Parking Strip Guidelines
The City encourages the planting of shade trees on the parking strip. However, due to narrow parking strips bound by streets and sidewalks, these planting areas can be challenging for growing.
The City has adopted regulations in order to ensure that the living ground cover planted in this area will be beneficial to the property and city with a minimum of problems for the tree, the property owner, and the City. Trees and plants other than grass that are permitted on the parking strip are selected based on the ability to grow, height of plants, our climate, and its ability to co-exist with required clearances.
Refer to the Street Tree Guide for selecting a tree to grow in your parking strip. Please review the Parking Strip Plantings brochure before planning your parking strip landscaping as well. You can find more information on the parking strip ordinance by contacting Code Enforcement.
parking-strip-guidelines
- The parking strip must be 5 feet or wider before a tree can be planted.
- Trees should be at least 1 inch thick when planted.
- Trees should be spaced 40 feet apart and must not be planted under overhead utility lines.
- Trees should be placed at least 10 feet from a fire hydrant, 10 feet from a driveway, and 15 feet from a streetlight.
- Trees on a corner lot should be planted at least 30 feet from the corner (starting at the curb) or 20 feet away from a stop/yield sign.
- Hedges and bushes should be trimmed back to the edge of the sidewalk.
- Sioux Falls city ordinance requires a minimum 10 feet of clearance above sidewalks and 12-16 feet over streets. Refer to the Project T.R.I.M. Guide to Trimming Street Trees to learn more.
- Plants must be maintained at a height of no more than 36” from the top of the curb.
- Neither plants with thorns, spines, or other sharp rigid parts nor evergreen or deciduous shrubs are allowed.
- Plant material may not overhang or encroach onto the sidewalk.
- Wood mulch may be used only on a limited basis around plantings as a water-conservation measure.
- Turf grass must be maintained at a height of no more than 8”.
- Boulders and structural encroachments like retaining walls, fences, and steps are prohibited.
- Landscaping pavers, edging, and nominal-size rock mulch may be used in up to one quarter (1/4) of the parking strip but can’t spill onto the street or sidewalk.
Most often trees and grass are planted in the parking strip. With the nature of the area, grass may be difficult to maintain in this area, so a TOP 10 PLANTS AND FLOWERS list has been provided below. This list was developed as a recommendation and should not be considered definitive.
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Annuals |
Cone Flower |
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Wildflowers |
Creeping Phlox |
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Iris |
Mums |
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Daylilies |
Pasque |
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Salvia |
Perennial Geranium |
KEY:
- Recommended for areas with modified soils or newer developments with health soil less than 8 inches deep
- Trees require a minimum parking strip width of 7 feet.
FAMILY: BETULACEAE
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IRONWOOD (2) Fruit: 1/3 inch nuts in hop-like fruit |
FAMILY: BIGNONIACEAE
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NORTHERN CATALPA (1) Fruit: Long bean-like pods |
FAMILY: FABACEAE
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AMERICAN YELLOWWOOD (1) |
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BLACK LOCUST (1) Fruit: 2 to 4 inch pods
|
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KENTUCKY COFFEETREE (1) Fruit: Seedless on many cultivars |
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THORNLESS HONEYLOCUST (1) Fruit: Seedless on many cultivars |
FAMILY: FAGACEAE
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BUR OAK (1 and 2) Fruit: 3/4 to 1-1/2 inch acorn |
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HERITAGE OAK (Quercus x macdanielli) Fruit: 3/4 inch acorn |
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NORTHERN PIN OAK Fruit: 1/2” acorn |
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NORTHERN RED OAK (1) Fruit: 5/8 to 1 inch acorn |
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SWAMP WHITE OAK (2) Fruit: 3/4 to 1-1/2 inch acorn |
FAMILY: GINKGOACEAE
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GINKGO (Ginkgo biloba) Fruit: Seedless on many cultivars |
FAMILY: HIPPOCASTANEA
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OHIO BUCKEYE Fruit: 1” nut |
FAMILY: JUGLANDACEAE
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BLACK WALNUT Fruit: 1.5”–2” nut |
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SHAGBARK HICKORY Fruit: 1.5” nut |
FAMILY: ROSACEAE
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BLACK CHERRY |
FAMILY: RUTACEAE
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AMUR CORKTREE (1) Fruit: Seedless on many cultivars |
FAMILY: TILIACEAE
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AMERICAN LINDEN (1 and 2) Fruit: 1/3 inch nut-like drupe |
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LITTLE LEAF LINDEN (1 and 2) Fruit: 1/3 inch nut-like drupe |
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SILVER LINDEN (2) Fruit: 1/3 inch nutlet |
FAMILY: ULMACEAE
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COMMON HACKBERRY (1) Fruit: 1/3 inch drupe |
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ELM HYBRIDS (1) Fruit: 1/2 inch disc-shaped samara |
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JAPANESE ELM (1) Fruit: 5/8 inch disc-shaped samara USDA NRCS ND State Soil Conservation Committee; NDSU Extension and Western Area Power Administration, Bismarck. |
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WILSON ELM (1) Fruit: Single samara |
