Avoiding Encroachment

Avoiding Encroachment (1)

As the weather warms up it brings increased yard, landscaping, and building projects. As you may start such projects, Draper City requests that you contain these projects to your own property and be watchful to not encroach on adjoining properties.

Draper City is fortunate to have many parks, trails, and open spaces. This also means there are many residents whose property borders or abuts city-owned property, where encroachment can happen unknowingly or inadvertently. Encroachment is using city-owned property in a manner that’s your own — as in landscaping, installing fencing or other structures, or making other improvements to the property. Or it can include using city property for discarding what you don’t want on your own property, including yard waste, garbage, or other debris.

City property includes trails and open space, conservation easements of various kinds, parks, and miscellaneous properties. You can see maps of various kinds, including interactive, at Draper City’s website. Find the full City Code describing encroachment here.

Checking Property Boundaries

How do you know if you’re encroaching on city properties? Check your boundaries! For a quick glance to determine if your property abuts Draper City property check out the Salt Lake County parcel map. The most foolproof way to know where your property ends and city property begins is to have your property professionally surveyed. Please confirm that any of your structures, fences, landscaping, sprinkler lines, or accesses to your property are not on and don’t run through Draper City property. Be sure to:

  • Not use city property to access your yard or your private property
  • Not drive on city trails or open space
  • Not dump on city property (garbage, yard waste, construction spoils, fill material, etc.)
  • Not dump grass clippings, pulled weeds or branches over the fence. City open space — including trails — is not for yard waste. 
  • Not use or treat city property as your own; it is public property, for everyone

Questions 

Check the Encroachment FAQs below to for commonly asked questions. Contact the City with additional questions, comments, or concerns.

Draper City is in the process of inventorying all city-owned property and identifying encroachments. Stay informed by:

  1. What is encroachment?
  2. What is city-owned property?
  3. What is Draper’s city code regarding encroachment?
  4. How do I check my property boundaries? Where does my property stop and city property start?
  5. How do I know if the big open space next to my property is city property?
  6. Can I landscape the city property bordering mine?
  7. Can I install fencing on the city property bordering mine, to keep the deer out of my garden?
  8. Can I dump my grass clippings onto the open space on the other side of my fence?
  9. Can I dump my pulled weeds over my fence bordering city property?
  10. Can I deposit the spoils from my construction project on the empty city property next to mine?
  11. Can I put the extra dirt I dug up from installing my koi pond on the city easement by my property?
  12. Can I dump my garbage on city property?
  13. Can I put a driveway across the open space by my house to access my property more easily?
  14. Can I install an unpaved access to my property that crosses city property?
  15. Can I just drive across the dirt field the city owns to access my own property?
  16. Can I run sprinkler lines across the unused city property next to my own property?
  17. Can I use city trails to access my own property?
  18. No one else uses it, so why not?
  19. What’s the penalty for encroachment?
  20. How do I report my neighbor’s encroachment?
  21. How do I anonymously report encroachment I see happening?
  22. Where can I get updates on city code issues like encroachment?
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