HOUSTON – Residents in Houston’s Northview subdivision are facing growing concerns over hazardous trees as hurricane season begins, with property owners caught in a bureaucratic tangle over maintenance responsibility.
Walter Kingsley, 86, stands in his backyard pointing at towering trees that loom beyond his fence line.
“These trees are dangerous when they fall. They’re old, and they can fall any time,” Kingsley said.
The troublesome trees occupy an easement behind several properties in the North View subdivision of Northeast Harris County, creating anxiety among homeowners who have already witnessed storm damage in their neighborhood.
Property Rights Confusion
Multiple agencies have denied responsibility for the maintenance of these trees.
The City of Houston, the local Municipal Utility District (MUD), and the neighborhood’s HOA have all indicated they don’t maintain the land strip.
The HOA specifically identified an adjacent gas storage field as the property owner responsible for the trees.
KPRC 2 reached out to the management company of that oil storage property—via email and phone call—early Monday afternoon. We had not received comment by the end of the day.
Recent Storm Damage Heightens Concerns
“Just about two weeks ago a storm just came, and all these trees were coming down,” one neighbor reported, highlighting the immediate nature of the threat. “HOA told me that they can’t do anything about this, that they don’t own this.”
Another resident expressed urgent concern about the potential for catastrophic damage: “It’s just, I don’t know where any storm could just happen. It just comes down and we’re done. Our house is done for.”
Legal Options for Homeowners
While property owners await resolution, they do have some legal recourse. Court precedents have established that homeowners can trim branches, or have branches trimmed, that extend onto their property up to their property line.
However, recovering costs from the tree’s owner requires separate legal action.
