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

> Portland puts full cost and duty for planting-strip trees, including root-caused sidewalk repair, on the property owner.

**Who pays:** owner

Portland puts full maintenance duty and cost for street/planting-strip trees on the adjacent property owner, including paying for curb or sidewalk repair caused by their tree.

**Boundary:** Portland City Code §11.60.060 puts full maintenance duty and cost for street/planting-strip trees on the adjacent property owner, and treats curb/sidewalk damage caused by an owner-maintained tree as an ordinary owner-paid sidewalk repair under Title 17.

## Sources
- [Portland City Code § 11.60.060: Tree Maintenance Specifications and Responsibilities](https://www.portland.gov/code/11/60/060) — "It is the duty of every owner of property to maintain trees located on the property or on the adjacent street planting area in accordance with this Section. Further, the owner must be responsible for all costs associated with such maintenance, removal and any tree replacement, if required." (accessed 2026-09-13)
- [Portland City Code § 11.60.060(F): Sidewalks and curbs](https://www.portland.gov/code/11/60/060) — "When the curb or sidewalk, or both, abutting any property become damaged or in a state of disrepair because of a tree maintained by the property owner, the repair of the curb or sidewalk, or both, will be treated as other curb or sidewalk repairs in accordance with the provisions of Title 17." (accessed 2026-09-13)

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