Village East Neighborhood

CODE ENFORCEMENT ORDINANCES

Aug 29, 2006

LANDSCAPING CODES

With spring just around the corner here are a few reminders about Aurora?’s Landscaping Codes.

?•All weeds and most grasses taller than 8 inches must be cut and removed. This includes weeds outside rear and side fences
?•All trees must be trimmed to a clear height of 8 feet above any sidewalk and 13 feet 6 inches above the street
?•All bushes must be cut back at least 6 inches from the sidewalk
?•The maximum height of hedges in the front yard is 42 inches, with the exception of those located in a corner lot which may not be taller than 26 inches
?•Plants that have thorns, spines or prickles may not be planted within 20 feet of a sidewalk

For more information on the city?’s Landscaping Codes call 303 739-7280.

REGULATIONS RELATED TO RESIDENTIAL ACCESSORY BUILDINGS

The City of Aurora has set some zoning regulations regarding residential accessory buildings such as storage sheds and play structures.

Accessory buildings that are less than 120 square feet do not need a building permit to be erected. These structures must, however, be placed in the rear one-half of the rear yard and not within 6 feet of any other structure other than a fence. If an accessory structure is greater than 6 feet in height, it must be set back from the property line by at least 3 feet. For each additional foot over 6 feet, 1 foot of setback must be added to the minimum 3 feet for placement of the accessory structure. There is no limitation on the number of rear-yard accessory structures that can be built; however, these structures shall not take up more than 50% of the rear one-half of the rear yard.

Any resident who wishes to build an accessory structure that is greater than 120 square feet or place the structure in a location other than the rear one-half of the rear yard must obtain a building permit and, for the alternative location, a waiver from the City?’s Board of Adjustment. You may learn more about obtaining a permit or waiver by phoning the City of Aurora zoning desk at 303-739-7347.

Here are some more excerpts from the City of Aurora's Zoning Code that relate to residential property, both owned and leased.

SNOW SHOVELING: Snow and ice on sidewalks can be slippery and dangerous, not only to letter carriers and other delivery people but also to senior citizens, children, disabled people and the public in general.

As a resident or property owner it is your responsibility to keep city sidewalks adjacent to your property free of snow and ice even though the sidewalks may be behind or outside the rear and side fences and adjacent to any street. Snow and ice must be removed within 24 hours after a snowfall ends and 48 hours after a snow emergency is declared by the city.

Failure to comply with the ordinance carries a $10-per-day fine for single family homes and a $20-per-day fine for all others. City of Aurora code enforcement officers are not required to give a warning notice prior to issuing a ticket.

To ensure pedestrian safety, the code enforcement officers regularly inspect school routes and other areas where pedestrian traffic is heavy. In addition, the officers answer citizen complaints concerning lack of snow and ice removal from sidewalks. You may anonymously report offenders by calling Access Aurora at (303) 739-7000.

TRASH REMOVAL AND CONTAINERS: It is the responsibility of the occupant and/or owner to have the trash removed weekly, or more often if necessary. Trash must be in an approved, secure trash container. Trash containers may be stored in the rear or side yard only, not in the front or side yard adjacent to a public street. Trash containers may not be placed in the front yard prior to 5:00 p.m. on the day before trash pickup and must be removed within 12 hours after pickup.

TRASH AND DEBRIS: Items may not be stored outdoors (litter, trash, furniture, mattresses, appliances, wrecked or inoperative vehicles, car parts, salvage, etc.).

BUSHES/PLANTS/TREES: Bushes over sidewalks must be cut back six inches from the sidewalk to clear walkway. The maximum height of hedges in the front yard is 42 inches. (EXCEPTION - See Visibility Triangle). It is the responsibility of the occupant and/or owner to cut and remove all tree branches lower than 8 feet over sidewalks and 13.5 feet over the street. If City tree, call Forestry 739-7177.

VISIBILITY TRIANGLE: To ensure pedestrian and vehicular safety, no plants, fences, trees or other objects over 26 inches high may be maintained in the visibility triangle. The visibility triangle is measured from intersecting lines 30 feet each way along street gutter.

EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE: All structures and accessory structures must be maintained in a state of good repair, weather tight and painted.

FENCES: All fences must be maintained in good structural condition including pickets.

PARKING SURFACES: Parking of any type of vehicles, boats, trailers and campers on landscape and/or lawn portion of the yard is prohibited.

VEHICLES: Aurora City Code prohibits unlawful vehicles from being stored on your property or on public streets. Unlawful means partially or totally dismantled vehicles, unlicensed vehicles, or mechanically damaged or faulty vehicles that cannot be legally driven on the street.

It is also unlawful to conduct auto repair on residential property or on public streets.

Operable vehicles may be parked on public streets but must be parked no closer than 5 feet from a driveway or 15 feet from a fire hydrant. It is also unlawful to keep a lawful vehicle parked on the street for an indefinite amount of time. Consequently, all operable and legal vehicles must be moved at least every 21 days when they are parked on the street. Once a car's license plate expires, the car must be removed from the street within seven days after the date of expiration. Also, detached campers or trailers or those attached to a vehicle cannot be stored on public streets for longer than 24 hours. After 24 hours, the Aurora Police will issue a ticket, and 24 hours after the ticket is issued, those campers/trailers may be towed.

Operable vehicles and licensed trailers and campers may also be parked on private property as long as they parked on an approved surface such as concrete, asphalt or 4-inch brick pavers. Any commercial vehicle, which includes trucks, weighing more than 7,000 pounds may not be driven or parked on public residential streets unless the vehicle is being used to render a service.

For emergency situations concerning parked vehicles on streets (i.e. creating a public safety hazard, call 303 365-2844.

For more information about these regulations, call 303 739-6218 or 303 739-6375. For questions on vehicles and campers being stored on private property, call 303 739-7280.

WEEDS: It is the responsibility of the occupant and/or owner of any property to cut and remove all weeds over 8 inches in height on any developed property and 12 inches in height on any undeveloped property.

DOG SOLID WASTE: It is the responsibility of pet owners to remove fecal material from any property, street, park, or other place and to properly dispose of it.

To have any code matter addressed, please contact Access Aurora at (303) 739-7000. They will send a code enforcement person to the offender's house. The caller remains anonymous to the code violator and has the option of being informed by the code inspector of their findings or also remaining anonymous to the City.