9.20.110 Injuring Trees.
(1) It shall be unlawful to injure or destroy a tree on any City tree planting strip, public park, or other public property, including but not limited to the following:
(a) constructing a concrete, asphalt, brick or gravel sidewalk or otherwise covering or filling up the ground area without irrigation and aeration around any tree so as to restrict oxygen, light, or water from tree roots without written consent from the City Forester;
(b) piling or storing building material, equipment, or other substance around any tree so as to cause injury;
(c) applying any injurious matter on or around any tree, or on the ground around it, or on any adjacent lawn or sidewalk;
(d) posting a sign on any tree, tree-stake or guard, or by fastening a guy wire, cable or rope to a tree, tree-stake, guard or nails;
(e) injuring a tree, tree-stake, or guard with a vehicle or animal, or in any other manner which causes injury or death to a tree or lawn on public property; and
(f) hanging a swing, hammock, or other similar object on a public tree.
(2) Tree stakes or guards may be placed around a public tree by an adjacent property owner, with permission of the City Forester, provided the same are placed near a tree for the purpose of protecting or training the tree.
(3) A tree located on Provo City property in the immediate vicinity of an excavation, demolition, or construction of a building, structure, street, or utility work shall be protected from unnecessary injury. Tree protection specifications and standards shall be obtained from the City Forester and strictly adhered to. Any potential injury or damage shall be guarded against with a tree protection zone as provided in the Provo City arboricultural standards and specifications. Tree protection shall be coordinated with the City Forester, throughout the project, in order to mitigate damage to the tree and danger to the public. During the construction phase the contractor shall ensure regular and adequate irrigation of each public tree as provided in the arboricultural standards and specifications. Such irrigation shall be documented.
(4) Any person who destroys or injures a tree belonging to Provo City shall pay to the City the appraised replacement or repair cost associated with such action as provided by the ISA and the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers.
(5) It shall be unlawful to top any public tree without the authorization required by Subsection 9.20.050(4), Provo City Code. Pollarding of a public tree is prohibited without the written consent of the City Forester. All pruning procedures shall follow the most recent revisions of ANSI A300 pruning standards, as amended. A trees under utility wires or other obstructions where standard pruning practices are impracticable may be exempted from this section with prior approval of the City Forester.
(a) Every owner of any tree overhanging any street or right-of-way within the City shall prune the branches so that such branches do not obstruct the light from any street lamp, the view of any street intersection, or the ability of pedestrians to use the sidewalk.
(b) There shall be a clear space of thirteen (13) feet above the street surface or eight (8) feet above the sidewalk surface.
(c) Said owners shall remove any dead or dangerous tree, or broken or decayed limbs that constitute a hazard to the safety of the public.
(d) The City shall have the right to prune any tree or shrub on private property when it interferes with pedestrian use of a sidewalk, vehicle use of a public street, visibility of any traffic control device or sign, or sight triangle at an intersection. The property owner may be charged with the equipment, vehicle, and crew cost accrued in the pruning or removal of such tree.
(e) A tree that located near a high voltage electrical conductor shall be in compliance with Department of Energy standards set forth Section 12.03.120, Provo City Code.