Can I plant stuff in the area between the curb and the sidewalk?"?

You’d get a notice first if they decided to do anything at all. They’re not going to come and remove your plants in the night like thieves. It seems like such a minor thing anyway. If your flora arrangement is tasteful, I don’t see why anyone would have an issue with it.

It would just take a few minutes to call your city office and ask. I’d hate to see you lose money if they don’t allow it.

Their reaction probably depends on what you plant. I say go for it anyways.

Plant it no matter what, and deny it like crazy. If the government wants to cut it down, so be it. Plant some ganja, that would be hilarious. I always wanted to be Johnny Hempseed and plant it everywhere all over the country in public.

Given the labor, the money and the love involved, I would make it official. Then don’t forget to improve the dirt. If it’s town dirt, you can be sure it’s crappy. Do you have any cmpost, or a bag of dried cow manure? Or, better yet, do you keep rabbits or chicken. They make fabulous manure when it is aged.

Oh, forgot to tell you that I discovered at least 10 kinds of elm tress, most of which grow to 130+ feet high. So if you move it, make a BIG HOLE and give it its own acre of privacy.

Many people do in Seattle. I have seen full-blown vegetable gardens in addition to flowers.

You are in California, right? Here is an article on it. Apparently, we are wrong about who owns it.

Excerpt:

“Contrary to popular belief, officials say, the city does not own the parking strip (more on this later). Most cities do regulate trees on the strip and maintain them as staffing allows. In many cases, however, any landscaping beyond those trees—be it grass, flowers or shrubs—is left to the homeowner to plant and maintain.

“Some communities have stringent rules, others don’t,” says Ann Meshekoff, owner of Ground Effects Design Group in Van Nuys. “Some cities demand permits for everything.”

Pasadena and Santa Monica promote turf alternatives in the parking strips, though Santa Monica requires a permit. The municipal code of Beverly Hills calls for grass but allows substitutes with approval from the Public Works Department.

Los Angeles’ long-standing guidelines state that between curb and sidewalk, homeowners should plant only turf, and a revocable permit is required for deviations, says Lance Oishi, a senior landscape architect for the city.”

In general, the city or county owns the right of way to the strip, meaning you can plant stuff there, but they can dig it up if they need to dig to get to pipes or cables.

Usually, you can plant anything you want, within reason.

PerryDolia is right. We had things planted at the edge of our property and the road. The county comes down our dirt road maybe twice a year to generally cut any overgrowth and re-gravel the drive. If we’ve kept up our portion of the county-owned land, they won’t touch it because the people doing the work are people just like you and me – they save time by not having to clear your area, and they generally aren’t stickler’s for silly rules. However, Verizon came out to run the access lines and dug a 4 foot wide ditch accross the front of our yard and both ends of the circle driveway thus digging-up certain plants and removing our wooden garbage can box. We were very displeased with this, but they did plant new grass. I would check with the county before planting unless you are not concerned about losing a few annual plants that you’d be replacing next year anyway.

DO IT!

What’s the worst that could happen?

Plant inexpensive stuff that will both spread and look pretty. Myrtle, nasturtiums, low-growing veronica, black-eyed susan, daisies.

Actually, I should more worried about all the drunk assholes that are gonna walk by and mess thing up.

I worked for the city of Bakersfield, CA doing a survey of trees in the public easement, which, for the most part, includes that area between the curb and the sidewalk. However, the easement varies by street, and even by side of the street. Either way, you can plant in that area. The only time the city really has the power to remove your landscaping is if it poses a safety threat. If it does, it will be more likely that the city will notify you and require you to address the issue rather than them simply removing it. Why should they pay when they can force you to? If you do not address it, then they will most likely complete the necessary work and send you the bill. All of this probably varies by city/county, but I’m willing to bet that most have similar policies. Depending on where you live, choose native trees/plants or trees/plants that can survive in relativey dry conditions, unless you want to install sprinklers or hand water that area.

As has been mentioned, the area between the sidewalk and curb is part of the street right-of-way. This is generally privately owned land, but an easement has been granted to the city for the street and utilities. Usually maintenance of this land is the responsibility of the adjacent owner. Even the sidewalk maintenance can be the owner’s responsibility.

So plant away. Just don’t do anything that would threaten health and safety or cost you money down the road – like plant a tree without enough space so the roots tear up the sidewalk looking for water, or plant shrubs on a corner lot that blocks cars from seeing cross traffic.