Street trees are trees located within the public right-of-way, meaning that they are city property. Where confusion occasionally arises is the location of the public right-of-way boundary.
Determining Right-of-Way BoundariesIn locations with detached sidewalks, the depth of the public right-of-way is frequently the back of the walk. In locations with attached sidewalks or no walk at all, the most reliable indicator of right-of-way depth is the location of the water meter.
Denver Maps, available on the left side of this page, can help homeowners determine where their property ends and the right-of-way begins. Below is a step-by-step process for viewing this information.
- Enter the address in the Denver Maps box and click go.
- To view the property effectively, click to zoom all the way in.
- Next, click on "Show Optional Map Layers" just below the map.
- When the layers load, select "Parcels" and "2004 Aerials (color)" and click "Update Map."
The resulting map should show the physical landmarks of the property in sufficient detail to tell fairly accurately whether a tree is a street tree. If there are any questions about a tree's location, Forestry will field-verify the location based on city engineering maps.