(A) No person shall remove or cut any street trees in the planting strip or planting easement without first obtaining permission from the Director.
(B) No person shall interfere or cause any person to interfere with any work being done under the provisions of this chapter by any employee of the city, or by any person or firm doing work for the city or under a permit granted by the city.
(C) No person shall interfere or cause anyone to interfere with or damage any overhead wires or underground pipes or conduits while removing, trimming, pruning, spraying or cutting any street trees in a right-of-way or easement. The owner of such facilities shall be notified when the work may interfere with or cause damage to the facilities. The cost of repair of the damage to overhead wires, underground pipes or conduits shall be the responsibility of the person, firm or corporation doing or causing the work to be done. The city and its officers and employees shall be exempt from the provisions of this division.
(D) It shall be unlawful for any person to injure or destroy by any means any tree planted or maintained by the city in rights-of-way or easements including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) Constructing a concrete sidewalk or driveway or otherwise filling up the ground within five feet of the outside of the trunk at ground level of any street tree so as to shut off air or water from its roots;
(2) Piling building materials, equipment or other substances on non-paved areas within the “crown dripline” of any street tree;
(3) Pouring any deleterious material on any tree or on the ground within the crown dripline of any street tree;
(4) Posting any sign, poster, notice or other object on any tree, tree stake or guard or fastening any guide wire, cable, rope, nails, screws or other device to any tree, tree stake or guard;
(5) Causing or encouraging any fire or burning within the crown dripline of any street tree;
(6) Using any mechanical weeding device against a street tree;
(7) Constructing retaining walls, fences or other similar improvements which prohibit the planting or maintaining of street trees;
(8) Operating construction equipment in such a manner as to cause it to contact the street tree; and
(9) Disrupting the anchorage of the tree or changing the grade within the crown dripline of any tree.
(E) No person shall plant a tree or other plant material in a right-of-way or easement other than lawn or other similar planting materials, unless approved by the Director.
(1995 Code, § 8.32.070) (Ord. 08-12, passed 7-15-2008)