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

> Philadelphia Parks maintains street trees, but owners pay for sidewalk repair with no tree-root damage exception.

**Who pays:** shared

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation plants, prunes, and removes every street tree, but the property owner must fix the sidewalk even when a City-maintained tree's roots caused the damage, with no exceptions.

**Boundary:** Philadelphia Parks & Recreation plants, prunes, and removes every street tree in the city, but the Philadelphia Code puts sidewalk-safety duty on the property owner with no carve-out for tree-root damage, so the owner pays to fix the sidewalk even when a City-maintained tree caused the damage.

**Exceptions:** There are no exceptions for sidewalk damage caused by tree roots.

## Sources
- [Street tree frequently asked questions: Philadelphia Parks & Recreation](https://www.phila.gov/departments/philadelphia-parks-recreation/street-tree-frequently-asked-questions/) — "The City of Philadelphia has jurisdiction over street trees, but the trees are owned by the property owner...Philadelphia Parks & Recreation manages all street trees (as well as park trees) in the city of Philadelphia and is responsible for planting, pruning, and removing street trees." (accessed 2026-09-13)
- [Street tree frequently asked questions: Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (same page, sidewalk-damage answer)](https://www.phila.gov/departments/philadelphia-parks-recreation/street-tree-frequently-asked-questions/) — "Philadelphia Code states that the property owner is responsible for maintaining their sidewalks in a safe condition. There are no exceptions for damage to sidewalks caused by tree roots." (accessed 2026-09-13)

_Last verified 2026-09-26. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/philadelphia-pa-street-tree-responsibility/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._