Tree Protection in New York (2026)

In the Village of Southampton, a heritage tree cannot be destroyed or removed, and no act can be committed that ends…

The Town Board can designate any tree a 'landmark tree' by resolution under Town Code § 70-8. Once designated, no one…

Clarkstown's Tree Preservation Local Law names two specific landmark trees, a Sycamore at West Nyack's Village Square…

Glen Cove's Tree Commission designates large, rare or historically significant trees as 'specimen trees' and reviews…

Greenburgh's tree code singles out "Trees of Significance": large canopy trees 36 inches DBH or more, medium canopy…

New York City has no separate "heritage tree" program: the Landmarks Preservation Commission designates individual…

Mount Vernon designates a "heritage tree" as one with unique, irreplaceable value for its age, rarity, size, or…

Clarkstown requires a tree removal permit from the Department of Engineering and Facilities Management before cutting…

Any tree New York's Department of Environmental Conservation designates a protected native plant cannot be cut down…

County Code § 712.314 bars removing a protected or specimen tree, or disturbing its dripline, on Westchester…

Huntington's tree code singles out rare and endangered trees for extra protection. Any tree the Town or a state or…

Mount Vernon's tree code automatically classifies any state-listed endangered or threatened tree as a "significant…

Before granting a tree removal permit, Oyster Bay's Department of Parks must weigh whether the tree sits on the New…

Smithtown forces residential subdivisions to cluster, rather than spread across the whole parcel, whenever the land…

In the Town of Hempstead's unincorporated areas, no tree may go into the sidewalk strip in front of a property unless…

In the City of Troy, New York, street trees are required on parcels in the Hoosick Street Overlay District, with…

Westchester County requires written approval from the Commissioner of Public Works and Transportation before anyone…

New construction, major additions and site redevelopment in Albany must plant at least one shade tree per 35 linear…

Amherst's tree code sets minimum setbacks for street trees by size class and bars planting near hydrants, stop signs…

Only a specific list of root-safe species may be planted in the sidewalk strip fronting Town of Babylon properties, to…

Brookhaven's land development standards require street trees with at least a four-inch caliper along all road frontages…

Buffalo requires trees to be planted on the public right-of-way strip between the sidewalk and curb in front of each…

New subdivisions and site plans in Glen Cove without sidewalks or curbs must plant shade trees roughly 40 feet apart…

Property owners in Greece may plant trees in the Town's tree lawn along their frontage only with a highway permit from…

In the Village of Hamburg, street trees must come from Appendix A and be bare root, two to three inches caliper, with…

In the Town of Irondequoit, no one except the Town or its agents can plant, remove, replant or replace a tree or shrub…

In Islip's Mixed-Use Planned Development District, the landscaping standard requires at least one street tree every 40…

Planting a tree anywhere on Mount Vernon public property, including the curbside parkway strip, requires a written…

Nassau County's Department of Public Works controls trees, hedges and shrubbery growing between property lines along…

Planting a tree in a New Rochelle street, parkway strip, or other public place requires a written permit from the…

Before Parks can dig up any street, including the parkway strip between curb and sidewalk, to plant a tree, it must get…

The City of Oneida, Madison County, New York requires street trees to be planted at least 30 feet from intersections…

New or rebuilt one- and two-family homes in Oyster Bay must plant one street tree for every 35 feet of lot frontage and…

Ramapo requires developers to set aside a five-foot shade tree easement along every new lot's street frontage and pay…

Planting, moving or replacing any tree on a Schenectady street or in a city park requires a written permit from the…

Every new subdivision in Smithtown must plant street trees along both sides of each street, spaced 40 to 60 feet apart…

In the Town of Southampton outside the villages, subdivision applicants must plant street trees along both sides of…

In the Village of Southampton, a subdivision must have street trees unless healthy, acceptable trees already stand in…

Syracuse controls what grows in its street rights-of-way. Sec. 22-4 bars anyone from planting a tree in a city street…

Planting any tree, shrub or bush within a Town of Tonawanda street right-of-way outside Kenmore requires a written…

Yonkers controls exactly where and how trees go into the strip between curb and sidewalk. City Code § 80-12 bars…

Town of Clay Code § 200-4.F requires new subdivision street trees to be planted five to 10 feet from the sidewalk, or…

In the Town of Union outside the Villages of Endicott and Johnson City, the Town plants and maintains public trees and…

Suffolk County's Department of Public Works may plant trees and shrubs along the rights-of-way of County roads…