Homeowner Services

Landscaping Services

Our well maintained landscape is a great feature of WAMB. It includes vistas, common areas, small secluded courtyards, and flower gardens.

Below is a brief outline of the lot maintenance program.

Common Area lawn maintenance is the responsibility of the Woods Community Association. All common area lawns are kept well groomed throughout the community

Keeping the lawn well maintained includes fertilizer and weed control applications which will sustain turf in a consistently healthy condition and keep the lawn at a green color consistent with the rest of the streetscape as well as minimize weeds. The fertilizer and weed control products are applied by the Woods Community Association’s contractor in accordance with the regulations set forth by the State of Maryland.

In all instances, all lots within WAMB must be well maintained.

MOWING. Grass areas will be cut every 7-10 days at a height of 3-3 ½ inches. All small debris will be removed prior to cutting. Trimming of grass around fences, trees, plant beds and light poles will be done with string trimmer.

GRASS EDGING/ MULCH BED EDGING. All sidewalks and driveways will be edged twice per month April thru October. All curbs will be edged the same day as sidewalks. All debris created on sidewalks, driveways and curbs will be cleared away with a blower. All tree, shrub and flower beds will be manually edged one time during spring mulching to create a 3” deep border.

FERTILIZATION. Lawns (turf) are fertilized 4 times a year: April, May, September and October. All ornamental trees and shrubs are fertilized once in the spring.

WEED CONTROL. All grass areas will be treated for crabgrass twice in the spring. All grass areas will be treated for broadleaf weeds (clover) as necessary from May through October. All areas adjacent to curbs and pavement will be treated once per month April thru October. All tree, shrub and flower beds will be weeded by hand and/or sprayed to maintain good appearance at all times.

PRUNING. All trees will be pruned once during the dormant season (December-March). Large limb removals (over 6” diameter) or work which otherwise requires a special tree crew will be pruned at the homeowner’s expense. Pruning of trees away from lights and to provide clearance of walkways will be done during each pruning cycle.

LEAF REMOVAL. Leaf Removal will occur four times a year: twice in November, once in December and once in January.

MULCHING. All trees, shrubs and flower beds will be mulched once in the spring with a high quality dyed mulch and spot treated again with mulch in the fall as needed in order to maintain a good appearance.

INSECT AND DISEASE TREATMENTL. Insects and diseases are treated and performed on an as-needed basis.  No tall native tree treatments are included. Spraying for insects with regard to roses and fruit trees is not part of the landscape specifications.

OVERSEEDING. Up to ½ of the total lawn area throughout the community will be aerated and over seeded once a year in the fall. Additional seeding or sod installation will be at the homeowner’s expense. On occasion, the allocation of services included in the contract may be re-allocated by management in order to address the current needs of the community on any given year. For example, we may elect to increase the number of prunings from three to four times per year and reduce the mulching to one per year.

PARTY CLEAN-UP. Party cleanups are at the discretion of the HOA.

Excluded Landscaping Services

Watering: The watering of lawns and plants is the homeowner's responsibility. The HOA is responsible for the watering of common areas only.

Replacement of Dead Plants: Homeowners should contact the City of Gaithersburg to discuss the removal of dead trees. The HOA is not responsible for automatically removing dead shrubs, trees or plants seen on a homeowner's lot. The HOA will provide removal service for dead trees on the common areas especially where saftey is a factor. All landscape changes to homeowner lots, including new landscaping beds and installations, must be approved in writing by the HOA. (Contact the WAMB HOA for a Modification Application). The HOA is not responsible for trees, shrubs, groundcover or lawn areas that die if the homeowner has hired a landscape maintenance service to work in tandem with the Association's landscape contractor. The HOA is also not responsible for any homeowner's personal remedy or treatment of trees, shrubs, groundcover or lawns.

Grading of Lawn Areas: The HOA does not regrade lawn areas, such as filling low spots or leveling high ground areas or correcting drainage problems. The homeowner is responsible for regrading/repairing problem areas that develop.

Annual Flower Maintenance: Homeowners are responsible for planting, maintaining, and removal of annuals. Homeowners may contract with the Landscape Maintenance contractor for some of these services.

Maintenance of Pre-existing Trees: Trees which were existing on the homeowner's lot before the house was built, both naturally occurring and ornamental, are the responsibility of the homeowner, including all pruning, watering, fertilizing, insect/disease control, and removal/replacement of dead trees.

Mowing of Natural Wooded Areas and/or Removal of Existing Natural Thicket: Natural wooded areas are left in their natural state, including 'scrub brush' and thicket. The HOA does not mow these areas. Should a homeowner want to make changes to his landscape, a Modification Application form must be submitted to the HOA prior to work being started. Please contact the HOA at hoa@woodsatmuddybranch.net for more information.

Removal/Relocation of Wild Animals:: Wild animals, including deer, moles, rabbits, and snakes or dead animals, are not removed or relocated by the HOA as part of its Pest Control Program. It is the homeowner's responsibility to hire appropriate contractors to remove/relocate animals from their lots.

Neighborhood Watch

Please report any suspicious activity to local city or county police

Trash Removal Services

Waste Management of Maryland, Inc. is under contract with Woods at Muddy Branch Association to remove residential household trash. You may contact Waste Management at 301-340-0774.

Waste Management of Maryland, Inc. begins trash removal services at 7:00am on Wednesday and Saturdays.

WAMB TRASH REMOVAL SERVICES - Regular Household Trash It is important that you have your trash outside for collection by 7:00am on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Trash should be placed curbside in front of your house inside lidded cans. Trash cans inside, or behind, the garage door will not be picked up. All trash inside trash cans MUST BE bagged.

