Full question:
I live in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, NY. Two healthy trees from the corner of my property fell during Tropical Storm Irene. One fell across my yard. One across my rear neighbor's yard. Am I responsible for the cost of having the tree removed from my neighbor's property?
- Category: Trees
- Date:
- State: New York
Answer:
Generally, in cases where trees belonging to one property owner fall on and damage or destroy adjacent property, the tree owner is only responsible for damage if some failure to maintain the tree contributed to the damage. If the damage was solely the result of a thunderstorm or act of God, the tree owner will not be responsible, as the damage could not have been foreseen. If a tree limb appeared precarious and the owner failed to maintain the tree after warnings, the owner may well be responsible for resulting damage when a storm causes the limb to fall. If, however, the tree was well maintained and a storm causes a tree limb to crash into a neighbor's roof, the tree owner is not responsible. If the tree owner allows the tree to grow so that it uproots the fence, it would be considered an encroachment onto the adjacent property. In that instance, the tree owner would be required to remove the offending tree. A boundary tree is one planted on the boundary line itself and should not be removed without mutual agreement.
A neighbor can be held liable only if his failure to maintain the tree in some way contributed to the damage. If the damage was merely the result of a large storm or an act of God, the neighbor will not be liable for the damage, because the damage could not have been foreseen. If a tree limb appeared precarious and the owner failed to maintain the tree after warnings, he is responsible for resulting damage when a storm causes the limb to fall. If the tree was well maintained and a storm knocked it down onto your roof, the neighbor is not responsible.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.
