Parking lot planting of trees and shrubs required.
Houston Code of Ordinances § 33-127
in effectSec. 33-127. - Parking lot planting of trees and shrubs required.
(a) In addition to any street trees that may be required pursuant to section 33-126, the owner of a building site included under section 33-121 shall provide one tree for every ten parking spaces, rounding up or down in the case of a fraction to the nearest whole number, but in no case less than one tree. There shall be at least one parking lot or street tree within 120 feet of each parking space as measured from the center of the trunk of the tree to some point on the marked parking space. Not fewer than one-half of the parking lot trees so required shall be large parking lot trees, and the remainder may be either large or small parking lot trees. In the case of a parking lot that is being expanded, the trees required pursuant to this subsection may be planted in the same manner as those required for a new parking lot.
(b) In addition to the street tree and parking lot tree requirements established within section 33-126 and subsection (a), above, the owner of a building site included under section 33-121 shall plant or cause shrubs to be planted along the perimeter of all parking surfaces so that the parking lot is screened from all adjacent public streets, exclusive of driveway entrances, pedestrian walkways and visibility triangles. Shrubs shall be maintained at a height of no more than 36 inches nor less than 18 inches as measured from the surrounding soil line. The number of shrubs required under this subsection shall be equal to the total number of street trees required under this division multiplied by ten. No less than 75 percent of the shrubs required under this section shall be planted along the perimeter of the parking surface adjacent to the public street.
(Ord. No. 03-159, § 5, 2-12-03)
Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH33PLDE_ARTVTRSHSCFE_DIV2BUSI_S33-127PALOPLTRSHREFetched: 10/26/2026