Landscaping Rules in New Jersey (2026)

Elizabeth requires a written permit from the department of public works before anyone cuts, prunes, trims, breaks…

Cutting, trimming or otherwise disturbing a tree on a Hoboken street, park or right-of-way requires written permission…

Trimming or removing a tree that sits within or overhangs an Atlantic County road right-of-way requires a written…

In the City of Bayonne, a public utility is barred from pruning any street tree for overhead line clearance without an…

Bergenfield property owners and tenants must keep tree branches, hedges and other plant life along a public sidewalk…

In Bloomfield Township, New Jersey, where the Township Council deems it necessary for public safety, owners must keep…

Cherry Hill Township property owners must care for every tree on their land out to the curb line, and the Director of…

Clifton requires plant life growing within 10 feet of any street or within 50 feet of an intersection or rail crossing…

In the City of East Orange, § 51-193N(1) makes the property owner responsible for trimming or removing any private tree…

Owners of property fronting a Township-planted street tree must trim overhanging branches to keep 15 feet of clearance…

Galloway Township requires owners/tenants to cut brush, hedges and other plant life within 10 feet of a roadway (and 25…

Hamilton Township makes property owners responsible for cutting back trees, shrubs, and hedges within 10 feet of any…

In Howell Township, no one cuts, trims or removes a living tree of four inches or more DBH in a right-of-way without…

Cutting, trimming, pruning, breaking, or sawing any part of a Jersey City tree requires a Division of Forestry permit…

Lakewood Township requires anyone operating a tree cutting, trimming, spraying or removal business within its borders…

In Monroe Township, Gloucester County, every owner of a tree overhanging a street or right-of-way must prune it to…

In Monroe Township, Middlesex County, no person can cut or trim a living tree or shrub in a highway or public place…

In the City of New Brunswick, no one can cut, prune, climb with spikes, break, injure or remove a tree, shrub or plant…

Newark requires written permission from the Director of Public Works before anyone trims, cuts, or prunes a tree on a…

In Parsippany-Troy Hills, owners and tenants must keep brush, hedges and other plant life within 25 feet of a roadway…

In the City of Plainfield, every owner of a tree overhanging a street or right-of-way must trim it to leave a clear…

Village of Ridgewood Code § 190-119E requires every homeowner in a residential zone to keep tree branches trimmed to a…

Toms River property owners must prune any tree overhanging a street or sidewalk to keep at least eight feet of…

When limbs or branches hang over a Trenton street or sidewalk and interfere with free passage, the Department of…

In the City of Vineland, owners of trees overhanging a street right-of-way must prune branches to keep an eight-foot…

In Wayne Township, New Jersey, the owner or tenant of land along a public street must keep the sidewalk area clear of…

Hackensack's zoning code requires street trees to be trimmed and maintained so they provide at least seven feet of…

In the Town of West New York, NJ, cutting a branch or limb of a tree within the lines of a street or public place takes…

Essex County bans damaging, cutting, transplanting or removing any tree or plant across its county park system…

Mercer County makes it illegal to cut, dig up, or remove trees, shrubs, or turf on county-owned property such as parks…

In Bloomfield Township, New Jersey, cutting down or removing any tree with a caliper of six inches or greater, measured…

Brick Township requires a Shade Tree Commission or Engineering Department permit before cutting, removing, or killing…

Burlington County's Parks System Rules and Regulations flatly prohibit cutting, digging up, or removing any vegetation…

Removing, cutting or trimming more than 30% of any tree five inches or greater in diameter anywhere in Cherry Hill…

Clifton requires a permit before cutting down any tree four inches or more in caliper or clearing a site, with fees…

In the City of East Orange, § 51-193O(2) bars anyone from cutting, pruning, breaking, climbing, injuring or removing a…

Elizabeth requires anyone removing a street tree of 2.5 inches DBH or more, or six or more trees at 6 inches DBH per…

Hamilton Code § 550-117 requires written Township approval before removing any tree with a trunk 4 inches or more in…

