Albany, NY Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 345 (Trees and Vegetation) makes it unlawful for any person other than the Commissioner of General Services or an authorized agent to cut, trim, prune, spray, brace, plant, move, remove, or replace any tree in any public street or park without first obtaining a Tree and Vegetation (Tree Work) Permit. It is separately unlawful to break, injure, deface, mutilate, kill, or destroy any public tree or to attach any wire, rope, sign, paint, or other substance to one. Topping — defined as severe cutting back of limbs to stubs larger than three inches in diameter within the tree's crown so as to remove the normal canopy and disfigure the tree — is forbidden as a normal practice; only emergency utility line clearance qualifies as an exception.

A narrow homeowner-self-help exception allows manual trimming of branches that overhang public streets or sidewalks if (1) the branches are three inches or less in diameter, (2) they are no more than eight feet above the street or sidewalk surface, and (3) no power tools and no ladder are used. Any work that requires a chainsaw, pole saw, or ladder triggers the Tree Work Permit requirement regardless of branch size. Permits are obtained from DGS at City Hall and typically require a sketch, the tree species, the proposed work, and an arborist credential for the contractor. Public utilities subject to the New York State Public Service Commission can apply for an annual permit valid for one year to perform necessary clearance work on their lines. Trees on fully private property (not in the right-of-way) are generally not covered by Chapter 345 — but historic-district trees and trees subject to a site-plan condition may still require Historic Resources Commission or Planning Board sign-off.