Road Maintenance

Report Overgrown Trees or Hedges

Landowner's Responsibilities re. Private Lands:

Owners and occupiers of lands along public roads are obliged to ensure that roadside hedges and trees do not present a hazard or obstruction to road users. Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993, requires landowners and occupiers of land to take all reasonable care to ensure that all structures, trees, hedges, shrubs and other vegetation on their land are not or could not become a danger to people using or working on a public road.

Galway City Council places a public advertisement in the months of January and September each year, reminding landowners/occupiers of their responsibilities with regards to hedge cutting. The Roads Act 1993, Section 70 allows Local Authorities to serve a Hedge-Cutting Notice on those who do not carry out this obligation.

Galway City Council Responsibilities:

Outside of the nesting period, Galway City Council is responsible for maintaining the hedge-grows along the public road where it has acquired the land. This makes the roadway a safer place for road users and reduces the visual obstruction that can occur on public roads, during the growing period.

If you would like to request hedge cutting on a public road during the maintenance period, you should contact the roads section as follows:

Roads and Transportation Maintenance Section,
Galway City Council,
College Road,
Galway, H91 X4K8.

Telephone: 091 536400
E-mail: roads@galwaycity.ie

Overgrown hedges, trees along public roads/paths can become a danger to people using or working on a roadway or path. Examples of hazards include dead or dying trees, hedges or trees obscuring a view of the road ahead, obscuring road signs, blocking footpaths, or obscuring public lights.

Under section 40 of the 1976 Wildlife Act, as amended by Section 46 of the Wildlife Amendment Act, 2000, it is forbidden to cut or remove hedgerows or destroy other vegetation during the bird nesting season, from the 1st of March to the 31st of August each year.

Some of the exemptions to hedge cutting during the nesting period include:

State bodies carrying out works for reasons of public health or safety,

The clearance of vegetation in the course of road or other construction works or in the development or preparation of sites on which any building or other structures is intended to be provided,

Destroying vegetation growing on a hedge, in the ordinary course of Forestry or Agriculture.

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Report a damaged/dangerous boundary wall/fence

If your boundary wall has fallen onto a public area e.g. public footpath, public green area, you should report the issue to the Roads Department:

Roads and Transportation Maintenance Section,
Galway City Council,
College Road,
Galway, H91 X4K8.

Telephone: 091 536400
E-mail: roads@galwaycity.ie

A fallen wall may be a hazard to the public, and roads staff will be able to make the area safe and passable. The responsibility of repairing a boundary wall is that of the property owner.

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