In the City of Hoboken, no one may cut, remove, or destroy a tree growing on a street, public place, park, or parkway…

In Howell Township, removing trees needs a tree removal permit from the administrative officer unless an exemption…

Jersey City's Chapter 321 bars anyone from damaging, girdling, or cutting a City tree's canopy, requires a Division of…

Long Branch requires a Tree Removal Application before cutting down any street tree 2.5 inches DBH or larger, or any…

In Monroe Township, Middlesex County, a tree removal permit from the Conservation Officer is required to remove any…

In Old Bridge Township, removing any tree with a trunk diameter of six inches or more requires a tree removal permit…

In the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, no person can destroy or remove five or more live trees exceeding…

Removing a street tree with a trunk 2.5 inches or wider in Passaic triggers the city's Tree Replacement Requirements…

In the City of Plainfield, New Jersey, anyone removing a non-street tree with a DBH of six inches or more must file a…

Toms River Township requires a permit before cutting, removing, or destroying any tree in the township under its…

Removing a Trenton street tree of 2.5 inches DBH or a non-street tree of 6 inches DBH requires a City permit and…

In the City of Vineland, § 425-85 of the City Code bars cutting or removing any tree with a diameter breast height of…

Section 129-18 of the Wayne Township Code requires a permit from the Director of Parks and Recreation or a designee…

Nobody may cut, remove, kill or otherwise damage a tree standing in a Woodbridge street or public way without a permit…

Removing or destroying a protected tree in Bayonne requires a permit from the Bureau of Building and a $20 filing fee…

In Bergenfield, cutting, removing, trimming or otherwise disturbing any tree or shrub standing on a public street…

Camden County has no tree-removal permit for private land, that sits with your municipality, but inside its own parks…

No one in East Brunswick Township can remove or destroy a tree of six inches in caliper or larger without a tree…

Trees removed in Edison must be replaced under a size-based formula scaled to the percentage or diameter of trees…

Freehold Township bars injuring, girdling, removing or destroying any tree, defined as a woody perennial four inches or…

Galloway Township requires a tree removal and protection permit for tree removal tied to subdivisions and site plans…

Hackensack folds tree removal into whatever site-plan, building or subdivision permit already covers the property, but…

Irvington requires a written permit from the Division of Public Property before anyone cuts, trims or removes a shade…

In Jackson Township, New Jersey, removing any tree with a trunk diameter of six inches or more requires a tree removal…

Removing any tree 10 inches or more in trunk diameter in Lakewood Township requires a tree removal permit from the…

Linden requires a tree removal permit under City Code § 20-3 before anyone cuts, destroys, removes or trims more than…

In Monroe Township, Gloucester County, the Township Tree Commission can order removal of a dead or diseased private…

In the City of New Brunswick, New Jersey, Chapter 8.48 bars cutting or removing any tree with a diameter at breast…

Removing, killing or destroying a tree on a Newark public street, in a city park, or on private property requires a…

Removing a Paterson street tree of 2.5 inches DBH or larger, or a private tree above the threshold, triggers a…

Piscataway Township Code Section 30-1.4 bars removing or destroying any tree without a tree removal and site clearing…

Beyond the bare permit requirement, Village of Ridgewood Code Secs. 260-9 and 260-10 spell out what a tree removal…

In the Town of West New York, NJ, removing or damaging a public shade tree needs a Building Department permit at $25…

Atlantic County's Public Health Nuisance Code, adopted from the 1953 New Jersey model code, declares the growth of…

Bayonne caps grass, weeds and other plant growth on all premises and exterior property at 12 inches under City Code…

Bergenfield's Property Maintenance Code caps weeds and plant growth at eight inches on every maintained lot. Section…

In Bloomfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey, grass and weeds growth must not exceed nine inches under §…

Brick Township requires owners to keep bushes, hedges, and plant life within 10 feet of any street trimmed to no more…

Cherry Hill Township caps weeds and other plant growth at ten inches on any improved or unimproved lot. Property…

Clifton caps brush, weeds and uncut grass at six inches on any lot in the City. Once growth exceeds that height, the…

