Landscaping Rules in Yonkers, NY (2026)
4 verified landscaping rules for Yonkers, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Property owners whose trees overhang a Yonkers street or sidewalk must keep the branches trimmed to a minimum 15 feet above the roadbed and 9 feet above the sidewalk. City Code § 80-18 lets the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation order the trimming done at the owner's expense if ignored after written notice.
Yonkers Requires Street Tree Clearance Trimming
Some RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 80-18
Trees standing on any lot or land adjacent to any public highway or public place and having branches projecting into the public highway or place shall be kept trimmed by the owner or owners or occupant of the property on which such trees are growing so that the lowest branches shall not be less than 15 feet from the roadbed and not less than nine feet from the sidewalk level.
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Cutting, removing, or even climbing a tree in any Yonkers public highway or public place is unlawful without a written permit from the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. Permit applications are referred to the city's Shade Tree Commission for approval.
Yonkers Protects Street Trees: Permit Needed to Cut or Remove
Significant RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 80-10 (Permit to cut, trim or prune)
Except upon order of the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, it shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation ... without a written permit from the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, to remove, destroy, cut, break, climb or injure any tree or portion thereof that is planted or growing in or upon any public highway or public place within the City of Yonke...
Weed Ordinances
Yonkers City Code § 69-1 bars property owners from letting noxious weeds, long grass or rank growths stand. After a written notice from the Commissioner of Public Works and five days' default, the city cuts the growth and bills the owner.
Yonkers Weeds and Long Grass: City Abates and Liens
Some RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 69-1(A), (B)
A. No person or corporation shall permit noxious weeds, long grass or other rank growths or growths which are harmful, poisonous or detrimental to health on real property owned by him or it. B. Upon due notice, in writing, by the Commissioner of Public Works of the City of Yonkers given to such owner to cut, trim, remove or otherwise eliminate such noxious weeds, long grass or other rank growth...
Composting
Yonkers Code § 92-4(E) makes clear that its mandatory recycling law does not stop residents from composting garden and yard waste on their own property. No permit, registration or bin standard applies; composting is exempt from the source-separation and curbside set-out duties that otherwise govern yard waste under Chapter 92.
Yonkers Allows Backyard Composting, No Permit
Few RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 92-4(E)
§ 92-4. Responsibility of residential waste generators. E. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit private composting of garden and yard waste by a residential waste generator on the residential generator's own property. § 92-6. Responsibility of nonresidential waste generators. E. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit private composting of garden and yard waste ...
Looking for Westchester County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Yonkers city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Westchester County →