If you have a sidewalk problem, it most likely involves damage caused by trees. Here’s what you can expect when working with the city to repair the problem areas.
You (or your contractor) will need to obtain two permits: one for the concrete work and one for the tree work. The tree permit will likely trigger a visit by the city’s forester to assess the situation.
A few things we learned from our meetings with the city….sidewalk shaving and small fill-ins are not permitted. We see lots of these around the neighborhood but the city was clear it’s no longer ok. Also, the city was very clear they want to preserve our trees. There is definitely not a bias towards removing our old trees to replace them with smaller ones.
Once the damaged sidewalk sections have been removed, the city forester will want to look at the exposed root structure, and make recommendations for root pruning and shaving. The city forester will need to approve the tree work before the new concrete is poured.
We have included contact information, permits, and links in this website. Please let us know if you have suggestions for additional information we can include.
Concrete Permit
Engineering/ConcretePermitApplication.pdf
Click “Street Tree Permit” under Public Works Permits tab
Tree Permit
StreetTreePermitApplication.pdf
Click “Engineering Permit” under Public Works Permits tab
City Tree Resources
(list of licensed city arborists, tree planting guidelines, and approved trees)
Public Works-Urban Forestry
City Contacts
Bureau of Urban Forestry
610-865-7073
David Shaffer City Forester, ISA Certified Arborist
City of Bethlehem Forms and Permits
Michael Alkhal, P.E.
Section Engineer
610-865-7050
Bethlehem City Government
