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curious why you want to cut the branches anyway. Get a chair and sit in the shade.
But if they're really a problem, I'd talk to the neighbor 1st. Just to be neighborly ya know.
Trees don't understand property lines. I'm picturing a beautiful tree butchered and looking like crap because of some petty territory issues. Our neighbors flowering bush hangs over our fence and gives me beautiful flowers that I enjoy every year. His Joe Pye weed invades my flower gardens and I tease him about keeping his roving plants at home but the truth is that I love it and it's free. I just move it around to suit my taste. What's the big deal if a branch hangs over in your yard?
My mother is in a similar situation with tree branches hanging into her yard from the neighbor. My mother's house is located on a bank above the neighbors, so the tree is huge. A few years ago, I remember seeing rats or other "animals" climbing around on the branches ... especially at night ... lots of thick ivy around the tree where the critters like to hang out. My mother has a pool and the leaves get into it. Well, my mom talked to her neighbor and it didn't go well, but my mom went ahead and had the branches on her side trimmed and the neighbor can't see it as her house is below and the tree hides anything on my mom's side. It's been 10 years and the tree is in good shape, but no more contact with the neighbor.
I'm always perplexed why people are territorial about tree branches.
I paid my neighbor to plant trees on his property so I could have shade on the west side of my house.
Trees are good!
But if trees are not maintained, they can also be a huge risk. I love trees, and would never trim one just because it went over a property line. However, if a large branch was weak or diseased and threatened to come down and do damage to my house or fencing, than yeah.....something would be done.
like various situations there is no pat answer. Yes, I know there are Village codes and Town codes, and City codes which more than likely allow for a neighbor to trim branches that are hanging over their fence and on their property.
I have a situation such as that myself. My neighbor has a very productive pear tree, so much so that the fruit is so delicious and heavy that the branches hang down so laden with fruit that we must duck or lean out/in to get past them.
I also have two dogs which I let out in the patio area to air and do their business and they enjoy pears as well. Not good when the Indian Summer bees/wasps/yellow jackets/whatever they are, are in a frenzy to partake in the bounty, as they enjoy the sweet nectar of pears as well. Not to mention the fruit and branches which have been so heavy with fruit that they have cracked and fallen in my yard, create quite the mess.
Long story short the pear tree, its branches, beautiful pears and subsequent winged and stinging pests are a nuisance to my pets and family. I spoke with my neighbor and he agreed wholeheartedly that I may trim the tree as I see fit due to the mess and nuisance it has created on my patio.
I am very lucky to have such a gracious and caring neighbor...and I know it.
like various situations there is no pat answer. Yes, I know there are Village codes and Town codes, and City codes which more than likely allow for a neighbor to trim branches that are hanging over their fence and on their property.
Just to clarify, there is no "more than likely", there is a pat answer and it's been given. It's really that simple.
I cut down some branches of my neighbor's tree that were hanging over the fence because they were shading my little citrus trees which need full sun. I didn't butcher the trees and it never occurred to me they'd get mad. As far as I know, they didn't.
Do you know where your property line is? Is there a setback? Since your fence might not be ON the property line but WITHIN the property line, now would be a good time to find that out. I'm the type who would have paid or would pay for a survey and get the property lines MARKED so that IN CASE some OTHER neighbor moves in, we're all squared away with housekeeping things like that. It's a common question with fences. Of course, then that neighbor may demand YOU maintain the extra footage beyond the fence that he thought was his LOL.
And for people questioning why a person wouldn't want tree branches on their fence or hanging over onto their yard, it's a matter of yard maintenance cleaning up after the tree AND the fence, AND if you have dogs, them potentially eating deadly stuff like acorns etc that cause IBD or other GI disturbances.
I guess you never saw all the old trees completely falling over in extreme rain from soggy earth, or branches falling down, or even in Florida, the massive annoyance when there's a weather event.
As a dog walker/pet sitter, I see a TON of people with crap growing UP onto their fence from neighbor's properties AND from dangling branches with crap/weed vines and stuff and that material rots the wood and/or takes the paint/finish off eventually etc.
Good fences make good neighbors and the offended party with a NEIGHBOR'S stuff encroaching is not the "wrong" party.
But yes, I would have discussed it first IF the person was nice, which apparently this one wasn't anyway.
Yes trees are good. If I CHOSE to have them.
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Trees don't understand property lines. I'm picturing a beautiful tree butchered and looking like crap because of some petty territory issues. Our neighbors flowering bush hangs over our fence and gives me beautiful flowers that I enjoy every year. His Joe Pye weed invades my flower gardens and I tease him about keeping his roving plants at home but the truth is that I love it and it's free. I just move it around to suit my taste. What's the big deal if a branch hangs over in your yard?
Well...
It's really that simple.
