Newport News, VA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Newport News City Code Ch. 40.3
- Permit issuer
- Director of Parks and Recreation
- Regulated trimmers
- Electric, phone, telegraph, cable TV companies
- Violation class
- Class 1 misdemeanor per Sec. 40.3-8
- Per-tree violations
- Each tree trimmed is a separate offense
- Scope
- City property and rights-of-way only
Summary
Any utility company trimming a tree, shrub or other planting on Newport News city property, including street trees and rights-of-way, needs a written permit from the parks and recreation director first. City Code Sec. 40.3-4 covers electric, telephone, telegraph and cable TV companies specifically; trimming without a permit is a Class 1 misdemeanor, with each tree counted as a separate offense.
Sec. 40.3-4. - Trimming by utility companies. No electric light company, telephone company, telegraph company, cable television company or other entity authorized to occupy city property shall trim any tree, shrub, landscape planting or other vegetation located on city property without a permit from the director. ... Sec. 40.3-8. - Violations. (a)Violations of this chapter shall constitute Class 1 misdemeanors.(b)If any person shall commit any of the acts prohibited herein upon more than one (1) tree, shrub, landscape planting or other vegetation, a separate violation of this chapter shall be deemed to have occurred with respect to each such tree, shrub, landscape planting or other vegetation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
3, Vegetation. 3-1 states that the city council found that damage to city trees, shrubs, landscape plants and vegetation on city properties and rights-of-way affects public health, safety and welfare, which is why the chapter's permit system exists. 3-4 targets utility trimming specifically: it bars any electric light company, telephone company, telegraph company, cable television company, or other entity authorized to occupy city property from trimming a tree, shrub, landscape planting or other vegetation on city property without first obtaining a permit from the director.
3-2 defines 'director' as the director of parks and recreation or a designee, so that office issues the trimming permit. 'Person' under that same section excludes city employees performing their duties and anyone else working under the city's lawful authority, meaning a city work crew clearing limbs from a power line does not need its own permit the way an outside utility contractor does. 3 controls; where the other rule is stricter, the other rule controls. 3, which covers all persons rather than just utility companies.
Violations & Fines
Trimming a tree, shrub, landscape planting or other vegetation on city property without the director's permit is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Section 40.3-8, the most serious misdemeanor classification the chapter allows. That section also multiplies exposure: if the prohibited trimming affects more than one tree, shrub, landscape planting or other piece of vegetation, a separate violation is deemed to have occurred for each one, so an unpermitted line-clearing pass through several city trees can generate multiple counts rather than one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a private homeowner need this permit to trim a tree in their own yard?
Who has to get a permit before trimming a city street tree?
What happens if a company trims several city trees without a permit?
Can the city cite a utility under both this rule and another city ordinance for the same job?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newport News
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