Trees on private property in unincorporated Albany County may be trimmed without permit. National Grid handles utility line clearance. Street trees in villages require municipal approval.
Albany County has no countywide tree ordinance; trees on private property can be pruned or removed by the owner without permit in most unincorporated areas. The City of Albany Chapter 337 regulates street trees (within the public right-of-way) with permit required from the DGS Forestry unit; pruning of city-owned street trees is done by Albany DGS. Villages of Altamont, Voorheesville, Menands, Colonie, and Ravena also protect street trees. National Grid, the dominant electric utility in the Capital Region, performs vegetation management along distribution lines on a 4-year cycle with customer notification; homeowners can request voluntary pruning or removal of hazard trees near lines via National Grid's tree program. Dead or hazardous trees overhanging a neighbor's property may trigger civil liability under common law; NY neighbors can trim overhanging branches to the property line without permission.
Damaging a street tree in the City of Albany is a Chapter 337 violation with fines typically 100 to 500 dollars plus replacement value of the tree.
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See how Albany County's tree trimming rules stack up against other locations.
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