LA Sanitation and City Plants can help you get trees planted in your neighborhood. You can also plant trees yourself, in which case you will need to obtain a permit, get the concrete cut (if needed) and get your trees tagged before planting them. The City's Urban Forestry Division webpage is also a great resource. 

LA Sanitation & Environment's Tree Planting Program 

Do you want street trees planted in front of your house or building? Do you have grass or dirt in the parkway, the space between the sidewalk and the curb? Will you commit to watering the trees until established, approximately 3-5 years? If so, LASAN will come to your building and plant free street trees for you.

All sites will be surveyed in advance to ensure eligibility. At the time of inspection, the inspector will select a tree species that is appropriate for the space and microclimate. The City of Los Angeles Tree Spacing Guidelines are followed to ensure that newly planted trees do not conflict with existing trees or nearby infrastructure like street lights, water meters, and power poles. If space permits, multiple trees will be planted. Please note that this program does not plant palm trees.

For more information please go to: www.lacitysan.org and find "Trees" under "Sustainability Initiatives", email: [email protected] or call (213) 485-3954.

City Plants

City Plants is a continuation of LA’s former tree-planting program, Million Trees LA. 

In 2010, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Trees for a Green LA Program was combined with Million Trees LA to make one unified tree planting program for the city. LADWP continues to support tree planting as an energy efficiency program and remains City Plants’ largest sponsor of citywide tree-planting efforts. Through this partnership, City Plants is able to provide free shade trees for residents and property owners in the City of LA, along with important information on where to plant those trees to maximize energy efficiency in homes or businesses.

For more information please go to: www.cityplants.org or call (213) 473-9950 

*Both of these City of LA programs provide "15 gallon-sized" trees. 

How Much Water Do New Trees Need?

Cutting Your Own Concrete

Concrete cuts are a Class “A” Permit. You can obtain an "A" Permit at the Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering. It should run around $300. 

This is what it looks like to cut tree wells on the sidewalk (work by Cal Pave).

Dig Alert 811 for Southern California

Buried utilities can exist just about anywhere on your property - hence the importance of checking with DigAlert before digging. You can prevent damage to underground utilities and avoid service interruptions simply by utilizing this online service DigAlert Express or calling 811 two (2) business days prior to starting your excavation. This is a 100% free service, and more importantly-it's the law.

Legally, the person who is doing the work must have a DigAlert in their name. If you hire a contractor, the responsibility is legally theirs for the notification - but it could actually be yours if stated in the fine print of the contract. However, it would be prudent as a property owner to also follow up with DigAlert just in case. If the contractor is negligent in this task and causes damage to buried utilities, you as the property owner could be found liable. This is a strong case of "better safe than sorry."

The law is crystal clear - start a ticket and get the utility lines marked before digging.

Nurseries

We recommend purchasing 24" size box trees. Below are a couple nurseries you might want to check out.

C & S Nursery
3615 Hauser Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016 
Phone: (323) 296-6657

A.Y. Nursery Inc.
1600 Jefferson St.
Riverside, CA 92504 
Phone: (951) 780-2444

Getting Your Own Trees Tagged

If you are planting on your own – first you will go to a nursery to pick out your trees. Your trees must be acceptable by the City to plant. You can coordinate with the City to get your trees tagged at the nursery. If not at the nursery, you must plan to do it sometime before planting them. The City's Street Tree Inspector can be reached by contacting the Urban Forestry Division.