The parkway is the area between the sidewalk and the street curb. Trees in the parkway are known as parkway trees or street trees.

Parkway trees are part of the Los Angeles Urban Forest. As public property they benefit the entire community and are the shared responsibility of the City and the homeowner. The City plants the trees, prunes them, and removes fallen branches and dead trees. Homeowners are responsible for watering and maintaining the health of their parkway trees once they have been planted.

No, parkway trees are city property and may not be removed or replaced without city permission. To remove a tree from the parkway, a tree removal permit from the division of Urban Forestry is required.

Reasons for potential removal include a dead parkway tree, a damaged sidewalk, curb, driveway, or sewer that cannot be repaired without removal of a tree or installation of a driveway that cannot be relocated. Permits are not granted for removal of healthy trees. Once a request for removal is made, an arborist from Urban Forestry will inspect the site to make a final determination.

The application for a Tree Removal permit can be found at https://streetsla.lacity.org/urban-forestry-division

A Permit to Plant from Urban Forestry is required before a homeowner can plant a new parkway tree at their own expense. Please contact the Green Team for updates on our parkway tree planting schedule.

The City only allows certain tree species to be planted on the parkway. These species are climate resilient, drought tolerant, disease and pest resistant and appropriately sized for each parkway.

The Holmby Westwood Green Team in consultation with a tree arborist and Urban Forestry has developed a street-by-street master tree plan for the neighborhood.

It updates the original Janss Company tree plan with replacement trees that are climate adaptive, resistant to disease and pests, appropriately sized for the parkway and compatible visually with the existing street trees. The updated tree plan maintains the original Janss concept of one or two tree species on each street and is intended to guide residents in the selection of new parkway trees. Please contact the Green Team for more information.

Due to limited City funding and staff, parkway trees are currently on a 15-year pruning cycle. A property owner may prune a street tree at their own expense by obtaining a No-fee tree pruning permit from Urban Forestry at 800 996-2489 or by calling 311.

Homeowners on a block are also encouraged to consider joining together to hire a tree trimmer.

To report a dead tree, fallen tree branches that block a street or a tree emergency call 311, or visit the MyLA311 website and create a service request. You can also do this on the MyLA311 app. You will need to supply an address for the tree location.