The City of Brighton recently amended the municipal code as it pertains to vegetation and trees to address public safety concerns and align with widely-adopted municipal standards.
Tree clearance has changed from a general 8 feet of clearance over streets and sidewalks to 14 feet over streets, while remaining 8 feet over sidewalks. This change is designed to improve access for emergency vehicles and other high-clearance vehicles, as well as minimize damage to trees on Brighton’s streets.
If you have trees located between the street and sidewalk on your property, “street trees,” they may not comply with the new 14 feet clearance requirement. Trees in the right-of-way, between the sidewalk and street, are the responsibility of the adjacent property owner to maintain per municipal code, section 8-8-60.
In order to assist residents with bringing street trees into compliance, the City is offering a one-time reimbursement program to help offset the cost of clearance pruning. Residents may be eligible for reimbursement of up to $150 per household for tree clearance if the necessary requirements are met. To qualify for reimbursement, the work must be performed by a licensed contractor on street trees – no other trees on the property will qualify.
Residents who prune their trees themselves are not eligible for reimbursement, but they may dispose of the branches for free at our drop-off site located at 325 N Kuner Rd. Updated hours for this site can be found at brightonco.gov/forestry.
The deadline to apply for reimbursement is September 30.