Syracuse, NY Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Who needs the permit
- Public service corporations (utilities) and agents
- Permit issuer
- Commissioner of Parks and Recreation
- Worker ID rule
- Must give name and employer on request
- Related permit
- Sec. 22-5 covers general tree trimming
- Maximum penalty
- $150 fine or 15 days, Sec. 22-11
Summary
In Syracuse, a utility company cannot send crews to cut back trees for overhead power-line clearance without a written permit from the commissioner of parks and recreation. Sec. 22-6 binds that permit's conditions and requires any utility worker trimming under it to identify themselves and their employer to residents on request.
(a)No public service corporation or agent thereof shall trim trees in or on city street rights-of-way or public places for over-head utility line clearance without a written permit from the commissioner of parks and recreation. All conditions contained in said permit must not be violated.(b)All employees or agents of any public service corporation operating under a permit to trim trees for overhead utility line clearance must upon the request of any resident, give their full name, by whom they are employed and for which public service corporation such work is being done.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 41).
Full Breakdown
Revised General Ordinances Sec. 22-6 targets a specific class of tree work: trimming done by a public service corporation, meaning a utility, or its agent to keep tree branches clear of overhead power or telephone lines running along city street rights-of-way and public places. Subsection (a) bars that trimming from happening at all unless the utility first obtains a written permit from the commissioner of parks and recreation, and it holds the utility to whatever conditions the permit contains; trimming beyond what the permit allows is treated the same as trimming with no permit.
Subsection (b) adds an identification requirement aimed at giving residents a way to check the work. Any employee or agent of a public service corporation operating under a line-clearance permit must, if a resident asks, state their full name, who employs them, and which public service corporation the trimming is being done for. That lets a homeowner who sees a crew cutting a street tree near their property confirm the crew is authorized before assuming the trimming is unauthorized property damage.
This permit sits alongside the general tree-maintenance permit in Sec. 22-5, which separately requires anyone, not just utilities, to get a permit before cutting a branch or limb from a street tree; Sec. 22-6 is the utility-specific version tied to power-line clearance work. Violating Sec. 22-6, either by trimming without a permit or by exceeding the permit's conditions, is punishable under Sec. 22-11 with a fine not to exceed $150, imprisonment not to exceed 15 days, or both.
Violations & Fines
A utility or its contractor trimming a street tree for overhead line clearance without a written permit from the commissioner of parks and recreation, or exceeding the conditions of a permit it does hold, violates Sec. 22-6(a). Refusing to identify the crew's name and employer to a resident who asks, as Sec. 22-6(b) requires, is a separate violation. Sec. 22-11 sets the penalty at a fine up to $150, imprisonment up to 15 days, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a utility company need a permit to trim trees near power lines in Syracuse?
How do I know if a tree-trimming crew near my house in Syracuse is authorized?
What is the penalty for trimming a Syracuse street tree without a utility permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Syracuse
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