Definitions:  The "planting strip" is a landscaped strip between a sidewalk and a roadway.  Trees within the planting strip are referred to as "Street Trees."

Why are Street Trees Important? The City and County of Honolulu (C&C) mandates Street Trees in Planting Strip Areas for new subdivisions to meet the C&C's roadway dedication standards.  The subdivision plans for your community include requirements for specific Street Trees in pre-determined locations, specific tree types, and minimum canopy height requirements, as approved by the Urban Design Branch of the Department of Planning and Permitting.

When the roadway is ready for dedication, the C&C conducts an inspection to ensure its requirements have been met.  Each Street Tree is inspected by the C&C Department of Parks and Recreation Division of Urban Forestry (DUF) to ensure each Street Tree is in the correct location, is the correct type, and is (or is likely to grow to) the minimum height. 

If Street Tree requirements are not satisfied, HCA members will incur additional expenses before the C&C accepts the roadways for dedication. Similarly, if the C&C rejects the dedication, the ongoing maintenance and repair burden for the affected roadways falls on all HCA members.

If Street Trees are not maintained, the C&C can decline to accept the dedication of roadways, which will result in increased costs to Hoʻopili Community Association and its members.  To reduce the overall cost of home ownership in Hoʻopili, HCA exercises strict oversight of Street Trees in order to ensure the complex process of roadway dedication is handled efficiently.

What do I need to do? Owners of single-family homes not within a condominium association are required to maintain landscaping in planting strips in front of or adjacent to their home along "internal" roadways.

• An "internal" road provides direct access within a community. (Other roads, referred to as "backbone" roads, and their planting strips and Street Trees, are maintained by HCA – even if a home abuts the backbone road.)

• Maintenance of planting strips that is required by Owners includes (i) properly and regularly watering and trimming grass; and (ii) properly and regularly watering Street Trees.

• Owners should not trim, prune, treat, replant or replace any Street Tree. If pruning, trimming, treatment, replanting, or replacement of a Street Tree is necessary, the Owner should inform the applicable condominium association, if one exists, or otherwise, HCA.

• Individual Owners will be assessed the cost to replace Street Trees for which they are responsible, except in unique circumstances.

For owners of homes within a condominium association, the condominium association will likely maintain the planting strips and Street Trees along internal roads - check your community documents. please refer to the Ho'opili Master Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, Restrictions, and Easements (Declaration), and Ho'opili Master Association Amended and Restated Community Rules (as amended, Rules). 

Please refer to the Ho'opili Design Review Committee (DRC) Rules and Guidelines (Design Guidelines). 

Permitted landscaping is discussed in Guideline X.4 and Exhibit P-1 of the Design Guidelines.

Other than routine maintenance, landscaping may require a permit from the DRC.  Generally, installing a tree in your yard may require a "Minor Permit" from the DRC.

For questions about a particular tree, whether it is a Street Tree, whether you have responsibility for it, and for trimming and other maintenance, please contact landscaping@hoopilicommunity.com.