In East Brunswick Township, turf grass and weeds on a property cannot exceed 10 inches in height, or 10 inches in…

In the City of East Orange, City Code § 159-62B caps weeds and grasses on any premises at 10 inches in height and bans…

Edison Township requires property owners and tenants to remove weeds, brush, dead trees, stumps and debris within ten…

Elizabeth prohibits letting brush, weeds, or obnoxious growths accumulate on any property when it creates a health…

Freehold Township caps brush, hedges, and other plant growth within 10 feet of any roadway, and within 25 feet of a…

On residential premises (other than multifamily), Galloway Township prohibits weeds or plant growth exceeding 10…

Hackensack requires owners and tenants to keep brush, hedges and other plant life trimmed to no more than three feet…

Hamilton caps grass and weed growth at 10 inches on any residential property covered by its housing code. Section…

In the City of Hoboken, grass and weeds on private property cannot exceed six inches under Section 136-2A(15), and the…

In Howell Township, New Jersey, a general growth of weeds or grass cannot exceed 12 inches under the Property…

Township Code Section 439-28 declares ragweed, goldenrod, poison ivy, poison sumac and other noxious or poisonous weeds…

Jackson Township requires trees, brush, hedges and other plant life within 10 feet of any roadway, and within 25 feet…

Jersey City declares ragweed, poison ivy, high weeds and overgrown brush and grass a public nuisance on any lot…

Every owner, tenant, or person in possession of land in Lakewood Township, whether built on or not, must keep it free…

Linden prints two weed heights. For dwellings, the Housing Code treats a growth higher than six inches above the ground…

Long Branch requires every property owner or tenant to keep grass cut to no more than 12 inches, on any property in the…

In Monroe Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, grass and weeds on the premises of any building cannot be allowed to…

In Monroe Township, Middlesex County, all lots must be kept free from weeds or other plant growth in excess of 10…

In the City of New Brunswick, New Jersey, the Property Maintenance Code requires all premises and exterior property to…

Newark does not set a fixed inch limit on grass or weeds. Instead, owners and tenants of land bordering public…

Old Bridge Township caps weeds and other vegetation on exterior property at 10 inches by locally amending the adopted…

Passaic's property maintenance code requires owners and operators to keep the exterior of every property free of brush…

Paterson can order any lot, yard or land cleared of brush, weeds or debris a municipal officer finds inimical to public…

In the City of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, the owner or tenant of any land must remove cut grass, brush, leaves, weeds…

Piscataway's Property Maintenance Code, adopted at Township Code § 17-1, caps weeds and grass on any exterior property…

In the City of Plainfield, owners, occupants and tenants must remove and destroy all brush, weeds, including ragweed…

Village of Ridgewood Code § 223-59A caps weeds and plant growth on every property at 10 inches and bans poison ivy…

Toms River Township can order owners to clear brush, weeds, high grass, and debris within seven days of notice, then…

Trenton does not set a specific inch or foot height limit on lawn grass, but Chapter 38 declares the growth of noxious…

City Code § 247-1 caps brush, hedges and other plant life at two and a half feet within 10 feet of any roadway and…

Woodbridge property owners and tenants must remove brush, weeds and debris once it becomes a health, safety or fire…

Chapter 213 of the Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Code prints no grass height in inches. Section 213-22 requires…

In the Town of West New York, New Jersey (Hudson County), Chapter 409 adopts the Weed Control Code of New Jersey…

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection may impose statewide or regional water use restrictions during drought…

When the Mayor declares a water emergency, Jersey City can ban all outside watering of lawns and plants or limit it to…

Once Newark's Mayor or the Governor declares a water emergency, the Newark Water Conservation Ordinance bans watering…

In Old Bridge Township, watering restrictions are not a standing seasonal schedule: they exist only as an emergency…

Ridgewood Water restricts lawn irrigation year round to two fixed days a week set by whether an address is odd or even…

Toms River Township restricts lawn and yard watering only when the Township Council formally declares a water emergency…

