Bristol, PA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 25-106 of the Bristol Borough Code puts the trimming duty on the property owner, not the Borough. Every shade tree must be kept trimmed by the owner of the property on or in front of which it is located. Two standards apply. First, the tree cannot interfere with the proper lighting of public highways by the street lights. Second, the minimum clearance of any overhanging portion over a public highway is nine feet.

The reach of that nine-foot rule depends on two definitions in § 25-101. A shade tree is any tree, shrub or other woody plant on any public highway in the Borough, or the part of one that extends within the lines of a public highway. A public highway is any street, sidewalk or alley open to the public. A branch hanging over a sidewalk or alley in Bristol Borough therefore falls under the same minimum as a branch hanging over a street.

The nine-foot figure is a floor. The section gives Borough Council authority to designate a higher clearance on any public highway where heavy traffic or other conditions make it expedient.

Enforcement runs through Council. If an owner neglects or refuses to trim, Council sends notice in writing with a time limit. When that time limit passes, Council can have the trimming done at the owner's expense. The entire cost becomes a lien on the premises, and the Borough Solicitor files and collects the claim in the same manner as municipal claims.

Two neighboring rules matter before anyone climbs a ladder. Section 25-107 separately bars cutting, breaking, climbing with spurs or injuring any shade tree without a permit, except in case of immediate necessity for the protection of life and property, and the Code does not carve routine trimming out of that sentence. Section 25-110 bars pouring salt water, oil or any other material where it could injure a shade tree.