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Council approves shade‑tree rule; residents warned about grass clippings in streets
Summary
Lock Haven City Council adopted an ordinance clarifying resident responsibility for trees in the right‑of‑way and heard repeated public complaints about grass clippings blown into streets and storm drains.
Lock Haven City Council voted to adopt an ordinance that clarifies which trees in the rights of way are the responsibility of adjacent property owners and empowers the city’s shade‑tree commission to inspect and notify owners when trimming is required.
At the meeting the city’s property maintenance officer, Brian Taylor, provided a memo describing the hazards of grass clippings left in streets and the tree‑pruning standards the city enforces. Taylor said vegetation must be cleared from sidewalks and that trees overhanging sidewalks should provide 7 feet of clearance; tree clearance over streets should be 14 feet to accommodate street‑sweeping and public works equipment.
Residents urged enforcement and public education. One commenter said grass clippings swept into streets clog storm drains and harm river water quality; speakers noted the city accepts yard waste at the public works facility and urged residents or lawn contractors to use that service rather than blowing clippings into the road. Council members said staff would take a measured approach to enforcement, beginning with reminders and education, but that the city can order work and may seek to recover costs when owners fail to maintain vegetation.
The ordinance (No. 2025‑05) was described in council packets as an update to Chapter 346, Streets and Sidewalks, to explicitly place responsibility for the tree between curb and sidewalk with the adjacent property owner unless city records show the city planted and retains responsibility for a specific tree. The law also places oversight with the shade‑tree commission as a subcommittee of the recreation and parks board and spells out the process for inspection and notification.
Council members emphasized enforcement will include outreach; the property maintenance memo also warned that grass clippings in roadways can increase stormwater pollution, raising chemical loads measured at the treatment plant and potentially increasing city costs.
The ordinance passed on a voice vote at the meeting.
