To aid in stabilizing the environment’s ecological balance by contributing to the processes of air purification, oxygen regeneration, ground water recharge, and stormwater runoff retardation, while at the same time aiding in noise, glare and heat abatement.

To ensure that the local stock of native trees and vegetation is retained and replenished.

To assist in providing adequate light and air and in preventing overcrowding of land.

To provide visual buffering and enhance the beautification of the city.

To safeguard and enhance property values and to protect public and private investment.

To preserve and protect the unique identity and environment of the city and to preserve the economic base attracted to the city by such factors.

To conserve energy.

To protect the public health, safety and general welfare.

These requirements shall not apply to building permits for the following:

Where a specific landscape plan has been approved prior to the effective date of this chapter, the landscaping requirements of the city in effect at the time of such approval shall apply.

On all lots, not less than 15 percent of the area of the street yard shall be landscaped area. All of the required landscaped area shall be located in the street yard and parking lots.

At least one large tree of at least three inches in caliper and 12 feet in initial height shall be provided as follows:

Placement of shrubbery shall be taken into consideration as to the plant at full maturity, and be located so as not to conflict with vehicular or pedestrian traffic visibility. Shrubbery shall be provided as follows:

Ground cover shall be provided as follows:

A minimum amount of the total area of all vehicular use areas shall be devoted to landscaped islands, peninsulas or medians.

The existing natural landscape character (especially native oak, elm and pecan trees) shall be preserved to the extent reasonable and feasible. In an area of the street yard containing a stand of trees, the applicant shall use best good faith efforts to preserve such trees. In determining compliance with this subsection, the administrator shall consider topographical constraints on design, drainage, access and egress, utilities, and other factors reasonably related to the health, safety and welfare of the public which necessitated disturbance of the existing natural character; the nature and quality of the landscaping installed to replace it; and such other factors as may be relevant and proper. Indiscriminate clearing or stripping of the natural vegetation is prohibited.

All required landscaping shall be irrigated by an underground irrigation system approved by the administrator.

All impervious areas shall be maintained with groundcover and shrubbery in a manner to control erosion.

All required landscaped areas which are adjacent to pavement shall be protected with concrete curbs or equivalent barriers (such as railroad ties, continuous border plants or hedgerows).

Landscaping shall not be located or placed to obstruct any emergency equipment such as fire hydrants and sprinkler system connections, etc., nor shall landscaping be placed in a manner to obstruct emergency ingress/egress access to the building. Landscaping shall not obstruct views between the street and access drives or parking aisles near street yard entries and exits, nor shall any landscaping obstruct views within the radius of any curb return. Sight triangles shall be provided within the property at all driveways and street intersections. Sight triangles shall be eight feet by 70 feet with the eight-foot leg within the property along the driveway.

All required landscaping shall be maintained in a neat and orderly manner at all times. This shall include mowing, edging, pruning, fertilizing, watering, weeding, and other such activities common to the maintenance of landscaping.

Landscaped areas shall be kept free of trash, litter, weeds, and other such materials or plants not a part of the landscaping. All plant material shall be maintained in a healthy and growing condition as is appropriate for the season of the year. Plant material which dies shall be replaced with plant material of similar variety and size.

Landowners are encouraged to landscape nonpaved publicly-owned street right-of-way abutting their land. Provided, however:

Landscape provided in vehicular and pedestrian use areas shall be designed so that the maturing of the landscaping will not conflict with the lighting scheme.

All plants used to satisfy this chapter shall be of a species common or adaptable to this area of Texas. The following is a list of recommended plants within each plant material type. The applicant may propose plants other than those listed if the plant is appropriate for the intended use.

A landscape plan shall be required containing the following information:

Landscape plans for projects which incorporate over two acres of lot area shall be prepared and signed by a licensed professional landscape architect. All irrigation plans shall be prepared and signed by a licensed irrigator or other professional authorized by the state to design such systems.