Bergenfield's water conservation ordinance sets a permanent odd/even hand-held-hose watering schedule for a declared…

In Bloomfield Township, New Jersey, properties can water lawns only two days out of seven, only between 5:00 p.m. and…

Brick Township has no standing watering-day schedule; lawn sprinkling limits only kick in once the BTMUA or Township…

Elizabeth has no standing lawn-watering schedule; instead, the mayor can declare a water emergency by executive order…

In the City of Hoboken, outdoor lawn and landscape watering is capped at two days a week year-round, tied to a…

Jackson Township, New Jersey lets the Mayor cut off nonessential water use once a water emergency is declared…

Lakewood Township only imposes outdoor watering rules once the Mayor declares a water emergency under Code § 16-6.1…

Vineland City Code § 687-149 sets a year-round odd/even outdoor watering schedule for the City of Vineland…

In Wayne Township, New Jersey, water from the Wayne Township water system can be used on lawns and landscaping only on…

Woodbridge has no year-round watering-day schedule. Outdoor irrigation limits only take effect after the Municipal…

Howell Township has no standing watering-day schedule. Chapter 320 lets the Township Manager declare a water emergency…

Linden has no standing watering schedule, but once the City Council declares a water emergency under City Code §…

Monroe Township, Gloucester County, requires every new permanent irrigation or sprinkler system, on municipal or well…

In Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey, lawn sprinkling follows no fixed watering-day calendar. Chapter 127…

In the Town of West New York, New Jersey, lawn watering limits apply only after the governing body adopts a resolution…

New Jersey's statewide stormwater rule, N.J.A.C. 7:8, requires major developments to manage runoff with green…

Newark's zoning code requires wholesale, warehousing, and distribution facilities to install a rainwater capture and…

Toms River Township lets small nonresidential redevelopment projects skip full major-development stormwater review by…

Long Branch's West End Design Overlay (WEDO) District landscape standard calls for passive rainwater harvesting…

Bergenfield's water conservation ordinance exempts outdoor water drawn from rain harvesting, such as rain barrels, from…

Paterson's stormwater code lists cisterns as an approved green infrastructure practice for major development, crediting…

In Howell Township, a multipurpose recreation and sports complex in the SED Zone must make at least 50% of all…

In Monroe Township, Gloucester County, NJ, every application for major development must include a landscaping or…

Jackson Township Code § 244-193B(6) lets property owners plant native species and replace existing nonnative plants…

In the West End Design Overlay (WEDO) District, Long Branch requires landscape plans for infill development to…

Newark's vacant-property maintenance code lists artificial turf or sod as an acceptable way to cover the front, side…

Paterson's code names artificial turf/sod as acceptable yard ground cover, but only inside the maintenance duty owners…

Brick Township's vacant-property code names artificial turf or sod as acceptable ground cover for registered vacant and…

Linden's property maintenance code lists artificial turf or sod as an acceptable yard ground cover for vacant and…

Piscataway Township's only code reference to artificial turf sits in the Abandoned Property ordinance: Property…

In the City of Hoboken, every bin used to collect refuse, recycling or compost must have a properly fitting…

Backyard composting is allowed and encouraged. The Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority (MCMUA) runs two…

Newark allows composting as an accessory use on every residential lot, but Section 41:4-6-5 caps any compost area at…

In the Town of West New York, New Jersey, dwelling units must compost leaves. Leaves are recycled either by composting…

Bayonne lets residents compost leaves on their own property as one way to satisfy the City's mandatory leaf separation…

Bloomfield Township requires a composting location to be a minimum of 10 feet from each property line. Section 611-2…

Clifton hands out free compost, mulch and topsoil to residents at the City Hall Complex whenever supply is available…

Edison Township exempts a compost pile free of discarded foodstuffs from the property maintenance code's refuse…

Jackson Township, New Jersey does not set bin standards for backyard composting; instead, Township Code § 216-23 lets…

Paterson lets residents compost leaves, grass clippings, brush and tree limbs on their own property instead of setting…