Announcement

All about trees

Thursday, December 26, 2024

The following appeared in the winter 2025 Ocean Pines Report quarterly newsletter: https://www.oceanpines.org/web/pages/quarterly-newsletters

Trees have been a topic in the last few months, particularly in the clearing of lots for new homes. At the July Board meeting, with concerns about a new home being built that clear cut the property, General Manager John Viola noted that, going forward, a thorough review for reasonableness and within our governing documents would be addressed regarding tree cutting.

While with new homes, along with any home within 100 feet of a waterway, requires approval from Worcester County to remove trees, Ocean Pines governing documents are more restrictive, and the Compliance, Permits, and Inspections (CPI) Department inspectors are ramping up on reviewing all tree permits and new home permits for compliance to our regulations.

One of the first items being addressed is the clearing of lots for new homes. Section 400.3. of the updated Architectural Review Committee Guidelines states that the contractor shall notify the CPI Department 48 hours prior to lot clearing (notification is given of this with the issuance of the new home permit). If the contractor clears the lot without prior approval, they will be required to replant trees in replacement of those that were removed.

Enforcing this regulation will hopefully qualm those that see a lot being cleared and have concerns of why total lot clearing was allowed. CPI will not issue a refund to the permit until the plantings have occurred.

Usually during the review with the CPI Department, and upon review of the landscape plan and site plan provided for the new home, the line of disturbance (or limit of clearing) is marked on the site plan allowing trees within 10 feet from the proposed foundation and 3 feet from the proposed driveway to be removed.

The 10 feet from the foundation and 3 feet from the driveway are also taken into consideration for approval of tree removal from existing homes. Also, if the tree is dead/dying, diseased, damaged, or causing a safety issue to the home or to neighboring homes, then approval will most likely be given.

Along with the daily routine inspections, CPI is also conducting inspections of those cutting down trees without a permit, particularly on weekends. Stop work orders are immediately issued, and work cannot begin again until the necessary permits are applied for.

Violations are also issued on the trees removed without a permit and the property owner will be required to replant replacement trees. While the inspector has been able to get quite a few contractors, CPI still appreciates reports from others who see work being done on a property and who contact us to confirm that a permit was issued, and in most cases it has not.

So, what happens when you might have a concern with a neighbor’s tree or your own tree that needs to be removed? When in doubt, please contact the CPI Department, who will be happy to assist in reviewing the tree to see if it meets one of the criteria. Please note if the tree is on your own property and is over 6 inches in diameter, a permit is needed to have the tree(s) reviewed and approved. The approval may take time to receive, especially if the tree requires approval from the State (if in wetlands or critical area) and/or Worcester County approval (if within 100 feet of any waterway).

Thanks to the help of property owners that report dangerous trees, CPI is also issuing more violations on these trees as safety is the number one priority to our community.

For any tree-related issues, or any other CPI questions or concerns, please either stop by the CPI Department, email [email protected], or call 410-641-7717.

Announcement

All about trees

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