Boulevard Maintenance

What are ‘boulevards’

Generally speaking, boulevards are the grassy strip of land between a property and the street/sidewalk or between the sidewalk and the curb. Boulevards are also corridors for utilities such as water/sewer mains, hydro, and gas lines and must be maintained so there is always easy access to these services. All boulevards are owned by the City.

Required Boulevard Maintenance

Owners and occupants of property adjacent to a boulevard are responsible for maintaining the boulevard. Boulevard maintenance includes such aspects as weeding, mowing (grass trimmed to a height of no more than 15 cm), litter and waste cleanup, and to ensure no shrubs encroach or block any sidewalk, roadway or traffic control devices. By doing so, you help to ensure safe pedestrian and vehicle access on sidewalks and roadways.

Exceptions

Property owners and occupants are not required to maintain Boulevards on the Trans Canada Highway.

The obligations to maintain a boulevard do not apply where in the opinion of the Director of Public Works & Development Services, the property owner is unable to access the boulevard due to steep grades or the size of the boulevard is unreasonably large for the property owner/ occupant to maintain.

Non-Standard Landscaping

There is a section in the Boulevard Maintenance Bylaw that allows property owners to beautify the boulevards adjacent to their property, with the required permit, so long as all of the regulations are followed.

Non-standard landscaping is permitted on a boulevard through a permit process.

Non-Standard Landscaping Permit Application

Items Placed in Boulevards

When a person is authorized to hold a Non-Standard Landscaping Permit for treatment to a boulevard, or portion thereof, the authorization is granted subject to conditions. Planted vegetation and improvements made to the boulevard become the property of the City of Duncan and are subject to removal or destruction by the City, without any obligation on the City to replace or repair them or to compensate the owners or occupants of the property for their loss or destruction.

What if there are trees in the boulevard?

Boulevard trees are part of the urban forest and the City will continue to maintain them.

Underground Structures

Prior to making any changes to a boulevard, the owner or occupant applying for a Non-Standard Landscaping Permit must contact owners of utilities and other underground structures to ensure that no underground structures will be disturbed or damaged by the proposed plantings.

Call Before You Dig: 1-800-474-6886

*6886 (Telus & Rogers Cell Networks)

Non-Standard Landscaping Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the owner or occupant of property adjacent to a boulevard to ensure that plants in the boulevard do not interfere with the sightlines of pedestrians or drivers of vehicles. If the boulevard is located next to on-street parking, the boulevard landscaping must not interfere with the ability of people to open car doors or to exit vehicles. Non-standard landscaping must be drought resistant and kept below a maximum height of 0.5m from the boulevard level, except as otherwise permitted, and trimmed to prevent growth over an adjacent sidewalk, curb or roadway.

All shrubs, hedges and vegetation must have a clearance of one metre from any fire hydrant or fire hydrant valve.

Pesticide/herbicide treatment is not permitted except when applied by qualified employees of the City of Duncan.

Hard surfaces, such as rocks, gravel, landscape ties, rails, asphalt, bricks, concrete structures or figurines are not permitted on a boulevard. Permanent structures, such as retaining walls, fencing or private signs are also prohibited.

The City is not responsible for damages to boulevard landscaping due to road or tree maintenance. Property owners or occupants are required to remove or mitigate any landscaping or conditions on the boulevard that are deemed to be a hazard by the Director of Public Works and Development Services.

IF YOU SEE A PROBLEM….