Landscaping and irrigation shall be installed in accordance with plans approved by the administrator. Should the administrator deny a landscaping scheme for noncompliance with the requirements the applicant, may, within seven days of the decision, appeal that decision to the planning and zoning commission. The planning and zoning commission shall be the final judge as to whether the proposed landscape plans complies with the intent of these regulations. However, not less than three-quarters of all the members of the planning and zoning commission shall be required to overturn the decision of the administrator.

An inspection fee in an amount set by council shall be collected by the administrator at the time of application of a building permit.

If, at the time of an application for a certificate of occupancy, required landscaping is not yet in place for seasonal consideration, the applicant shall make fiscal arrangements (by bond, certificate of deposit, or letter of credit) satisfactory to the city in the amount of $2.00 per square foot of required landscaping not yet in place to ensure that such shall be installed. Any applicant making such fiscal arrangements shall also grant to the city license to enter upon the land for the purposes of installing the required landscaping in the event that such landscaping is not installed by the applicant within nine months. Such fiscal arrangements shall be for a period of not less than 12 months.

These regulations shall apply to all land within the city. Such screening regulations shall become applicable upon any change of use, ownership, occupancy or at such time as a building permit is applied for except as otherwise specified by this chapter.

Where required, screening fences and walls shall be erected to a height not less than six feet and provide a visual barrier from adjacent properties and streets. Such screening shall be permanently and adequately maintained by the owner of the property on which the screening is required. Except for the landscape buffer, no screening fence or wall shall have more than 40 square inches of openings over any one square foot of fence or wall surface. Only the following types of screening shall qualify as meeting the requirements of this chapter.

All ground-mounted satellite television reception dishes greater than eight feet in diameter and authorized herein without special use permit, wherever located, shall be visually screened on all sides by a five-foot wide landscaped buffer as described by section (b)(1) above.

Screening between an incoming use and a less intensive zoning district shall be provided prior to occupancy of the incoming use. Uses not specifically listed shall comply with the screening requirements for the listed use it most closely resembles. Said screening shall comply with the following table.

No refuse/recycling collection areas shall be located within the required front or street side yard or within 20 feet of any property zoned for single-family or two-family residential purposes. Refuse/recycling collection areas shall be screened from adjacent properties and streets on a minimum of three sides within a masonry wall enclosure meeting the standards of subsection (b)(4) above. Wall height of the masonry enclosure shall be six feet or the height of the proposed refuse/recycling receptacle whichever is greater. If the refuse/recycling receptacle is a dumpster, the dumpster shall be spaced a minimum of two and one-half feet from the inside walls of the masonry enclosure, and such spacing shall be maintained by the placement of wheel stops or bollards on all four sides to center and space the dumpster within the enclosure. Such wheel stops shall be securely affixed to the pavement and shall be spaced to allow for drainage. A concrete pad shall be contained within the masonry wall enclosure and shall extend not less than 12 feet in front of the enclosure. Such concrete pad shall be paved and reinforced as specified in section 84-202(2), Table 5-A-1. Significant effort shall be made to orient the unscreened opening of refuse/recycling collection areas away from view of a public street where practical. All refuse/recycling collection areas established from and after the effective date of this amendment shall conform to the requirements of this section.

This section shall apply to all land within the city upon the effective date of the chapter. Planned development, specific use permits or other plans approved by city council specifically authorizing outside sales, storage or display shall be permitted in accordance with the provisions established at approval.

In all residential districts, no open outside accessory storage or display of materials, commodities, or machinery shall be permitted, other than that which is incidental to the main use of the property as a residence. The following conditions shall apply to incidental storage and temporary residential outdoor storage:

Except as otherwise specifically authorized by these codes, all outdoor sales, storage and display areas shall be located behind building lines and shall be screened in accordance with section 84-336(b)(2). Any outside storage or outside use area established after the effective date of this chapter shall be screened by a fence in accordance with section 84-336(b)(2) unless the screen is visible from public street, in which case that portion of the screen visible to the street shall be masonry in accordance with section 84-336(b)(4). Openings for access to the outside storage or outside use area shall be equipped with gates capable of screening the activities and user from view when closed. Such gates shall not be designed to swing outward towards the street. In no case may any materials be stored higher than the screening provided.

