Bergen County's Department of Public Works manages tree trimming within county road rights-of-way. Property owners need a county permit before pruning, planting, or removing trees that overhang or sit within the county right-of-way.
Bergen County's Shade Tree Division within Public Works has jurisdiction over trees in county road rights-of-way under NJSA 27:16. Residents who wish to trim limbs encroaching on county roads must request work through the county or obtain written permission. Within the rights-of-way of municipal streets, local shade tree commissions established under NJSA 40:64 govern trimming. On private property away from rights-of-way, no county trimming permit applies, but homeowners must avoid harming a neighbor's tree across the property line. Utility-driven trimming along PSE&G or Orange & Rockland lines follows BPU clearance standards.
Unauthorized cutting of county-jurisdiction trees can trigger restitution for tree value, replacement costs, and municipal court fines under NJSA 27:16-26 and local shade tree ordinances.
See how Garfield's tree trimming rules stack up against other locations.
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