In an effort to continue greenifying the streets of New York, the City’s zoning text requires all new buildings and enlargements exceeding 20 percent of the floor area to include one new tree for every 25 feet of building frontage. When a situation arises wherein the planting of a tree is not possible, the zoning law requires off-site planting for new tree, or, if you are building outside of the planting season, you have the option to pay for all required trees through the Parks Tree Fund at a rate of $1,650 per tree.

Permitted planting seasons for street trees includes:

Spring: March 1 – May 15

Fall: October 1 – December 15

If you elect to plant the trees either yourself or via a contractor, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation will review and provide applicants with a planting permit approximately 15-20 business days from the date that their completed application is accepted. Once the trees have been planted, you can request a forester inspection to sign-off on the application, which will occur 15-20 days from the date of request submission. Foresters, it should be noted, will only sign-off if trees are confirmed ‘correctly planted.’

Potential Violations That May Delay Sign-Off:

• The tree pit size does not match the work order.
• The size of the tree is incorrect.
• The species of the tree is incorrect.
• The tree location is incorrect.
• The tree is not planted to the correct depth.
• The tree is not in excellent condition.
• The tree was planted outside of the planting season.
• The tree bed was not backfilled with good soil.
• The burlap and top half of basket were not removed.
• The paving, if applicable, is not installed to Parks’ standards.
• The tree is not mulched properly.
• The stakes and Arbor Tie are not installed correctly.

For questions or assistance on gaining approval from the Parks Department for your street tree plan, please contact the New York office of Milrose Consultants.