Property & Right-of-Way Maintenance

Right-of-Way Vegetation Handout_Page_1

Did you know the right-of-way adjacent to private property is the responsibility of the property owner to maintain? 


Keeping the entire community kept up, clean, and inviting is the responsibility of all community members. The Lyons Municipal Code has numerous laws placing responsibility on property owners and residents, to keep not only private property clean and nuisance-free, but also to maintain the public rights-of-way adjacent to the owners' property.

Please review applicable codes on this page for more information. 



Contact Us

  1. Lisa Ritchie

    Town Planner
    Email
    Phone: 303.823.6622 ext. 25
    More Information

Branches and Yard Waste

Since 2013, the Town has discontinued curbside chipping. Each year, the Town holds a Spring Clean, wherein unwanted branches and limbs may be properly disposed. Any material other than yard waste will not be accepted. 

Please remember that it is illegal to place branches and unwanted limbs/yard waste on Town & CDOT right-of-way property, which includes alleyways, as well as any property in the buyout program. 

When trimming branches in the right-of-way, above sidewalks, roadways, etc. please review the Tree Trimming Permit Application to determine if you need a permit to trim in the area you are working on. 
 
Lyons Municipal Code Sec. 11-2-30 
“Except by a permit issued as set forth in Subsection 11-2-10(b), no person shall in any manner obstruct any street, alley or sidewalk within the Town in any manner whatsoever, but shall at all times keep such streets, alleys and sidewalks free for the passage of vehicular and foot travel.” 
The Town will issue warnings to violations of right-of-ways obstructions, as stated in the Lyons Municipal Code; a summons will be issued if not mitigated after 30 days. 

Weeds and Grass


Sec. 7-2-150
 Any weeds found growing in any lot or tract of land in the Town are declared a nuisance. It is unlawful for any owner, tenant or occupant of property, including any abutting the public right-of-way, to permit any weeds, grasses or other brush to grow in height exceeding six (6) inches.

For purposes of this Section, the term public right-of-way means and includes the non-traveled portion of any street or alley. 

Weeds, Grasses, & Brush Ordinance
 
Did you know that weeds, grasses and brushes on properties must be maintained by the property owner or another responsible party to adhere to local municipal code? Spring weather combined with higher temperatures has caused grass and weeds to sprout like, well, weeds. Town code requires property owners to keep grass and weeds cut to less than 6 inches in height. Vegetation on your property, which includes the area between your property line and the curb such as alleys and roadways, must not exceed six (6) inches in height. It can be easy to overlook some of these areas but given the season, now is the perfect time to double check that your property is complying!

 It's not just about aesthetics, maintaining this standard is important for several reasons:

  • Long grass provides shelter for rodents and pests as well as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, ticks and other insects
  • Snakes will shelter in tall vegetation and will be harder to see for those walking on or near the property
  • Long (and especially dry) vegetation can provide fuel for wildfires, breaks in the vegetation will help protect properties and allow firefighters to reach areas that may otherwise be impeded like alleys and narrow streets
  • Allowing weeds to grow until they seed helps unwanted or noxious weeds spread
  • Unkempt lawns can trap trash, create poor aesthetics, as well as create unhappy neighbors

Please note that there is not a height limit for well-maintained gardens, flowers, and xeriscaping assuming they follow code and do not create the problems mentioned above.

Applicable Code: Lyons Municipal Code Sec. 7-2-150

Overgrown weeds and grass on property and in right -of- way is a Municipal Code Violation.
Read more on weeds & grass codes >>
 
Noxious Weeds >> 

Deposit on Public Property or Streets 

Sec. 7-2-80
Please remember that it is illegal to place branches and unwanted limbs, yard waste, garbage, debris, or litter of any kind on Town and CDOT right-of-way property, which includes alleyways, and any property in the buyout program. 

Municipal Code, Sec. 7-2-80:
It shall be unlawful to deposit in or on or to litter any street, alley or public place with garbage, rubbish, debris, sod, earth, sand, gravel, concrete or any other construction or waste material. Such action is declared a nuisance.

More on Littering on Public Property >>

Diseased, dead or dangerous trees and plants

Sec. 7-2-120
Any trees, shrubs, vines, hedges or other plants which are diseased, infected or dead or which are placed so as to be dangerous to the public health and safety are declared a nuisance. 

More on diseased, dead or dangerous trees and plants >>

Maintenance of Sidewalks

Sec. 7-2-140

It shall be unlawful and constitute a nuisance for any owner, tenant or occupant of property abutting a sidewalk to fail to maintain such sidewalk for reasonably passable pedestrian travel. Maintenance of the sidewalk for reasonably passable pedestrian travel shall include tree or shrub trimming to a height of at least seven (7) feet from the surface of the sidewalk, weed removal, grass-cutting, and removal of snow and ice (Sec. 11-1-50) within twenty-four (24) hours after snow or ice has ceased falling on such sidewalk for a period of at least four (4) hours.

More on maintenance of sidewalks >>

Obstructing highway or other passageway

Sec. 10-3-20
For the purposes of this Section, obstruct means to render impassable or to render passage unreasonably inconvenient or hazardous. 

A person commits an offense if, without legal privilege, he or she intentionally, knowingly or recklessly:

(1)  Obstructs a highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, building entrance, elevator, aisle, stairway or hallway to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access or any other place used for the passage of persons, vehicles or conveyances, whether the obstruction arises from his or her acts alone or from his or her acts and the acts of others; or

(2)  Disobeys a reasonable request or order to move issued by a person he or she knows to be a peace officer, a firefighter or a person with authority to control the use of the premises, to prevent obstruction of a highway or passageway or to maintain public safety by dispersing those gathered in dangerous proximity to a fire, riot or other hazard.

More on passageway obstruction >>

Other obstructions prohibited

Sec. 11-2-30

Except by a permit issued as set forth in Subsection 11-2-10(b), no person shall in any manner obstruct any street, alley or sidewalk within the Town in any manner whatsoever, but shall at all times keep such streets, alleys and sidewalks free for the passage of vehicular and foot travel. The installation of or projection of any signs, posts, merchandise, merchandise display racks, merchandising machines or scales on, across or above any such street, sidewalk or alley, which in any manner obstructs the same for its normal usage, is hereby prohibited, except such supports as are now in existence for the support of buildings already erected. If and when such buildings are remodeled or materially altered, such obstructions shall be removed and no longer maintained and, once removed, shall not be replaced. 

More on other obstructions >>