These standards shall not apply to fences or walls that receive specific approval in the form of a specific use permit, planned development or approved variance. These exemptions do not imply any exception to the permitting or variance/appeals stated within this section.

No fence, screen, freestanding wall or other visual barrier shall be so located or placed that it obstructs the vision of a motor vehicle driver approaching any street, alley or drive intersection. A visual barrier shall be deemed as any fence, wall, hedge, shrubbery, etc., higher than 36 inches above ground level at the property line, except single trees having single trunks, which are pruned to a height of seven feet above ground level. (For example see Appendix “A”.)

No fence, screen, wall or visual barrier shall be located or placed where it obstructs the vision of motor vehicle drivers approaching any street, intersection. At all street, intersections clear vision shall be maintained across the lot for a distance of 25 feet back from the property corner along both streets. (For example see Appendix “A”.)

Fences constructed of barbed wire and walls topped with broken glass or surfaced with any like material shall be prohibited; provided, however, a security fence not less than six feet in height may be topped with barbed wire that is located on property not zoned for residential purposes.

No fence shall be electrically charged in any form or fashion.

No fence in a residential district shall exceed eight feet in height above ground level at the fence line.

In order to allow ingress/egress of emergency personnel and equipment, at least one gate or opening not less than three feet in width shall be required within each fence or wall that is adjacent to or running parallel with a public right-of-way, alley, drainage, utility or access easement. One such opening is required for each lot or in cases where the lot frontage is greater than 200 feet. An opening or gate shall be located not less than 200 feet to another opening on the same property.

The construction of a fence or wall on the property line shall not preclude the property owners’ responsibility to maintain and keep the area defined between the extension of the property lines to the back of curb or edge of pavement free and clear of debris and high weeds. (For example, see Appendix “A”.)

No fence, guy wire, brace or any post of such fence shall be constructed upon or caused to protrude over property that the city or the general public has dominion and control over, owns or has an easement over, under, around or through, except upon utility easements which are permitted to be fenced.

All swimming pools shall be fenced in addition to the requirements of the Uniform Building Code as amended and adopted by the City of Euless. The following specifications shall apply:

No fence or wall greater than 36 inches in height shall be located less than 15 feet from any side property line that is adjacent to a public street unless:

Fences and walls meeting all of the above requirements may be erected on the rear property line except; however, lots whose rear property line abuts a public street on which one of the immediate adjacent lots maintains its required front yard, then no fence nor wall greater than 36 inches in height shall be located within 15 feet of the subject lots rear property line. (For example see Appendix “A”.)

It shall be unlawful for any individual, partnership, company or corporation to erect or have erected a fence or any part of a fence of permanent construction in the city limits without first obtaining a fence permit from the office of building inspections.

Any individual, partnership, company or corporation making application for a fence permit must sign an application for same showing the following information:

A permit fee shall be paid prior to the issuance of any fence permit. The fee charged shall be in accordance with city schedule of fees.

The city council may appoint a board consisting of at least five members, who, after review of the application for variance or appeal by the city attorney for determination as to form thereof and that same is within the purview of the authority of such board, shall hold a public hearing in which written notification has been given to all property owners within 200 feet of the proposed variance, may grant a variance to this chapter where, in its opinion, the board finds the following requirements have been met:

Application for a variance shall be made by submitting the following to the city planning department:

The board described in subsection (a) above shall have the authority to hear and decide appeals where it is alleged there is error on any order, requirement, decision or determination made by the building inspector in the enforcement of this chapter.

Such appeals shall be made in the manner described above in subsection (b)(1) of this section. No application fee is required.