As Cobourg residents begin preparing for spring-landscaping projects and installations, the town's Public Works Division reminds everyone of some guidelines, rules and restrictions.
A boulevard is an area of land that runs along the side of a street between a private property line and the curb or edge of the asphalt. While this is usually the space between a sidewalk and the street, the boulevard often extends behind the sidewalk for a short distance as well. Boulevards are owned by the Town of Cobourg, form part of the municipal road allowance, and are required by law to be maintained by the adjacent property owner sharing the same street line.
A road allowance allows for snow storage and infrastructure (including trees, ditches, culverts, watermains, communications, hydro, sanitary forcemains and storm sewers). These services are installed in the boulevard so that the asphalt will not have to be dug up for maintenance and repairs.
The town's press release referred to Bylaw 049-2015, a bylaw to provide maintenance and protection of boulevards to ensure that installations within the boulevard do not obstruct, interfere with, impede or affect road maintenance (including snow removal), utility services, pedestrian use of sidewalks, traffic sight lines, public health or safety, and a clearance of at least 1.5 metres or five feet from any fire hydrant or fire-hydrant valve.
The bylaw does occasionally allow for the planting of gardens or landscaping – but residents are required to contact the Public Works Division in advance to ensure there is no impact to safety, maintenance operations or upcoming infrastructure work.
Also, vegetation within the boulevard may not exceed a height of 30 inches, and cannot obstruct or overlay any sidewalk or curb. If the town is required to take action due to a lack of maintenance (such as untrimmed hedges), costs incurred may be charged back to the property owner.
Typical maintenance activities required of the adjacent property owner include (but are not limited to) grass cutting, sidewalk edging, weeding, hedge trimming, and snow shovelling and ice removal from sidewalks.
Boulevard trees, however, are maintained by the town's Parks Department, and residents are asked not to trim or prune them. You can contact the town Arborist with any questions or concerns about your boulevard tree.
In addition to the municipal bylaws, the town noted the Minimum Maintenance Standard for Municipal Highways under the Municipal Act, amended in 2018 by Ontario Regulation 366/18, which introduced a requirement to inspect sidewalk encroachments within 45 cm or 18 inches on either side of a sidewalk that may create an accessibility or safety concerns. Common examples of encroachments would include hockey and basketball nets, signs, retaining walls, gardens (or raised gardens), hedges and fences.
If you are planning a landscaping project or installation in your front yard or boulevard, contact the Public Works Division and Lakefront Utilities before you dig or plant, to ensure your proposed work is permitted and compliant with applicable bylaws.