That overhanging and overgrown hedge outside your home could be putting others at risk—and leaving you responsible. Here’s what you need to know to stay compliant and keep your neighbours safe.
Please cut back overhangIng bushes, hedges and trees
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has asked householders and landowners to make sure that bushes, hedges, plants and trees from their property do not grow out over the public footpath, cycle track or road.
Overhanging plants can be dangerous. They can cause injury to:
- People with visual impairments
- Wheelchair users
- Pedestrians
- Cyclists and
- Drivers.
Your Responsibility
If you own or live in a property, you are responsible for cutting back plants that grow over the public path or road.
Under the Roads Act 1993, property owners and occupiers must take reasonable steps to make sure vegetation on their land:
- Does not make the road unsafe to use
- Does not create a hazard
- Does not block or obstruct the road or footpath
When Can Hedges Be Cut?
To protect nesting birds, hedges should normally only be cut between:
1 September and 28 February
There is one exception:
If road safety is at risk, hedges or branches can be cut back at any time of the year.
What You Can Do
Please take a moment to check your property.
If they do overhang the path or road, please trim them back so people can pass safely.
For more information, see the guidance from Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council at https://www.dlrcoco.ie/news/general-news/householders-are-responsible-cutting-back-hedges-outside-their-boundaries-0.