RECYCLABLES Recyclables pick-up is a City of Gaithersburg provided service and are picked up on Thursday. Should you have any questions about what you should recycle or any associated matters and to request your recycling container, please call the City of Gaithersburg at (301) 258-6370. Recyclables are to be placed at the curb by 7:00am on Thursday in the green container provided by the City for that purpose. Please put your plastics in the bottom of the container and your newspapers either inside a paper bag or tied with a string, on top. Boxes must be flattened, tied with string, and placed at curbside.

BULK / OVERSIZED REFUSE ITEMS "Bulk items" include, but are not limited to, televisions, sofas and furniture, computers, mattresses and frames, construction debris, roof trusses, carpeting and carpet padding, bicycles, tires, microwaves, or any other related bulk/oversized items. Should you have the need to dispose of these items, place curbside on the first Thursday of the month. This is a free bonus service provided to the residents of WAMB only by the City of Gaithersburg. Conversely, you may also contact the City of Gaithersburg at (301) 258-6370 to schedule a bulk item pick-up. For up-to-date information and rules regarding City provided pick-ups, please refer to their website at www.gaithersburgmd.gov.

APPLIANCES Appliances including, but not limited to, refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, BBQ-grills, and dryers can be picked up on your regular bulk recycling collection day (irst Thursday of the month), as these items are considered "Scrap Metal" by the City of Gaithersburg. You should call the city at (301) 258-6370 no later than 9:30am on the business day BEFORE your collection day to schedule a pick-up. The appliance must be placed at curbside on the scheduled day; for safety reasons, please remove the doors from any refrigerator or freezer prior to setting it out for removal. For up-to-date information and rules regarding City provided pick-ups, please refer to their website at www.gaithersburgmd.gov. You may wish to make arrangements to have your old appliance(s) removed by the company that delivers your new appliance(s).

YARD WASTE / TRIMMINGS Homeowners may dispose of normal yard waste by placing the waste material in brown paper bags or in special biodegradable bags (Kraft bags) and placing them at the curb on your regular recycling collection day. Branches must be tied in reasonably sized bundles and placed at the curb. Large logs and/or tree limbs must be broken down or cut into manageable sizes for pick-up. For up-to-date information and rules regarding City provided pick-ups, please refer to their website at www.gaithersburgmd.gov. Questions or problems with yard waste pick-up services should be referred to the City of Gaithersburg at (301) 258-6370.

UNACCEPTABLE REFUSE / HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Waste Management, Inc. will not accept any items considered “hazardous” such as batteries, paint, paint thinners, pesticides, swimming pool chemicals, etc. as part of their pick-up service. The City of Gaithersburg should be contacted to handle disposal of hazardous items such as those mentioned above. Please call (301) 258-6370 for information about collection sites and dates for disposal of hazardous wastes. Potomac Disposal, Inc. will also not accept items whose size, composition or placement may damage their equipment during operation. These items include, but are not limited to: metal components, mortar, brick, cement blocks, plasterboard, steel doors, pallets, and other large wood frame items. The HOA cannot pick up and dispose of hazardous materials or other items as described in the above paragraph.

The Weather Program

In the event of inclement weather, the City of Gaithersburg has an agreement in place with a private contractor to address the snow/ice removal. Generally, the policy is that snow is removed by the combined efforts of Montgomery County and the City contractor by plow from community streets when the snowfall totals two inches (2”) or more. Should the snowfall total be less than two inches, it is generally the contractor’s policy to treat any impassable or unsafe areas with ice melting products. Common area sidewalks are also cleared and treated with ice melting products where deemed necessary.

In the event of icy road conditions, the contractor will generally treat those areas in need with an ice melting product. Additionally, the City passes through the community with sanding trucks. City ordinance requires that residents clear the sidewalks adjoining their own lots within twenty four (24) hours of the end of precipitation.

Woods at Muddy Branch is not responsible for removing snow from private driveways.

The HOA’s goal in snow plowing is to provide passable streets to its residents as quickly as possible after significant snowfalls of two inches (2”) or more. The HOA monitors road conditions within Woods and stays abreast of National Weather Service forecasts as well as local radio and television reports. The commencement of snow removal may vary at the discretion of the City depending on the specific circumstances of each storm.

Should you become stranded on any of WAMB’s streets during evening hour or weekend snow storms, please contact your preferred private contractor.

Modifications Process

Modification Applications:

Modification Applications may be submitted at any time. HOA meetings are held randomly every other month. However, applications are reviewed via email in between meetings.

1. Complete an application form. The Modifications Application Form can downloaded here. You may also request this form via email at hoa@woodsatmuddybranch.net.

2. Read your homeowner's manual and this manual for a full understanding of the architectural guidelines and architectural review process.

3. Develop your plan in writing (consider the impact on your neighbors).

4. Submit the completed application and all required adjacent neighbor signatures, plans and specifications, as clearly and thoroughly as possible, to the HOA via email at hoa@woodsatmuddybranch.net.

5. Your application will be processed by the HOA on a first-come first-served basis.

6. A board member of the HOA will review your application to determine if the information provided is sufficient for the HOA to be able to review it. If not, you will be asked to provide additional information.

7. The completed application is then forwarded to all members of the board for their consideration and response.

8. The HOA will provide you with their written response (approval, disapproval, approval with conditions or current status) through email within ten (10) days after the full and complete application package has been received.

9. If an application for review is rejected, the applicant is free to request that the HOA reconsider its position and may present new or additional information, which might clarify the request or demonstrate its acceptability.

10. All changes, alterations, or modifications approved by the HOA shall be completed in accordance with the approved plans within a period of six (6) months from their commencement. The commencement of the work shall occur within three (3) months after approval by the HOA.

11. Approvals of Modifications that have not been completed within one year from the date of approval are considered null and void and owners must reapply for approval of the modification.