A homeowner in San Francisco who trimmed five trees in an attempt to secure property insurance has been ordered to pay $50,000 in fines by city officials.
Paul Dennes, whose family has owned the house in the city’s Panhandle neighborhood since 1988, said he carried out the work to satisfy a requirement from his insurance broker. He sought to clear branches that were touching the building and interfering with overhead power lines.
“I got an email from my broker saying in order for you to qualify for insurance you need to trim the trees so many feet from the property,” Dennes told ABC News. “I’ve never seen the city trim these trees, never!”
However, city officials said the trees were located in the public right-of-way and fell under the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Department of Public Works.
Under the StreetTreeSF program, approved by voters in 2017, the city assumed full responsibility for the maintenance of all public street trees.
The Department of Public Works issued the fines just before Christmas, alleging “illegal tree pruning.” Inspectors claimed the trees were “topped” — a practice where main branches are cut back to stubs — removing a significant portion of the canopy and potentially shortening the trees’ lifespans.
“As stewards of San Francisco’s urban forest, it is our job to hold people accountable when they harm or damage a street tree,” Public Works told ABC News.
The department initially sought $10,000 per tree, stating the damage was severe enough to warrant total removal.
Dennes, who lives in Marin, argued that the city failed to adequately notify residents of the 2017 policy change. While the city maintains it distributed flyers and postcards, Dennes said the primary property owner at the time had been his 94-year-old father, who did not use the city’s website to track maintenance rules.
“It feels like bullying,” Dennes told ABC News. “I don’t want to start a big war.”
The city’s stance on the severity of the damage shifted following an administrative hearing. A senior inspector determined the trees might recover, though with compromised structures. The city also offered to reduce the fine to $12,950, or $2,590 per tree.
On Wednesday, Public Works confirmed it would further reduce the penalty to $6,475, provided Dennes hired a certified arborist to oversee a five-year recovery plan for the trees.
Christopher Campbell, a certified arborist and owner of CC Tree Design, said confusion over tree ownership is common among residents.
“People don’t realize, but the tree that grows in front of their home on the sidewalk in what we call a sidewalk basin, that’s actually city property,” he told ABC News. “That’s the public right-of-way.”
San Francisco residents are advised to consult the city’s street tree map or contact the Bureau of Urban Forestry before performing any maintenance on trees adjacent to their homes.
The San Francisco Department of Public Works did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
