Storms, trees and the City’s role

Charlotte’s majestic canopy is easy to love – except during stormy weather, when the risk of big limbs or complete upheaval is a threat. If a tree does fall on or near your property, here’s a quick 101 on how to deal with it, courtesy of the City of Charlotte:

• If there’s a downed tree blocking a road or a city right-of-way, report it by calling 311 (open weekdays from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.) or use the CLT+ app. In the case of an emergency, dial 911 immediately. If in doubt, call 911.
• Safety first! Stay clear and look for dangerous hanging limbs, downed utility lines and other failures. 
• The City’s first cleanup priority is to provide, at minimum, single-lane access for first responders along major thoroughfares and at priority sites such as hospitals, police stations, fire stations and MEDIC stations. Crews will then focus on clearing single-lane access on secondary roads and all-lane access for non-emergency vehicles. This includes driveways, sidewalks, bike lanes, etc.  
• Due to federal safety regulations, City crews cannot work in close proximity to downed utility lines of any kind. The City will coordinate cleanup with the appropriate utility company.
• ​If a City-owned tree falls on your property, contact your insurance company and hire a tree company to remove the tree from your property and dispose of the debris that is on your property. The City will clean up the remaining debris located in the right-of-way. Contact City of Charlotte Risk Management to file a claim at claims@charlottenc.gov​ or 704-336-3301.
• ​If the tree that fell originated from private property, the City will only clear debris that fell onto the right of way. It may put the debris back on the property where the tree was growing. The debris is the responsibility of the property owner to remove.
• If a tree on private property falls only on private property, the City will not be responsible for its cleanup. 
• ​​A map on charlottenc.gov/storms shows downed tree and limb requests received in the past 14 days for trees that are blocking a road or downed trees/limbs in the City’s right-of-way.