Huntington Beach Rescinds Height Limit on Hedges

The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to eliminate a height limit for trees and hedges along property lines.

During an emotional public hearing, several residents urged the council to scrap the tree-height ordinance, arguing that many trees would die if cut back to the six feet required by the law.

But in rebuttal, some other residents pleaded with the city to not only keep the ordinance but to enforce it. They argued that tall trees along property lines are being misused in some cases and are hurting neighboring property values.

In the end, the council voted 7 to 0 to change the law so that neither trees nor hedges of any type are governed by the height requirement. The council said residents who have problems with tall trees or hedges can instead use a state law that allows for civil litigation in such matters.

At issue was a little-known city ordinance that jeopardized thousands of trees that border property lines. The ordinance limited the height of hedges to six feet. But the city had interpreted the law to include trees if they were used as hedges.

The tree law first came before the council last November, when Glen and Jerri Hesprich appealed to save the tall Italian cypress trees in their back yard. The Hespriches said that the city staff had ordered their 20- to 30-foot cypresses cut down to six feet. However, a professional arborist said such a radical trim would kill the trees, the Hespriches said.

Council members, in November, expressed surprise at the tree-height law and ordered a moratorium on its enforcement. The council also asked the city staff to recommend a change in the law.