Draft chapter 169: Screening and Buffering Standards

§ 169.05 Protection And Maintenance

The 2026 draft's § 169.05 beside the current code's Zoning § 17.05: removed words are struck through, added words underlined.

Comparison with a draft: not adopted. The archive holds no public hearing, ordinance or vote adopting the recodified Code through the October 20, 2026 meeting packet. Until one is adopted, every page here compares the consolidated code with a draft that can still change: the revised draft with the October 6 changes is not in the archive.

A comparison with the August 2026 draft recodification prepared by Iowa Codification for the City. The draft has not been adopted and can still change; the current code (unofficial compilation) governs until a recodified Code is adopted. Matches between sections are made by machine from the texts and are reviewed where uncertain.

Renumbered or moved wording changed (91% same words)

What changed

A. 1. The provisions of this section apply to all plantings required by the zoning ordinance, Zoning Code, whether newly planted or preserved.
B. 2. Required planting areas must shall be separated from abutting vehicular use areas, including parking spaces, drives, aisles, alleys, vehicle display display, and loading areas, etc., by an unmountable curb or barrier that is a minimum of five inches (5") in height. The curb or barrier must be constructed in such a manner that salt water saltwater runoff will not damage trees or plantings.
C. 3. The property owner must shall keep all plantings properly maintained, pruned as needed, and free from trash and litter. It is the responsibility of the property owner to maintain and replace trees and plantings required by the zoning ordinance. Zoning Code. Required landscaping must shall be continuously maintained in a healthy manner. Plants that die must shall be replaced. Improper maintenance, pruning, or removal of plantings may be subject to municipal infraction proceedings, up to and including environmental infraction proceedings.
D. 4. Any trees that overhang the public right of way right-of-way must be maintained in accordance with the provisions of 16.09, "Trees and Plant Materials", of this code. Section 168.08.
E. 5. To prevent interference with pedestrian traffic, plantings must shall be located appropriately and maintained so that foliage does not grow any closer than one foot (1') to the edge of a sidewalk or pedestrian trail. This one foot (1') setback must shall be maintained for at least the first nine feet (9') of plant height.
F. 6. Maintenance of trees within street rights of way rights-of-way is the responsibility of the City.

Word-level comparison of the current text with the draft's; spacing and paragraph breaks come from the documents' text. Footnotes are left out.

Current code

Zoning § 17.05 Protection And Maintenance

A. The provisions of this section apply to all plantings required by the zoning ordinance, whether newly planted or preserved.

B. Required planting areas must be separated from abutting vehicular use areas, including parking spaces, drives, aisles, alleys, vehicle display and loading areas, etc., by an unmountable curb or barrier that is a minimum of five inches (5") in height. The curb or barrier must be constructed in such a manner that salt water runoff will not damage trees or plantings.

C. The property owner must keep all plantings properly maintained, pruned as needed, and free from trash and litter. It is the responsibility of the property owner to maintain and replace trees and plantings required by the zoning ordinance. Required landscaping must be continuously maintained in a healthy manner. Plants that die must be replaced. Improper maintenance, pruning, or removal of plantings may be subject to municipal infraction proceedings, up to and including environmental infraction proceedings.

D. Any trees that overhang the public right of way must be maintained in accordance with the provisions of 16.09, "Trees and Plant Materials", of this code.

E. To prevent interference with pedestrian traffic, plantings must be located appropriately and maintained so that foliage does not grow any closer than one foot (1') to the edge of a sidewalk or pedestrian trail. This one foot (1') setback must be maintained for at least the first nine feet (9') of plant height.

F. Maintenance of trees within street rights of way is the responsibility of the City.

Ord. 2017-395 · source page

2026 draft

§ 169.05 Protection And Maintenance

1. The provisions of this section apply to all plantings required by the Zoning Code, whether newly planted or preserved.

2. Required planting areas shall be separated from abutting vehicular use areas, including parking spaces, drives, aisles, alleys, vehicle display, and loading areas, etc., by an unmountable curb or barrier that is a minimum of five inches in height. The curb or barrier must be constructed in such a manner that saltwater runoff will not damage trees or plantings.

3. The property owner shall keep all plantings properly maintained, pruned as needed, and free from trash and litter. It is the responsibility of the property owner to maintain and replace trees and plantings required by the Zoning Code. Required landscaping shall be continuously maintained in a healthy manner. Plants that die shall be replaced. Improper maintenance, pruning, or removal of plantings may be subject to municipal infraction proceedings, up to and including environmental infraction proceedings.

4. Any trees that overhang the public right-of-way must be maintained in accordance with the provisions of Section 168.08.

5. To prevent interference with pedestrian traffic, plantings shall be located appropriately and maintained so that foliage does not grow any closer than one foot to the edge of a sidewalk or pedestrian trail. This one foot setback shall be maintained for at least the first nine feet of plant height.

6. Maintenance of trees within street rights-of-way is the responsibility of the City.

August 2026 draft · page 650

Back to draft chapter 169 · All changes

Data last updated October 22, 2026. Built from the archive's documents; see how the data is built.