Bethel, CT Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 103-8 of Chapter 103, Trees, applies to any tree that is not itself growing in a park or public highway but whose branches extend over one. The owner, or their agent, must maintain that overhang so there is a clear height of at least 14 feet above the surface of the adjoining public park or highway, unobstructed by branches or foliage. The same section makes the owner responsible, at their own expense, for removing dead wood, broken branches or stubs that the Tree Warden judges to be a hazard to travelers or vehicles passing beneath.

This maintenance duty sits alongside the Town's control over trees actually growing within a public highway or park: § 103-3 bars cutting, pruning or spraying a public tree without the Tree Warden's permission, and § 103-7 requires the Tree Warden's approval of species, size and type before any new tree is planted in a park or public highway. Because § 103-8 targets a privately owned tree whose canopy crosses onto Town land, it is one of the few places in Chapter 103 that reaches private property directly, rather than trees the Town itself owns and controls.

A violation of the 14-foot clearance rule, like any other violation of Chapter 103, is a misdemeanor under § 103-9, carrying a fine of up to $100 on conviction.