree’s removal.
City ordinance specifically preserves trees that are in the public right-of-way and
requires that you get written permission from the Parks Department before removing
particular species of trees that are 11/2 inches or more in diameter on the street tree list
and 20-inch caliper for all other species. To obtain a permit, you can call the Urban
Forestry Division at (713) 867-0378, and a City forester will be sent to evaluate your
situation. Violations can result in a $500 per day fine and prosecution.
Any property owner who unnecessarily destroys a protected tree can be fined $90
per diameter inch. Violations of the Tree & Shrub Ordinance carry a potential fine of up
to $500 per day for each violation.
Protected Tree Replacement Requirement
The protected tree replacement requirement ensures that all protected trees
approved for removal are replaced with a comparable species of tree. The applicant is
responsible for properly maintaining all of the replacement trees for at least two years.
An applicant may also satisfy the replacement requirement through earned tree credits
or by contributing to the designated tree fund in an amount equal to
1) $225 per caliper inch of tree removed for a 6 inch caliper tree and smaller,
2) $375 per caliper inch of tree removed for over 6 inch and up to 12 inch caliper
trees, or
3) $500 per caliper inch of tree removed for over 12 inch caliper trees, or
4) if the tree is a corridor tree or green corridor tree, $127 per caliper inch of tree
removed.Exceptions to the Ordinance
Applicants may request either a waiver or a variance. The Planning Director may
grant a waiver when compliance with the ordinance would result in damage to existing
utilities or create unsafe conditions for the public. The Planning Commission may grant
a variance when certain conditions exist.
Planting Requirements for Commercial & Multi-
Family Developments
Applicants must incorporate a tree preservation plan into the proposed landscape
plan to receive tree credits. This additional plan must explain the preservation,
maintenance, placement and transplanting techniques used for all trees to be
considered for credit. Both plans must be included with an application for a
development plat or building permits.
Street trees – must be planted in or adjacent to public rights-of-way; one tree for
every 30 feet of road frontage. The formula for calculating the required number
of street trees will be applied separately to each block face when a property
fronts on more than one street and there are minimum spacing requirements.
Street trees must be planted at least 20 feet apart without extreme variation in
the spacing excluding site conditions and driveways. An existing street tree in
the abutting street right-of-way may count toward the requirement of one
required tree.
Parking lot trees – each parking space must be within 120 feet of a parking lot or
street tree. One tree for every 10 spaces is required. At least one-half of the
parking lot trees will be large parking lot trees (as listed on the parking lot tree
list).
Shrubs – at least 75% must be planted along the perimeter of parking lots with
the remainder planted along or within the perimeter; 10 shrubs for each
required street tree.
Landscape buffers – screening fence, with a minimum height of six feet, located
along the property line between two adjacent properties; must be constructed
with building materials or planted with evergreen trees or shrubs.
Planting Requirements for Single Family New
Construction
Lots less than 5,000 square feet will require one tree – new or preserved. A
preserved tree may be on the building site or in the abutting street right-of-way. A new
tree shall be planted in the right-of-way unless the building official authorizes it to be
planted elsewhere on the building site.Lots 5,000 square feet or greater will require two trees – new and/or preserved.
One tree must be planted in the abutting street right-of-way. The other tree, new or
preserved, may be on the building site or in the abutting right-of-way. Options include
planting one 4 inch tree in the right-of-way in lieu of small trees, or preserving 2 trees.
Trees must be of a species listed on the street tree or parking lot tree list.
A final building inspection will not be approved until the required trees are planted
or preserved.
The Planning Director may waive the planting or preservation requirement and allow
the property owner to purchase credits if it is determined that the size and
configuration of the property and the house do not afford sufficient space for the
planting or preservation of even one tree.
Tree Credits
The ordinance encourages the preservation of trees through tree credits. Tree
credits may be used to satisfy the tree-planting requirement for all new and expanding
developments. An applicant can earn a tree credit by doing one or more of the
following:
• Preserve existing on-site trees
• Plant trees with a caliper/diameter greater than four inches
• Deposit money into a special tree fund
• Credit for preserving one right-of-way tree equals one required street tree
Tree Protection
Construction projects can be strenuous and cause irrevocable damage to existing
trees. Any construction in the ROW must conform to the tree protection guidelines
described in Chapter 16 of the Public Works and Engineering Public Infrastructure
Design Manual. The following panels describe methods that can be used on private
property to mitigate impact and save trees.
Before Construction: Design for Tree Survival
1. Pick the trees to save, and design the structure to accommodate them. Look for
healthy trees of desirable species. Pay special attention to shade potential for the
house and nearby cement/asphalt areas.
2. Determine the Critical Root Zone (CRZ) for each tree, which is roughly a circle with
a radius equal to the average dripline. Realize that most tree roots are in the top
two feet of the soil, and that feeding roots are in the top few inches. Roots require
non-compacted soil for both air and moisture.
3. Protect at least 75 percent of the CRZ. Fence the area to prevent traffic or storage
of materials. If fencing is not possible, cover the CRZ with 6-8 inches of wood-chip
mulch and 3/4-inch plywood or road boards to prevent soil compaction.4. Route underground utilities to avoid the CRZ. If digging is unavoidable, bore under
the roots or hand dig to avoid severing them.
5. Design paving away from the CRZ. If this is not possible, use a porous material for
driveways, such as crushed granite, pavestone, etc.
6. Save trees that are very close to buildings by using pier-and-beam construction
techniques that allow air and moisture to reach the root zone.
During Construction: Save the Roots, Save the Trees
1. Set up tree protection guidelines and monitor compliance — from initial grading of
the lot to final landscaping and irrigation.
2. Maintain CRZ fencing. Mark access routes, storage areas and refuse sites.
3. Keep backhoes and other root destroying equipment away from roots, especially in
the CRZ.
4. Avoid soil compaction. Park on the street — not under shade trees!
5. Use boring or tunneling methods when utilities are in the CRZ, since most roots are
close to the surface. Or hand dig trenches to avoid cutting roots.
6. Do not allow disposal of paints, oils, unused mortar or other potentially toxic
materials any place on the site.
7. If pruning is required, use National Arborist Association specifications. Do not
expect pruning or fertilizing to compensate fully for destroyed roots.
8. Keep the CRZ well watered during construction to avoid extra stress on trees.
Saturate the top 4-6 inches of soil.
After Construction: Remediate and Monitor
1. Remove contaminated soil, and aerate compacted soil. Make sure to maintain the
same grade as before construction –– more than two additional inches of soil or sod
can ultimately kill an otherwise healthy tree.
2. Monitor trees for up to five years, checking for insects or disease that can strike a
weakened tree.
3. Water trees during dry periods to help them recover from construction stress.
Fertilize annually with a slow-release non-burning complete fertilizer.
Check with an Expert
There are so many species of trees and site possibilities that we can only offer
general guidelines in this brochure. You’ll get the best advice about preserving trees
from a qualified urban forester. For more information or further assistance:
City of Houston
Parks Department: 713-845-1000
Urban Forester: 713-867-0378www.houstonparks.org
Information about the City’s Tree and Shrub Ordinance can be found in Chapter 33
of the City’s Code of Ordinances at www.houstontx.gov. Tree lists can be found on the
Planning & Development Department web site at
www.houstontx.gov/planning/DevelopmentRegs/tree_shrub.htm.
Planning & Development Department
General Information 713-837-7701
Development Information 713-535-7778
www.houstonplanning.com