Property owners may trim trees on their own property. Street trees in City of Troy and Village of Hoosick Falls require municipal permission via DPW. Boundary trees governed by common-law shared ownership.
Trees wholly on private property in Rensselaer County may be trimmed by the owner without permit in nearly all municipalities. The exception is the public right-of-way: Troy Code Chapter 264 and Village of Hoosick Falls Code both require a permit from their DPW (Department of Public Works) to trim or remove any tree in the tree lawn strip between curb and sidewalk, as these are municipal property. National Grid and other utilities have easements for line-clearance trimming under PSC regulation 16 NYCRR 87. Branches overhanging from a neighbor's yard may be trimmed back to the property line at the trimmer's expense under NY common law (Finn v. Morgan, 46 AD2d 229), so long as the tree is not killed. Boundary trees on the property line are owned jointly and neither owner may remove without consent.
Troy Code 264 unauthorized street tree trimming: $250-$1,000 plus replacement cost. Killing a boundary tree without neighbor consent can trigger treble damages under RPL 861 (up to 3x stumpage value plus replacement cost).
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