Overgrown trees and shrubs endanger us all when they block our view of traffic signs, pedestrians, or other vehicles. It is the adjacent property owner’s responsibility to keep trees and other plants in the right-of-way (the planting strip between the sidewalk and the curb) from blocking visibility within transportation corridors. It is also the adjacent property owner's responsibility to repair any sidewalk damage caused by street trees. Remember that a free pruning permit from Urban Forestry is required before any tree pruning in the planting strip or right-of-way.

Sidewalks disrupted by tree roots

Stop signs and traffic signals

Street corners

Street lights

Streets and sidewalks

Trees in medians

Trees on private property

Trees & utilities

Sidewalks disrupted by tree roots

To report a sidewalk that is being disrupted by tree roots and is a hazard that needs to be repaired, call the Bureau of Transportation at 503-823-1711.

Stop signs

To report tree branches blocking stop signs or traffic signals, call the Bureau of Transportation at 503-823-SAFE (7233).

Street corners

All intersections must have clear visibility for pedestrians and vehicles - even where no traffic signs or signals are present. When the City is notified of a visibility problem, the adjacent property owner is contacted as a reminder to keep nearby trees and shrubs trimmed. To report a tree blocking visibility when the tree is in the public right-of-way (the planting strip between the sidewalk and the curb), call Urban Forestry at 503-823-TREE (8733).

Street lights

To report tree branches blocking street lights, call 503-865-5267.

Streets & sidewalks

To ensure safe passage for everyone, tree limbs must hang no lower than 7.5 feet above the sidewalk, 11 feet above residential streets, and 14 feet above main arterial streets. It is the adjacent property owner's responsibility to maintain the trees in the public right-of-way (the planting strip between the sidewalk and the curb). To report a tree that does not meet the street and sidewalk clearance requirements, when the tree is in the public right-of-way, call Bureau of Development Services code enforcement hotline at 503-823-CODE (2633)

Trees in medians

To report a tree located in a street median that needs pruning, call the Bureau of Maintenance at 503-823-1700.

Trees on private property

To report a tree located on private property that has branches that are hanging too low over a street or public right-of-way, call the Bureau of Development Services code enforcement hotline at 503-823-CODE (2633).

Trees & utilities

Never attempt to prune a tree that has grown into high voltage wires. The utility companies prune trees under high voltage power lines on a regular schedule. If a tree or tree branch is leaning on a high voltage wire, call your utility company immediately.

• Portland General Electric (PGE)     503-228-6322
• Pacific Power & Light (PP&L)     1-888-221-7070

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