Newark, OH Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 1028.01 of the Newark Code of Ordinances applies to any tree, shrub or other planting located between the property line and the curb line of the street. The owner cannot permit overgrowth to extend over any part of the traveled portion of the street or sidewalk. Growth must be trimmed, including removal of limbs and branches, so it is not less than eight feet above the surface of the sidewalk. The owner must also remove all dead or dangerous portions and cut down and remove any such tree, shrub or planting that is dead or decayed.

Section 1028.02 sets the annual cycle. The Director of Public Service publishes in one newspaper in the City, during the first three months of each year, a notice to property owners to trim in accordance with Section 1028.01. If an owner has not complied by May 1 of each year, the Director causes the work to be done at the property owner's expense, in addition to the criminal penalty in Section 1028.99.

Section 1028.05 adds the enforcement steps for hazards. For an immediate threat to public health or safety, the Director or designee can trim or remove without prior notice and leaves a door hanging tag, mailing the owner a letter if the owner is not the occupant. For other cases, a door hanging tag is followed within five working days by mail notification stating the requirement and the reason. The owner then has fifteen calendar days from the mailing to comply, after which City of Newark personnel or a professional service does the work and the owner is billed at a rate published yearly with the Section 1028.02(a) notice. An owner who objects can appeal to the Property Maintenance Review Committee by written notice no later than the fifteenth calendar day after the mailed notification, and a hearing date is assigned within thirty calendar days of receipt. The Committee issues a written order within fifteen calendar days following the hearing, and its decision is final. The appeal does not apply to immediate-threat work. The Director can waive the notice steps during a declared public emergency or state of emergency.