Southampton Village, NY Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

The duty in § 107-10B falls on the person owning or occupying the real property, not on the Village. It covers trees on any street the property borders, and it names four things a pruned tree cannot obstruct: utilities such as power lines or streetlights, the passage of pedestrians on sidewalks, the vision of traffic signs, and views of any street or drivable intersection. The subsection points to § 95-7, Encroachment prohibited, for the related encroachment rule in the streets and sidewalks chapter.

Section 107-10A gives the Village Arborist, defined in § 107-2 as the Superintendent of the Department of Public Works or a designee, authority to order the pruning, treatment or removal of trees on private land that cause obstructions, present insect or disease problems or are an otherwise present danger to public health or safety. The order is written and carries a time fixed for compliance, and failing to comply within that time is punishable on conviction. Section 107-10C adds a duty to remove, spray or treat diseased or insect-infested trees on property bordering a street, park or other public land so they do not infect, damage or endanger nearby public vegetation or people using the area.

The pruning duty sits beside tree-protection rules. Section 107-11 forbids anyone to intentionally damage, cut, transplant, carve or remove any tree, or to attach advertisements, nails, posters or other apparatus to one. Section 107-12 requires a permit before destroying or removing any tree on a public place, including the Village right-of-way, and § 107-14B requires a written permit from the Village Arborist before changing natural drainage, excavating or laying a drive within a radius of 20 feet from any public tree. Public utilities regulated by the New York State Public Service Commission can trim, prune or maintain a tree to the minimum extent necessary to repair existing utility services without a permit (§ 107-15A).