Under the Philadelphia Code, plans for projects that include site clearing and development on a lot that is greater than 5,000 square feet and for parking lots must be reviewed by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission before a Zoning Permit can be issued. These documents provide guidance to applicants about these site plan reviews.

The Philly Tree Plan, released in 2023, outlines the City’s goals to create a healthy and diverse tree canopy in Philadelphia over the next 10 years. Staff at the Philadelphia City Planning Commission created the Landscape Design Guidelines to show how they implement the Philly Tree Plan in site plan reviews.

The Landscape Design Guidelines describe the parts of the Zoning Code which apply to site plan reviews and includes sample documents and definitions of technical language.