Urban Forestry.
Right of Way.
Maintaining the Public Right of Way
The public right of way is the green space between the curb and the sidewalk. The public right of way is a property dedicated to the city for public infrastructures like roadways, storm sewers, sidewalks, and utilities such as water, gas, and electric facilities. The City of Hamilton allows other utility providers to use the public right of way for their facilities such as Duke Energy, Alta fiber (Formerly Cincinnati Bell), Spectrum Cable, Verizon Wireless, and ATT Wireless. The other utilities hire contractors who perform work on their respective utilities throughout the City of Hamilton. While maintaining the right of way is the responsibility of the property owner, the City of Hamilton prunes trees from interfering with overhead utility lines for residents. While the city will not clear phone and cable lines, the city will clear any lines that interfere with primary, secondary, or service wires on property.
Right of Way
"A general term denoting land, property or the interest therein, usually in the configuration of a strip, acquired for or devoted to transportation purposes. When used in this context, right of way includes the roadway, shoulders or berm, ditch, and slopes extending to the right-of-way limits under the control of the State or local authority. "
Public Right of Way Diagram
As seen in this diagram, the public right of way is in the yellow zone. It consists of the street, boulevard, and sidewalk.
For questions regarding right of way trees or requesting your right of way tree to be pruned from wires, please contact the City of Hamilton’s Municipal Arborist/Utility Forester, David S. Bienemann at (513) 785-7556 or email dave.bienemann@hamilton-oh.gov.