|
San Jose's code enforcement division fined a tree-removal company $500 for removing a tree on Illinois Avenue without permits. Homeowners are usually fined for illegal tree-removal. However, a month ago, code enforcement began fining tree-removal companies. The division has since fined three companies, and the March 13 citation is the first in Willow Glen.
"The tree-removal company should have known because it's their business," code enforcement administrator Jamie Matthews said. "It's a renewed commitment to maintaining our urban forest."
On the morning of March 13, a resident reported to the city the removal of trees in a rear yard at 745-747 Illinois Ave., a duplex property. When a code enforcement inspector arrived, one tree had only a stump remaining, and another tree was being cut down. Matthews said the latter tree was large enough to require a permit--more than 56 inches in circumference.
The owner, listed as Larry Hildreth, did not have a permit and was told by the city to apply for a tree removal permit and pay the $226 fee. If Hildreth does not apply for the permit by March 26, he could be fined $2,500 per day, Matthews said.
The San Jose Planning Department will decide if the owner also must replant trees to replace the ones he was cutting down.
|
