If you’re replacing a parkway tree or redoing a driveway beside one, Lancaster’s Ordinance No. 1157 calls for a root barrier. It covers street trees and trees in projects subject to the landscape chapter within eight feet of hardscape or utilities, every parkway tree regardless of distance, and replacement parkway trees. Owners maintain the parkway in front of or alongside their lot. Adoption status matters before treating these provisions as effective.
This explains the rule and is not tax or legal advice.
As of October 21, 2026: the Lancaster City Council introduced Ordinance No. 1157 and adopted the updated Landscape and Irrigation Design Standards (Resolution No. 26-67) on September 8, 2026, by a 5-0 vote. The ordinance was on the October 13, 2026 consent calendar for adoption; the October 13 minutes were not yet posted. The ordinance takes effect 30 days after adoption.
What changed, and where does it stand?
The ordinance was introduced on September 8 and scheduled for adoption on October 13, but the October 13 minutes recording the vote had not been posted as of October 21, 2026.
The staff report describes the aim as preventing future conflicts between roots and sidewalks, curbs, streets, utilities and other improvements. The Council adopted the updated Design Standards separately from introducing the ordinance.
Check the City Council agenda portal for the October 13 minutes and adoption record. A scheduled adoption is not a confirmed adoption, and the effective date depends on that action. If you’re preparing work now, ask Community Development which requirements apply before planting or rebuilding.
When does a tree need a root barrier?
The rule requires barriers for covered trees within eight feet of hardscape or utilities, plus every tree well and every tree planted in a parkway, median or other landscaped public right-of-way area.
For the eight-foot test, measure from the center of the trunk at planting. Covered improvements include curbs, gutters, sidewalks, pedestrian trails, driveways, walls, buildings and trash enclosures. Public sewer, water, electrical, gas and telecommunications facilities also count.
The planting rule covers trees planted, replaced or relocated as part of a project subject to the landscape chapter, and street trees. It does not establish a blanket requirement for every backyard tree.
Parkways have their own clear trigger. A replacement parkway tree needs a barrier even if the removed tree never had one. The parkway is the area between curb and sidewalk or, without a sidewalk, between curb and public right-of-way line.
How deep and long must the barrier be?
The code sets an 18-inch minimum depth, while the city’s Design Standards call for 36 inches and at least 10 linear feet centered on the trunk.
That distinction matters when choosing materials. The code expressly requires greater depth or length where the Design Standards require it; the staff report also describes 36 inches. Greater dimensions can apply based on species or location. The Director may require a minimum 48-inch depth for conditions including aggressive-root species, tight planting areas, tree wells or nearby underground utilities.
The standards specify injection molded high density polyethylene or an approved equivalent, at least 0.085 inch thick, with vertical ribs. The top sits flush with finished grade. Barriers must not encircle the root ball.
Ask Community Development for the standard detail. An engineered alternative needs the Director’s acceptance and a licensed landscape architect’s or certified arborist’s report showing equal or greater protection and rooting volume.
What if you’re rebuilding beside an existing tree?
Building or rebuilding hardscape within eight feet of an existing tree that will remain requires a barrier along the improvement, subject to a specific exception.
This covers a curb, gutter, sidewalk, driveway or other hardscape. The Director can determine that installation would cause greater damage to the tree than it would prevent. Ask whether section 8.50.090(C) applies before driveway or sidewalk work begins.
This provision does not order a general retrofit of all existing trees. The relevant triggers here are nearby construction or reconstruction and, separately, replacing a parkway tree. If you’re reviewing a property before listing, the pre-listing inspection guide can help you organize questions about existing work.
What approval and maintenance duties apply?
Street tree planting in the public right-of-way requires prior approval of species and location from the Director of Community Development, and owners must maintain and replace parkway landscaping beside their property.
Approval cannot be given unless the required root barrier is provided for. The street tree provisions cover planting, replacement and relocation after the effective date, whether the work is done by the city, a developer, a contractor or the adjoining owner.
For a dead parkway tree, plan the replacement and barrier together. Ask about species, location and the installation detail before planting.
Say an owner plans to replace a dead tree between the curb and sidewalk. Before arranging planting, the owner asks Community Development to confirm the ordinance’s adoption status and which requirements apply. If adopted and effective before planting, the ordinance would require a barrier for the replacement even if the removed tree had none. The owner would need prior approval of the street tree’s species and location from the Director of Community Development, with the required barrier provided for, and would ask for the standard installation detail.
Each tree installed without a required barrier constitutes a separate violation. The ordinance provides for penalties and administrative citations without stating fine amounts. The Director may require removal and reinstallation with a conforming barrier, or another acceptable installation method.
Which water rules touch a home project?
The landscape rules cover qualifying new and rehabilitated landscapes, with separate provisions for watering, turf and new pools.
New development reaches the landscape threshold at an aggregate 500 square feet when a building or landscape permit, plan check or design review is required. For rehabilitated landscapes requiring that review, the threshold is 2,500 square feet. Public right-of-way landscaping and landscaping in landscape or lighting maintenance districts are also covered. Root barrier requirements apply regardless of landscape area size within their scope.
Residential turf may occupy no more than one quarter of the landscape area. Turf is prohibited in parkways less than 10 feet wide and on slopes steeper than one foot of rise for every four feet of run.
Watering lawns and landscaping is prohibited from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., except from October 31 through the following March 1.
Pools, spas and water features built, installed or replaced after the effective date on covered property need an evaporation-reducing cover before completion certification or final inspection. This provision excludes existing pools and does not prescribe when covers must be used.
What can a buyer or seller check?
You can check the work’s scope, approval records and completion paperwork against the applicable requirements.
For a replacement parkway tree, ask about species and location approval and the barrier detail. For rebuilt hardscape beside a retained tree, ask whether the barrier provision applied and whether the Director made an exception.
A buyer considering a newer home with a pool or new landscaping can ask the seller for certificate of completion paperwork. Don’t assume every home has it.
Sellers can use the California seller disclosure guide to organize known property information. If approval records are missing or work raises permit questions, the unpermitted work disclosure guide addresses that separate issue. Missing paperwork alone does not establish what happened.
The short version
Plan for a root barrier when replacing a parkway tree or doing covered work near a tree, and confirm adoption status before relying on an effective date.
Ask Community Development about street tree approval and the standard detail. The code’s 18-inch floor does not replace the Design Standards’ 36-inch requirement.
For a broader look at a property’s value, start with the home value tool.
Common questions
Does a replacement parkway tree need a root barrier?
Under Ordinance No. 1157, a replacement parkway tree needs a conforming root barrier even if the removed tree did not have one.
Is the root barrier depth 18 inches or 36 inches?
The code sets 18 inches as the minimum and requires greater dimensions where the Design Standards require them. The city's Design Standards call for 36 inches.
Does driveway work beside an existing tree trigger the rule?
Building or rebuilding hardscape within eight feet of a tree that will remain requires a barrier along the improvement, unless the Director determines installation would cause greater damage to the tree than it would prevent.
Was Ordinance No. 1157 adopted?
As of October 21, 2026, it had been scheduled for adoption on October 13, but those meeting minutes were not yet posted. The ordinance takes effect 30 days after adoption.
