Bergenfield, NJ Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 291-4 of Chapter 291, Trees, imposes two separate trimming duties. First, it makes every property owner or tenant responsible for maintaining shade and ornamental trees, hedges and other plant life on their land so that the lowest branches overhanging a public sidewalk stay no lower than 14 feet six inches above ground level. Second, for public-safety sightlines, the section lets the Police Department or the Mayor and Council order an owner or tenant to cut back, to a height of no more than 2 1/2 feet, or remove entirely, shrubs, bushes, hedges or other plant life growing within 10 feet of a street and within 25 feet of a street intersection; growth farther back, up to 25 feet, can also be ordered cut with written notice if the Chief of Police or Mayor and Council find it necessary for safety.

Under subsection B, the Borough must give the property owner or tenant 10 days' written notice before it can act, and if the Police Department and Mayor and Council disagree about the need for the work, the Mayor and Council's decision controls. If the owner or tenant still does not comply after notice, subsection C lets Borough crews enter the property and cut back the growth themselves, and subsection D lets the Borough certify the reasonable cost of that work against the land, adding it to the property's next tax bill. This section works alongside § 291-5, which separately requires owners to repair sidewalks made uneven by tree roots.