(A) No person shall remove, destroy, cut, prune or otherwise treat any tree or shrubbery having its trunk or a portion thereof upon any city property or right-of-way or contract with another person to perform such acts without first obtaining a written permit from the Director of Parks and Recreation, except as herein set forth.
(B) No person shall plant or contract with another to plant any tree or shrubbery on any city property, except as herein noted, as stated in § 152.09 of this code of ordinances. Plantings under utility lines as stated in the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) are not allowed.
(C) Public and private utilities shall submit written specifications for pruning, trenching or grading around trees and shrubbery on city property to the Public Utilities Director for approval. A utility company shall not be required to obtain a permit for routine maintenance operations affecting trees and shrubbery having their trunks upon city property so long as such work is done in strict accordance with the specifications as approved by the Public Utilities Director or City Manager designee. A utility company is required to obtain a permit to remove any tree or shrubbery on city property. Approved written specifications shall be valid for two years, after which new specifications or a request for an additional two-year extension of the previously approved specifications must be made by the utility company.
(D) City properties shall not be clear-cut during the conduct of urban forestry activities. To maintain the visual character of the site from adjoining properties and right-of-way, a vegetated perimeter buffer shall be maintained while site development or redevelopment occurs. A 32-foot wide buffer of naturally existing vegetation shall be maintained along all boundaries of the property being forested that adjoin other properties. Along public rights-of-way, a 50-foot buffer of existing vegetation shall be maintained, exclusive of areas required for access to the site.
(E) Under no circumstances will tree topping be allowed.
(F) Guidelines for planting, pruning, protection and removal for trees and shrubbery are available in the Elizabeth City Urban Forest Standards and Specifications established and keep current by the city’s Urban Forest Commission.
(Ord. 08116, passed 11-24-2008) Penalty, see § 157.99