14/06/2026
🌳 Can You Cut Your Neighbour's Tree Back to the Boundary? 🌳
This is one of the most common questions we get asked as tree surgeons.
The short answer is yes, in most cases you have the legal right to remove branches that overhang your property back to the boundary line.
However, there are some important things that many people don't realise:
✅ The work should normally be carried out from your own property.
✅ You don't automatically have the right to enter your neighbour's land or climb their tree without permission.
✅ Any cut branches technically still belong to the tree owner and should be offered back to them.
Most importantly...
❌ Just because you can cut back to the boundary doesn't mean you should remove an entire side of the tree.
From an arboricultural perspective, severe one-sided pruning can:
• Damage the tree's health
• Create large wounds that may lead to decay
• Cause structural imbalance
• Increase the risk of future branch or tree failure
• Reduce the tree's life expectancy
Many mature trees have developed their shape over decades. Removing a whole side of the canopy simply because it crosses a boundary can leave the tree stressed, disfigured and potentially unsafe.
The law gives you the right to remove encroaching branches, but that work should still be reasonable and carried out with proper consideration for the tree. If excessive pruning causes damage or contributes to the decline of the tree, liability can become a much more complicated issue.
In our experience, the best solution is usually for both neighbours to discuss the issue and agree on a sensible level of pruning that manages the problem while maintaining the tree's health and structural integrity.
A good tree surgeon doesn't just ask "What can we cut?" — they also ask "What should we cut?"
🌳 Trees and neighbours both tend to do better when common sense is applied.
below (left) is an example of a tree that can easily be cut back to the boundary with no issues ,(right) is one that would be limited in what you can do !
