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Resident asks Pearland to pay fence removal after notice to clear rear easement
Summary
A Pearland homeowner told council the city mailed a notice requiring removal of permanent structures from a rear easement and asked the city to remove fences and waive the removal bill, citing long‑standing placement and recent replacement costs of roughly $4,000–$5,000.
During the public‑comment period at the March 2025 Pearland City Council meeting, resident Livia Torres said the city recently mailed a letter informing homeowners that permanent structures in a rear easement must be removed within 30 days, and she asked the city to remove the fences and absorb the removal cost.
Torres, who identified herself as living at 3318 Churchill, said the letter warned that if homeowners did not remove the structures the city would do so and bill the homeowners. She told council she provided a packet showing affected properties and a contractor’s bid indicating the removal and replacement cost would be roughly $4,000–$5,000 per fence. ‘‘The city mailed us a letter stating that permanent structures built on the back easement of the properties must be removed within 30 days,’’ Torres said.
Torres said the fences have existed for decades and were in place when homeowners purchased the properties: ‘‘We are not here disputing the fact that we are in compliance. We're not in compliance with that because the fences shouldn't have been there. But, when we bought the houses, those fences were there. They've been there a hundred years. They've just been replaced over and over again.’’ She asked the council to ‘‘consider that proposal’’ that the city remove the fences and that homeowners would pay to rebuild them in the correct location.
Mayor Pro Tem Carbone thanked Torres for bringing the issue to council and said the council could not resolve the matter in this meeting; the mayor asked staff (Trent) to gather more information and follow up. ‘‘Let us wrap up our arms around this just a little bit, and, Trent, maybe we let's understand a little bit more,’’ the mayor said. Staff and council indicated they would review aerials and the written materials Torres handed the council and report back.
The matter was recorded as public comment; no formal action was taken at the meeting.
