Michigan: Can you clear branches from roadside?

[Mle75749]

We have property off a county road in Michigan and have bought an RV that is taller than our old one. We don’t want it scratched going to and from our land. Does anyone know if we can clear low hanging branches along the county road that leads to our property?
Thanks in Advance!

[Unicorn Driver]

I would call the road commission for your area.

[MTBer]

I would do it and not ask.

[Stateboy]

It varies from county to county but I would think the further north you get, the less likely you would get in trouble if you cut them down yourself. Theoretically, it's the road commission's job and someone may not like what you've done. Also, if anyone were to get hurt on what you left on the roadway or left as a jagged branch jutting out from the ditch could also come back to haunt you.

The only time I ever cleared branches from a roadway was when I was working with the Michigan State Police. I took a chainsaw to work because of a storm that had occurred prior to my shift. I cleared what was necessary to make roads passable (to calls I was sent to) and let the road commission take care of the rest.

[steve52]

Unless you contemplate major amounts of trimming, I would just do it. Clean up your mess and nobody will notice.

[GeorgeandTheBear]

Originally Posted by steve52

Unless you contemplate major amounts of trimming, I would just do it. Clean up your mess and nobody will notice.

I agree, just do it. Finding the correct person to ask would probably be harder than the job itself. What are they gonna do, put you in tree trimming jail?

[Itchytoe]

Can you? Absolutely. It's simple.


Are you legally allowed to? Well, that's almost certainly a big fat "NO!". They aren't your trees, and there is a department of the local government that is responsible for doing such chores.



Will you get in trouble for it? That's probably a no as well, but it does carry that risk. Things of this nature are typically complaint driven, and who the heck is going to complain about it if you clean up after yourself and aren't blocking traffic or cutting down whole trees? Just trimming a few branches to keep your RV safe isn't a crime worth prosecuting. There's paperwork involved, and nobody likes doing paperwork for no real reward.

[Darin1960]

Originally Posted by Itchytoe

Can you? Absolutely. It's simple.


Are you legally allowed to? Well, that's almost certainly a big fat "NO!". They aren't your trees, and there is a department of the local government that is responsible for doing such chores.



Will you get in trouble for it? That's probably a no as well, but it does carry that risk. Things of this nature are typically complaint driven, and who the heck is going to complain about it if you clean up after yourself and aren't blocking traffic or cutting down whole trees? Just trimming a few branches to keep your RV safe isn't a crime worth prosecuting. There's paperwork involved, and nobody likes doing paperwork for no real reward.

Agree.

[Down South]

I can't answer your question but I'd recommend taking the advice of others in contacting whichever authority that is in charge of such things in that area.

You might even be able to persuade them to go do it for you...

I've got the same problem. There is one tree on my road that I have to get all the way over into the other lane to avoid the branches from contacting my MH.

I'll clear the branches myself with a pole saw sooner or later but I know the person who owns the property that the problem tree belongs to.

[Mle75749]

We appreciate all the insights... we did reach out to the appropriate folks and submitted a request. We are a couple months away from taking our coach there so will see if they get it done... If not, we’ll go to Plan B

[Yosemite77]

I’m sure that you would do a better job that my local road district. They use what looks like a modified deck mower to keep the trees back from the road. It mangles the heck out of them.

[Bigd9]

I called our county road department and mentioned that there were a few branches hanging down on our county road that were hitting my motorhome roof. I asked if they could trim them back a little. Later that day the branches were gone!

[MSHappyCampers]

Since it's a county road it should just require a call to your county supervisor. Most of them are eager to help with things like that! I did that not long ago and the branches were cleared within a week!

[TCollins]

If you don't get any results from the agency you contacted get ahold of the county commissioners.


They want to keep their constituents happy.