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Cut overhanging branches UK

Updated: October 2026

A limb from next door crosses the fence and a longer pole starts to look like permission. You may be allowed to cut overhanging branches in the UK back to the boundary, from your own side, and you may still need the council, a nest check or a stop for the cables. The collar cut belongs on [how to use a cordless pole saw](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/cordless-pole-pruner/sub/cordless-pole-pruner-how-to-prune) only after this page says the cut is allowed. The [cordless pole pruner comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/cordless-pole-pruner) does not rank tools for this job. Peter F. used GOV.UK, Citizens Advice and council wording on 22 October 2026. We are not your solicitor. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A limb from next door crosses the fence and a longer pole starts to look like permission.

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On this page
  1. 1.How far you can cut
  2. 2.Protected trees and conservation areas
  3. 3.Nests and a felling licence
  4. 4.Power lines

How far you can cut

GOV.UK's note on high hedges, trees and boundaries says you may trim branches or roots that cross onto your land, and only as far as the boundary. You do the work from your side. A pole that reaches into the neighbour's crown, past the fence line, is the wrong reach. If the stub you want is on their side of the line, you ask, or you leave it. The wood you cut still belongs to the tree's owner. Citizens Advice, for an England-and-Wales reader, say to offer the branches back before you compost them or take them to the tip. Glasgow City Council's FAQ makes the Scottish point: do not throw the debris back over the fence. An English form does not clear a Scottish tree. If you are in Scotland or Northern Ireland, use that council's page. A 4 m bullet does not move the fence.

Protected trees and conservation areas

A tree preservation order still applies when the branch happens to hang over your garden. The London Borough of Harrow say written consent is required to prune overhanging branches of a protected tree. That is one council's page, not a form you can reuse in another borough, and the idea matches GOV.UK: an order, or a conservation area, can mean you still need the council. Citizens Advice say a protected tree needs the council even when the tree is yours. Your side of the fence does not cancel the order. In a conservation area the usual English route is six weeks' notice under section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, before you do the work.
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Nests and a felling licence

Even a branch you are allowed to shorten can hide a nest or a cable. GOV.UK's wild-bird guidance makes it an offence to damage a nest that is in use or being built. March to August is not a legal closed season for every garden tree. If birds are using the crown, you wait. A garden side branch is lopping, not felling the stem at the base. A lopping exception under forestry law still does not cancel a tree preservation order or a conservation-area notice. If the work is closer to taking the tree down, stop and ask the council or the Forestry Commission before you treat it as pruning.

Power lines

Electrical Safety First say to keep pole saws 15 m from overhead lines. If the branch is growing through the lines, the network operator is the caller, not a longer shaft from the best cordless pole pruner shortlist.

Common questions

Can you cut a neighbour's branch on your side of the fence?
Yes, as a common-law trim back to the boundary, from your own land, if no extra rule applies. GOV.UK state that limit. You do not cross the line to improve the shape of their tree. A tree preservation order or a conservation area can forbid even the part that overhangs you.
Who owns the wood you cut?
The tree's owner does. Citizens Advice say you should offer the cuttings back rather than keep or dump them without asking. Glasgow's FAQ tells you not to throw the debris back over the fence. Ownership of the sticks is separate from your right to remove them from your side of the boundary.
What if the tree has a tree preservation order?
You need the council's written consent before you prune, including overhanging branches. Harrow publish that point for their borough. Citizens Advice say the same duty can apply when the protected tree is yours. Check the order with the council that made it. Do not rely on a fruit-tree or deadwood exception until you have read whether it covers this tree.
What if you live in a conservation area?
In England the usual step is six weeks' notice under section 211 before the work, unless an exception truly applies. East Herts describe that notice and include a neighbour's tree that overhangs you. Your council's form may differ. Scotland is not cleared by an English section 211 notice.
Does a garden tree need a felling licence for a side branch?
A side branch cut back to the boundary is lopping, not felling the tree. That does not switch off a tree preservation order, and a forestry lopping exception is not permission for a protected tree. If the job is really to remove the tree, ask before you cut. This overhang is a boundary trim, not a licence to fell.
What about birds?
It is an offence to damage a nest that is in use or being built, or the eggs and young. Look for the nest, not for a date range. There is no automatic legal closed season of March to August for an ordinary garden tree. If birds are using the crown, wait until the nest is finished with.
What if the branch is in the power lines?
Do not cut it. Electrical Safety First say pole saws stay 15 m from overhead lines. A branch growing through the wires is a job for the electricity network, not for a battery pole from your side of the fence. Distance is the control. A non-conductive claim on a product listing is not a reason to close that gap.

Related pages

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Pole saw or electric pruning shears: choose a head

How to use a cordless pole saw safely from the ground

Sources

Legal and safety points are from GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, Electrical Safety First, the RHS, Stihl UK and HSE INDG317. Prices and star lines are the saved amazon.co.uk listings for the eleven kept ASINs. Updated 22 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, Tree preservation orders and trees in conservation areas (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 211 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, When a felling licence is needed (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, Wild birds: protection and licences (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, High hedges, trees and boundaries (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Citizens Advice, If you disagree about a tree or hedge (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Electrical Safety First, Pole saws (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. RHS, Tree pruning guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  9. Stihl UK, Chainsaw maintenance (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  10. HSE, Chainsaws at work (INDG317) (retrieved 22 October 2026)