Yonkers, NY Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 80-18 puts the trimming duty on the private property owner or occupant, not the City: trees standing on any lot or land adjacent to a public highway or public place and having branches projecting into that highway or place must be kept trimmed so the lowest branches are not less than 15 feet from the roadbed and not less than nine feet from the sidewalk level. The Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation can let newly planted trees go untrimmed as long as they don't block pedestrians or a street light.

If an owner or occupant neglects or refuses to trim after written notice, the Commissioner waits one week from the date of that notice, then can send City crews to do the trimming and collect the cost from the owner or occupant. This clearance duty is distinct from § 80-10's permit requirement for cutting, trimming or removing a tree actually growing in the public highway or public place, a City-owned tree; § 80-18 instead covers privately owned trees whose branches merely extend over the public way, and no City permit is needed for the owner to trim them.