Property Owners Responsibilities under the Roads Act
Property Owners have responsibilities under the Roads Act 1993. These include:
Hedge and/or tree cutting
Under Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993, landowners and occupiers of land are obliged to take all reasonable care to ensure that trees, ditches, hedges and other vegetation growing on their land are not or could not become a danger to people using or working on a public road. Examples of hazards might be dead or dying trees, ditches or hedges interfering with traffic, blocking footpaths, obscuring road signs or obscuring a view of the road ahead. You are required to fell, cut, log, trim or remove such trees, ditches and hedges so as to prevent them from becoming a hazard to persons or property in the area. Adequate signposting should be provided and the Council and Gardai notified before works commence. Hedgecutting operations should only be undertaken outside the critical nesting period of 1st March to 31st August. The Roads Act states that liability for damage or injury resulting from such hazards will rest with the landowner/occupier.
If you require any further information, please contact your Local Area Engineers Office.
Landowners are encouraged to protect wildlife and promote biodiversity on all their hedgerows (including non-roadside hedges) and information on this is available on pollinators.ie
If you wish to report an issue relating to trees or hedges please use our online portal.
Drainage
Under Section 76 of the Roads Act 1993, Landowners and occupiers of land are obliged to take all reasonable steps to ensure that water can drain off a public road onto their land and to ensure that water, soil or other materials do not escape from their land on to the road.
Offenders may be served with a notice by the Council, which if not acted upon, can lead to prosecutions and fines if pursued through the Courts.
If you wish to report an issue relating to drainage or flooding on the public road, please use our online portal.
If you require further information, please contact your Local Area Engineers Office.
Mud and/or debris on roads
Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993 also makes it an offence to deposit materials on a public road, or to permit mud or anything that falls from a vehicle to remain on the public road, so as to cause a hazard or potential hazard to road users, or to obstruct or interfere with the safe use of the road.
If you wish to report an issue relating to mud or debris on the public road, please use our online portal.
If you require any further information, please contact your local Local Area Engineers Office.