Vineland, NJ Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Vineland City Code § 682-12A requires every owner of a tree overhanging any street right-of-way in the City to prune the branches so they do not obstruct light from a street lamp or block the view at a street intersection, and so that a clear space of eight feet is maintained above the surface of the sidewalk. The same subsection obligates owners to remove all dead, diseased, or dangerous trees, and broken or decayed limbs, that constitute a menace to public safety. Section 682-12B separately authorizes the City to prune any tree or shrub on private property when it interferes with the proper spread of light along the street from a streetlight or blocks visibility of a traffic control device or sign.

This pruning duty sits alongside the ban on tree topping in § 682-11, which makes it unlawful for any person, firm, or City department to sever limbs to stubs greater than three inches in diameter within a tree's crown so as to disfigure it, unless exempted for storm damage or utility line conflicts at the Tree Committee's discretion. Interfering with the City Tree Committee, or its agents, while pruning, spraying, or removing a street or park tree, or a tree on private grounds under this article's authority, is separately unlawful under § 682-13.

Anyone other than a public service company or City employee who wants to prune, treat, or remove a street or park tree must first obtain the Committee-approved $25 annual permit required by § 682-14, with proof of liability insurance of at least $25,000 for bodily injury and $10,000 for property damage. During emergencies such as hurricanes, windstorms, floods, or freezes, the City may waive Article I's requirements for a specified time under § 682-16B, and the Department of Public Works may immediately remove any tree it determines is hazardous under § 682-16A.