Before 2025 ended, Bristol Township Council made amendments to two separate ordinances to allow strengthen enforcement against obstructions in public rights-of-way and tackle gaps related to nuisance vegetation.
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The first ordinance changes approved by council recently amends Chapter 175 of the township code to prohibit portable storage containers, roll-off dumpsters and bag-style dumpsters from occupying any area within public rights-of-way, including improved road surfaces and sidewalks.
“We didn’t have a general prohibition of putting portable storage devices that are temporary there – dumpsters, bagsters, anything like that in the streets or on the sidewalks that would obstruct the right of way,” said Township Solicitor Scott Holbert. “We’re just adding that provision to take care of that.”
The ordinance prohibits personal storage containers such as PODs and U-boxes, along with roll-off and bag-style dumpsters, from being placed in public rights-of-way.
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The amendment allows code enforcement officers to address violations of roads and sidewalks being obstructed by these items.
The second ordinance amends Chapter 134 as it relates to nuisance vegetation removal.
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Township officials identified enforcement challenges when weeds and vegetation grow between properties or along curbs.
“There’s times between weeds and things grow onto someone else’s property, grow between fences. And we didn’t specifically prohibit that,” Holbert explained. “There’s some trouble with enforcement of that, so we cleaned up that language to add that prohibition to the nuisance ordinance.”
The vegetation ordinance includes areas where grass or weeds grow between curbs and streets.
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Township Manager Randee Mazur said complaints can be reported to code enforcement by phone and the municipality’s See Click Fix program.
Both ordinances were amended after a routine code review by the township, officials said.
