Four different kinds of tree law
Almost every regulation you will encounter in this county is one of four types: a street-tree ordinance covering the public right-of-way, a private tree ordinance covering trees above a diameter threshold on private land, a wetland or steep-slope buffer rule, and a historic district overlay.
A village like Scarsdale may regulate a large oak in your back garden. A town that does not regulate private trees at all may still regulate anything inside a wetland buffer — which can run a hundred feet from a stream you did not know you had.
Towns that commonly require approval
The exact thresholds change with each code revision, so treat this as a starting point rather than a ruling on your address.
- Scarsdale — permit required for most removals above the village diameter threshold, with replacement planting as a condition in many cases.
- Bronxville — Village Tree Board review for public and many private removals; expect documentation and photographs.
- Rye — permits for street trees and for removals inside the coastal buffer.
- Larchmont — village approval before removal of a tree above the village threshold.
- Bedford — a tree ordinance that protects heritage trees and requires mitigation planting.
- New Castle (Chappaqua) — tree preservation law applying to larger specimens, with a submission package.
- Mamaroneck, Pelham, Harrison, White Plains — a mix of street-tree and right-of-way rules plus wetland buffers; case by case.
What the application usually needs
Most villages ask for the same core package: a site plan showing the tree's location and the distance to structures, the species, the diameter at breast height, a photograph of the tree, and a stated reason for removal. Some add an arborist report; some require a replacement planting plan; a few require a public notice to neighbors.
We assemble that package as part of the estimate — measurements, photographs and a written justification from a certified arborist carry much more weight with a reviewing board than a homeowner's letter.
Hazard trees and dead trees
Most ordinances have a faster path for dead, dying or hazardous trees, because the town does not want a hazard sitting over a sidewalk. That path still usually requires documentation — a dead tree still standing is easy to photograph, but a live tree with internal decay needs an arborist's written assessment.
If a tree has already fallen or is actively failing, emergency removal is generally permitted first and documented afterward. Keep the photographs.
Property lines and boundary trees
A tree whose trunk straddles the property line is generally jointly owned in New York, and neither neighbor can remove it alone. The correct sequence is a written agreement between both owners, on paper, before a crew arrives.
You may generally prune what overhangs your own property, provided you do not harm the tree or enter the neighbor's land to do it. If the work requires access to their yard, get permission in writing — it is the most common source of disputes we see after a removal.