Residential Boulevard Gardens
Boulevard gardens are annual and perennial gardens planted within residential streets. The City has created the Residential Boulevard Garden program where property owners can build and maintain a boulevard garden on City-owned land adjacent to their property.
What is boulevard gardening?
Boulevard gardening provides residents the opportunity to garden the area of land located next to, or touching, a residential property. A boulevard garden can add character to neighbourhoods, strengthen community connections, beautify streets, and provide environmental benefits such as increasing environmental diversity, pollinating insects, and the climate.
The Residential Boulevard Garden program provides residents the opportunity to plant two types of boulevard gardens:
- Type I boulevard garden (no permit required) - this is considered the land between where a property line ends and the public sidewalk starts, or where the property line ends, and the curb of road starts.
- Type II boulevard garden (requires a permit) - this is considered the land adjacent to a resident’s home, between the public sidewalk and the curb of the road.
Type I
Type I
Type II
Residential boulevard gardens guidelines
Residential boulevard gardening can take place either directly in the ground or in raised beds, providing residents the opportunity to grow edible or decorative plants.
- Residential boulevard gardens will need a minimum of 1.5 metre clearance between boulevard gardens and all permanent structures within the boulevard including boulevard trees, fire hydrants, community mailboxes, utility poles, traffic signs, streetlights, and transformer boxes.
- Gardens should be set back a minimum of 60 centimetres from the edge of the curb, 50 centimetres from the edge of the sidewalk, 1.5 metres from the edge of the alley or lane, and 30 centimetres from property lines.
- Gardens will need a minimum of 1 metre wide clearance between each Type II boulevard garden to ensure people have access between the public sidewalk and the road, and to allow for the drainage of surface water.
- Raised garden beds are recommended to be built between 15 and 45 centimetres high. Planters should not exceed 60 centimetres in height and the maximum length of a planter is 2 metres.
- In-ground gardens should be built no longer than 2 metres and gardens should not be deeper than 2.5 centimetres.
- Food should only be grown in raised garden planters as in-ground boulevard gardens are not suitable for growing food.
More details on boulevard gardening can be found in the Residential Boulevard Gardens Guidelines.
Apply for a boulevard garden permit
Permit applications are required for a Type II residential boulevard garden. Type I boulevard gardens do not require a permit.
Before applying for a permit, residents will need to review the Residential Boulevard Gardens Guidelines and the applicant – who must be the current registered owner of the home – will need to create a site plan at the time of application.
Permits are required one time, per household, unless site plans change or if a new homeowner moves into the property.
Apply online on the CityView Portal.
Frequently asked questions
A boulevard is any portion of City property – and right-of-way – which is not paved for vehicle or pedestrian use. There are three types of boulevards in the City:
- A Type I residential boulevard garden is considered the land between where a property line ends and the public sidewalk starts, or where the property line ends, and the curb of road starts. This type of boulevard can be gardened by a resident and does not require a permit.
- A Type II residential boulevard garden is considered the land next to a resident’s home, between the public sidewalk and the curb of the road. This type of boulevard can be cultivated by a resident and requires a permit.
- A Type III residential boulevard garden is the green spaces of land between roadway medians or islands, and green spaces in roundabouts. This type of boulevard is not to be gardened by residents.
A boulevard garden is a strip of land between a residential property, a sidewalk if applicable, and the roadway where a garden with plants is grown either in the ground or in a raised bed.
A boulevard garden can be built on a Type I or Type II boulevard, setback requirements must be taken into consideration. Specific guidelines have been developed to help residents build gardens in the appropriate areas of land adjacent to their property.
Permit applications are required for a Type II boulevard garden. Type I boulevard gardens do not require a permit. Permit information can be found on the Infrastructure Use Permits page.
A permit is needed for a Type II residential boulevard garden in case of a utility emergency or if utility work is required that will disturb the area.
If access is required to the area where a boulevard garden exists, the City will attempt to notify the registered owner of the boulevard garden ahead of time and will take care when working in the area. However, if any damage occurs, the City is not liable or responsible for the cost of repairs to a residential boulevard garden.
A Type I or Type II residential boulevard garden is maintained by the property owner, or a resident living at the property, who in the case of a Type II residential boulevard garden, is granted a permit. In residential complex buildings, the resident(s) who are granted a permit will be responsible for maintenance of the garden.
The new registered owner must reapply to obtain a new Type II residential boulevard garden permit to continue to maintain the area or will need to request a new Type II permit to revert the garden back to a traditional boulevard.
Trees and shrubs are not permitted in a Type I or Type II boulevard garden, as they may outgrow the space and are costly to remove. Only trees and shrubs planted by the City are allowed on the boulevard. See the Residential Boulevard Gardens Guidelines for more details.
As boulevards contain underground utilities, the City and other utility companies may require access, as needed, to boulevards and boulevard gardens to maintain utilities, repair or replace sidewalks, prune boulevard trees or install street signs.
The City is not responsible for damages to residential boulevard gardens resulting from maintenance operations, utility work, or boulevard work. The City assumes no responsibility for the cost of repairs nor any damages to a residential boulevard garden.
Any activity taking place in a boulevard is subject to the following City of Spruce Grove bylaws:
Non-compliance may result in warnings or bylaw fines issued by Enforcement Services. Fines range from $250 to $1,000 and are detailed in Schedule A of the Community Standards Bylaw.
Applicants can contact the Engineering department by email or by phone at 780-962-2611.