There are two ways to have a street tree planted in front of your property. You can request a free tree or you can plant one on your own.
Request a Tree:
Any property owner can request a free street tree by submitting an application to your local Community Board.
The Process:
Each requested planting location must be surveyed by a forester to determine the site’s suitability and potential infrastructural conflicts. Trees are planted on a first–come, first serve basis. As the availability of trees, number of requests, and duration of planting seasons are variable, not all requests can be satisfied immediately and some may take longer than a year. In order to be considered for a spring planting, a request must be received no later than December 31st, and by July 1st for a fall planting.
Trees are only planted during two planting seasons:
March 15 – May 15 (Spring) and October 15 – December 15 (Fall).
Plant a Tree On Your Own:
You can also plant a tree on your own by obtaining a Tree Planting Permit and hiring a landscape contractor. To apply for a free permit to plant a tree in front of your property, call 311 or download the Tree Planting Permit Application below. All plantings on City streets must be in accordance with Parks’ current Tree Planting Standards (PDF, 605 kB).
You may find the Planting Specifications Checklist (PDF, 531 kB) helpful in keeping to these regulations. If you are interested in one–stop planting and permitting, for a moderate donation, the New York Tree Trust will work with you throughout the process from site surveying to species selection to planting.
For more information about the Tree Trust, please call (212)360–TREE or by visiting www.nyc.gov/Parks