| 17 | 17 | | |
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| 18 | 18 | | Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | Introduced by: |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | (JUD) |
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| 23 | 23 | | |
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| 24 | 24 | | AN ACT CONCERNING A PROPERTY OWNER'S LIABILITY FOR THE EXPENSES OF REMOVING A FALLEN TREE OR LIMB. |
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| 25 | 25 | | |
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| 26 | 26 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: |
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| 27 | 27 | | |
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| 28 | 28 | | Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2017) (a) If a tree located on private real property, or a limb from such tree, falls on an adjoining private property owner's land, the owner of the real property from which such tree or limb fell shall be presumed liable for the expenses of removing such tree or limb from such adjoining private property owner's land, if, prior to such tree or limb falling: (1) An arborist inspected the tree and documented that the tree or limb was diseased, decayed or damaged and likely to fall within five years of the date of such inspection; (2) the adjoining private property owner provided written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner of the real property from which such tree or limb fell that the tree or limb was diseased, decayed or damaged and likely to fall within five years of the date of such inspection and requested that the condition be cured by removal, pruning, spraying or any other appropriate method; and (3) the owner of the real property from which such tree or limb fell failed to cure the condition by removal, pruning, spraying or any other appropriate method within ninety days of the date of receiving such written notice. No property owner shall be required to provide access to his or her property for inspection by an arborist. An arborist's inability to access property for such inspection shall not waive the requirement of this subsection that an arborist make a determination that a tree or limb is diseased, decayed or damaged and likely to fall within five years of the date of such inspection. Written notice provided by a private property owner pursuant to this subsection shall be deemed personal to the particular owner providing such notice and shall not run with the land. |
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| 29 | 29 | | |
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| 30 | 30 | | (b) The presumption in subsection (a) of this section may be rebutted upon a showing that: (1) After notice is given as described in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, an arborist inspected the tree or limb and documented that the tree or limb was not diseased, decayed or damaged and likely to fall; or (2) such tree or limb fell due to a reason other than the condition described in such notice, including, but not limited to, a motor vehicle collision, fire, lightning strike or other act of God. |
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| 31 | 31 | | |
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| 32 | 32 | | (c) The provisions of this section shall not affect any rights of a policyholder under a liability insurance policy, except that the insurance company that issued such insurance policy may deduct from any amount owed to such insured for a covered loss arising from such tree or limb falling, the amount recovered by the policyholder pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, to the extent that such amount would have been a covered loss under such insurance policy. |
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| 33 | 33 | | |
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| 34 | 34 | | (d) The provisions of this section shall not be construed to limit any person's right to pursue any additional civil remedy otherwise allowed by law. |
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| 35 | 35 | | |
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| 36 | 36 | | (e) As used in this section (1) "private real property" does not include: (A) Real property owned by a political subdivision of the state, a water company, as defined in section 25-32a of the general statutes, or a nonprofit organization qualified as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time; (B) real property that is subject to a conservation easement held by such nonprofit organization; (C) timber land as described in section 12-97 of the general statutes; or (D) farm land, forest land or open space land as such terms are defined in section 12-107b of the general statutes; and (2) "arborist" has the same meaning as provided in section 23-61a of the general statutes. |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | |
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| 41 | 41 | | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: |
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| 42 | 42 | | Section 1 October 1, 2017 New section |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: |
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| 45 | 45 | | |
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| 46 | 46 | | Section 1 |
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| 47 | 47 | | |
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| 48 | 48 | | October 1, 2017 |
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| 49 | 49 | | |
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| 50 | 50 | | New section |
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| 51 | 51 | | |
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| 52 | 52 | | |
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| 53 | 53 | | |
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| 54 | 54 | | JUD Joint Favorable |
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