Where is my yard?

There might be two types of trees at your property: yard trees and street trees. Yard trees are trees planted on your private property. Street trees are trees planted in the public right-of-way. A permit from Portland Parks Urban Forestry is required before planting trees in the right-of-way to help prevent conflicts with infrastructure. For more information on street tree planting, visit https://www.portlandoregon.gov/trees/.

Not sure where your yard ends and the right-of-way begins? If you don’t have curbs or sidewalks, it can be tricky. A website called Portland Maps can help you to determine where the right-of-way begins. Here’s how to use Portland Maps to help you find the right-of-way.

1. Go to www.portlandmaps.com and type in your property address.

2. Select “Aerial” view.

3. The bright teal-blue line shows where the right-of-way begins.
The area inside the line is your private property, and the area outside the line is the right-of-way. From the aerial view, you can see existing trees, mailboxes, driveways, and other identifying features that can help you to determine if the tree you want to plant is a street tree or a yard tree.