Borough of Collegeville, PA Trees and Shrubs

It shall be the duty of every owner of real estate located in the Borough to trim and keep trimmed all trees and shrubbery located upon his property, or upon the abutting street or sidewalk, so that:

(1)

There shall at all times be a clear space of at least 14 feet between the lowest branch or other overhanging portion of every such tree and the surface of the street below; and

(2)

There shall at all times be a clear space of at least eight feet between the lowest branch or other overhanging portion of every such tree and the paved surface of the sidewalk below; and

(3)

No portion of any such tree or shrubbery shall extend horizontally onto any street at any point less than 14 feet above the surface of the street or onto any sidewalk at any point less than eight feet above the surface of the sidewalk; and

(4)

There shall be no contact with electric, telephone or other utility wires and a clear and unobstructed space for those wires shall be left, but without unnecessary cutting of any tree or any branch or top of a tree; and

(5)

The illumination from any streetlight shall not unnecessarily be obstructed.

It shall be the duty of every owner of real estate located in the Borough to remove all trees located upon his property or upon the abutting street or sidewalk if that tree:

(1)

Is so diseased or in such a state of decay as to present a threat or source of danger to pedestrians, motorists and other users of the street or sidewalk and/or to vehicles parked or driven upon the street;

(2)

Is growing in such a manner as to cause the upheaval or disturbance of the abutting street or sidewalk, in which case the property owner shall remove the roots causing that upheaval or disturbance and then, as directed by Council, to make or pay for the necessary repairs or reconstruction work to eliminate the disturbance or upheaval.

The work required by Subsections A and B of this section may be done on the initiative of the property owner referred to, and shall be done by him within 15 days after notice from Council to do so. All costs and expenses of the work, including any remedial or restorative work to any street, sidewalk or sidewalk area necessitated by removal of any tree or tree roots, shall in all cases be the responsibility of the property owner. If a property owner fails, neglects or refuses to do any work required by Subsections A or B of this section within the time limit stated in the notice, or to satisfactorily complete the work, Council shall have the authority to have the work done by the Borough or under contract with the Borough, and to collect the resultant cost and expenses in any manner authorized for collection of debts against boroughs.

Any failure on the part of a property owner to perform any duty required by this section shall constitute a violation by him of this article.