Knowing who maintains which boulevard can be confusing. To help clarify the procedures on boulevard maintenance, we’ve put together this guide to help you determine who is responsible for a specific area.
What is a boulevard
Before we begin, it is important to note what a boulevard is. A boulevard is characterized by the portion of a street on either side of a road. These areas are often recognizable by their greenspace, which usually have grass and trees growing in them. However, this does not include a sidewalk, median or traffic island.
City maintained boulevards
The City owns all of the boulevards in Winnipeg and maintains the ones that meet the below criteria:
- Boulevards beside a regional street;
- Boulevards flanking properties beside a regional street;
- Ditches where grass has never been planted;
- Boulevards at the rear of a property;
- Extended boulevards – meaning a boulevard that is at least 20 feet wide as measured from the roadway to the sidewalk or property line
As of 2015, the City of Winnipeg no longer sprays weeds as per the Manitoba non-essential pesticide use regulations under the Environmental Act.
Homeowner maintained boulevards
Boulevards that are not maintained by the City are the responsibility of the adjacent homeowner to look after. All homes have a boulevard connected to the front of their property and depending on its location, a home can have multiple boulevards. For example, a home that is situated on a corner of a street will also have a side boulevard and home with a backyard facing a collector road will typically have a rear boulevard.
Boulevard depths vary depending on the cross section of each road. Generally, front boulevards will have a depth of 5.25m from the road while rear lane boulevards are 0.62m.
Although a boulevard may be bordering a resident’s property, they cannot own the land because services such as public water and sewer infrastructure lay beneath it.
Property owners are responsible for the following boulevard maintenance:
- Ensuring grass is no more than 15 cm (6 inches) high;
- Ensuring other vegetation, other than turf, is no more than 1.0 m (39 inches) high;
- Controlling noxious weeds (weeding and mowing);
- Keeping the boulevard free of garbage.
From the date of the lot purchase, these boulevards are the homeowners’ responsibility to maintain or enhance as per the City of Winnipeg’s Neighbourhood livability bylaw. To maintain a healthy boulevard, homeowners are encouraged to water the area, pull weeds by hand and only use government-approved herbicides when needed.
If you are a homeowner, please take a look at the City of Winnipeg’s frequently asked questions.
Qualico Communities maintained boulevards
Qualico Communities initially maintains boulevards within RidgeWood West before they are transferred to the City or homeowner to continue upkeep.
These include:
- City of Winnipeg maintained boulevards for their first year
- City-owned public reserve spaces during their first two years;
- Boulevards that do not yet have a homeowner for the first year.
Boulevards maintained by Qualico Communities with one-year warranty periods are mowed every 10 to 14 days and are sprayed with government-approved herbicides, if necessary, to help prevent evasive noxious weeds from spreading.
If you have any questions or concerns about a boulevard in your neighbourhood, please reach out to us at info@ridgewoodwest.com or call 311.
