# Los Angeles: Who Pays for Street Tree & Root Damage? | Who Pays the Repair?

> Los Angeles owns and permits street trees, but owners must repair sidewalks and remove root-damaging trees first. Sources and code cites inside.

**Who pays:** shared

In Los Angeles the City owns and controls street/parkway trees and requires a permit for any work on one, but the abutting lot owner is responsible for sidewalk repair, including removing a root-damaging tree before the City will approve repair.

**Boundary:** The City (Board of Public Works) owns and controls street/parkway trees and requires a permit for any work on one under LAMC 62.169, but the abutting lot owner must maintain the sidewalk under LAMC 62.104(b) and must remove a tree the Board determines has damaged the sidewalk before repair.

**Exceptions:** The sidewalk-repair-notice limitation does not apply where the Board has determined a tree on the lot caused the damage; the Board must first notify the owner requesting removal of the tree.

## Sources
- [Los Angeles Municipal Code § 62.104: Repairs to Sidewalks, Driveway Approaches, Curb Returns and Curbs](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/lamc/0-0-0-158010) — "The owner of a Lot shall maintain any Sidewalk, Driveway Approach, Curb Return or Curb on or fronting on the Lot in such condition that the Sidewalk, Driveway Approach, Curb Return or Curb will not endanger any Person or property passing thereon or violate the Americans with Disabilities Act." (accessed 2026-09-13)
- [Los Angeles Municipal Code § 62.169: Permit Required to Plant in Streets](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/lamc/0-0-0-158842) — "No person shall plant, remove, destroy, cut, prune or deface or in any manner injure any tree, shrub or plant in any street in the City, without first obtaining a permit to do so from the Board." (accessed 2026-09-13)
- [Los Angeles Municipal Code § 62.13/62.14 (Board authority to remove trees causing sidewalk obstruction)](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/lamc/0-0-0-158842) — "Before the Board causes any such tree or shrub to be cut down or removed, the Board shall give at least ten days written notice of its intention to so proceed to the owner, occupant, or agent of the property upon which the tree or shrub is located" (accessed 2026-09-27)

_Last verified 2026-09-24. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/los-angeles-ca-street-tree-responsibility/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._