Norfolk, VA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Norfolk Code of Ordinances § 45-22 declares a tree, shrub or other vegetation a public nuisance in several situations tied directly to street and sidewalk clearance: under § 45-22(b), any tree or shrub on city-owned or private property that dangerously obstructs the free passage of pedestrian or vehicular traffic is a public nuisance, and under § 45-22(c), one that dangerously obstructs the view within the 'visibility triangle' defined in the city's street tree planting and location standards is also a nuisance. Enforcement runs through §§ 45-23 through 45-25.

On city-owned property, the director prunes, removes or otherwise treats the nuisance directly. On private property, the property owner or agent must abate it; the director first sends written notice under § 45-24, served personally, posted on the property, or mailed to whoever received the last real estate tax bill, describing the offending tree, its location, why it was declared a nuisance and the deadline to fix it. Failure to abate within that deadline is itself a violation of chapter 45. If the deadline passes without action, § 45-25 lets the director abate or remove the obstruction at the owner's expense, adds an administrative fee set under the Code of Virginia and approved by the city manager, and turns unpaid costs into a lien on the property collected the same way as delinquent real estate taxes through the city treasurer.

This obstruction-nuisance track is separate from the resident tree-trimming permit process for city street trees between the curb and sidewalk; that permit program covers voluntary pruning by trained residents, while §§ 45-22 through 45-25 cover mandatory clearance when growth already blocks traffic or sight lines.