An apparatus for point cloud decoding includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry receives, from a coded bitstream for a point cloud, encoded occupancy codes for nodes in an octree structure for the point cloud. The nodes in the octree structure correspond to three dimensional (3D) partitions of a space of the point cloud. Sizes of the nodes are associated with sizes of the corresponding 3D partitions. Further, the processing circuitry decodes, from the encoded occupancy codes, occupancy codes for the nodes. At least a first occupancy code for a child node of a first node is decoded without waiting for a decoding of a second occupancy code for a second node having a same node size as the first node. Then, the processing circuitry reconstructs the octree structure based on the decoded occupancy codes for the nodes, and reconstructs the point cloud based on the octree structure.