Department of Community Development
Reference: An Amendment to the Brighton Municipal Code Changing the Overhead Clearance Requirement to 14' over Streets and 8' over Sidewalks
To: Mayor Gregory Mills
Through: Michael P. Martinez, City Manager
Prepared By: Kyle Sylvester Assistant Director of Parks and Open Space
Date Prepared: October 5, 2023
PURPOSE
A presentation at a City Council Study Session discussing a proposed ordinance to amend Brighton Municipal Code ? 12-16-50.
BACKGROUND
Trees are considered living infrastructure for many municipalities and provide many benefits to their communities. Trees are often planted in rights-of-way so their benefits can be maximized in a community setting. Per the Code, the adjacent property owner must maintain and care for trees in the right-of-way regardless of whether the right-of-way is public or private. Some tree canopies in neighborhoods throughout the City of Brighton are maturing. As a result, branches are encroaching into streets and sidewalks, making it very difficult to pass through. This is especially concerning as emergency vehicles are having difficulty getting through some streets.
The Brighton Fire Department reached out to the Forestry Department and Code Enforcement to see if something can be done to help mitigate this problem. Through a coordinated effort between Fire, Forestry, and Code, the City will begin enforcing and providing educational materials to the residents to bring awareness of their responsibilities for tree care.
Overhead clearance of trees is addressed in Section 12-16-50(4)(b) of the Code. Eight feet is not enough clearance for large vehicles such as fire trucks, ambulances, trash trucks, and delivery trucks. Staff is requesting an amendment to this section to require 14 feet of overhead clearance. Changing this language will give Code Enforcement more clarity and enforcement power when clearance issues arise. Getting residents to comply with this will greatly help emergenc...
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