The City of Twin Oaks is committed to maintaining a safe, accessible, and beautiful community for all residents and visitors. Managing the public right-of-way (ROW)—the property reserved for streets, sidewalks, utilities, and public green spaces—is a collaborative effort between the City and our property owners.
This FAQ is designed to answer your most common questions regarding regulations, maintenance, and tree care within these zones. It helps clarify who is responsible for day-to-day upkeep and what steps to take when maintenance issues arise.
For additional information or specific questions, please contact the City Administrator at 636-225-7873.
This term refers to the area adjacent to a public roadway in which the City has an ownership interest or right of management. The exact width of the ROW can vary from property to property, but it commonly contains driveway aprons, utilities and other public infrastructure.
Driveway aprons, approaches, and culverts serving private property are considered "encroachments." The abutting property owner is solely responsible for their construction, maintenance, repair, and replacement—even if originally installed by the City.
See section 500.105 for the full City code language - Maintenance of Abutting Right of Way
In the City of Twin Oaks like many other municipalities, the adjoining property owner is responsible for maintaining the grass, vegetation, trees and any other physical objects (not including utilities and public infrastructure) in the abutting ROW as an extension of their yard so that the ROW is kept in a reasonably safe condition and does not create any interference or obstruction with its use. Such maintenance typical involves mowing the grass and trimming back bushes, shrubs or tree limbs that may be obstructing the ROW or adjoining roadway.
Street trees, defined as trees located in the ROW, are maintained by the adjoining property owner. If there is not an adjoining private property, then the street trees are maintained by the City. Any street tree identified as a nuisance tree (this would include any dying/dead trees) may be designated by the City for removal at the adjoining property owner’s expense.
If a tree falls into or across the roadway, the City will take action at its own expense to immediately clear the roadway and will make every attempt to ensure that the debris and tree limbs are placed back into the ROW or property where the tree was originally located. It will then be the responsibility of the property owner (or adjoining property owner, if the tree was located in the ROW), to clean-up and remove the tree, limbs and debris from the right-of-way and private property.
