Cary, NC Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Sidewalk/greenway clearance
- 8 feet minimum
- Other right-of-way clearance
- 14 feet minimum
- Thoroughfare street clearance
- 16 feet minimum
- Lateral clearance
- 6 inches from pavement edge
- Civil penalty
- $250 plus $250/day
Summary
Cary requires overhanging vegetation above streets, sidewalks and greenways to keep minimum clearance, from eight feet over sidewalks up to sixteen feet over designated thoroughfare streets.
The minimum vertical (overhead) clearance of any vegetation overhanging any street, sidewalk, greenway, bicycle path/lane, or right-of-way or portion thereof shall be eight feet over sidewalks and greenways and 14 feet over all other rights-of-way except thoroughfare streets (as defined by the future roadway widths map of the Imagine Cary Community Plan) which shall have a clearance of 16 feet.
(2) The minimal horizontal (lateral) clearance of any vegetation adjacent to any street, sidewalk, greenway, bicycle path/lane, or right-of-way or portion thereof shall be six inches from each edge of sidewalk, road, or travelway. Greater than six inches is preferred to allow for future growth.
(c) No responsible person shall allow or maintain any fence, sign, shrubbery, hedge, bush, tree, limbs, grasses, mailbox, or other object or combination of objects that obstruct the view of motorists using any street, private driveway, or approach to any street intersection so as to constitute a traffic hazard or a condition dangerous to public safety.
(d) This section does not apply to gates or other obstructions designed to regulate vehicular or pedestrian access and placed by the town, or to objects or improvements placed pursuant to a valid agreement with the town. (Ord. No. 2024-Code-04, 12-12-2024)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2023 S-87_S-57: Current through local ordinance 2022-Code-05, passed 11-17-2022 and effective 11-17-2022 | LDO: Current through local ordinance 2022-LDO-04, passed 11-17-22 and effective 11-17-22).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 18-11 of Cary's Code of Ordinances bars any object, structure, or vegetation from obstructing pedestrians, bicycles, or vehicles on a street, sidewalk, greenway, bike path, or right-of-way. Overhanging vegetation must clear a minimum vertical height of eight feet over sidewalks and greenways, 14 feet over other rights-of-way, and 16 feet over thoroughfare streets identified on the Imagine Cary Community Plan's future roadway widths map. Vegetation must also stay at least six inches back horizontally from the edge of any sidewalk, road, or travelway. The Town Manager enforces the rule inside Cary's corporate limits.
Violations & Fines
Cary issues a written notice of violation with a deadline to trim. If the owner doesn't comply, the town may abate the encroachment itself and bill the cost, plus a $250 civil penalty and $250 for each additional day of noncompliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high must tree branches be over a Cary sidewalk?
Who enforces overhanging tree limits in Cary?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cary
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