Tree Removal in Hackensack, NJ

Tree removal in Hackensack covers many kinds of property. The city has suburban single-family streets, older two-family blocks, large garden apartment complexes, and a residential high-rise district running about a mile along Prospect Avenue between Beech and Passaic Streets. Only 36.6% of homes are owner-occupied, so the person deciding about a tree is often a landlord, a property manager or a condo board rather than whoever lives beside it.

The city's notification form comes first

Since April 2024, Ordinance No. 17-2024 (Chapter 162 of the city code) has regulated most tree removals in Hackensack. Before a covered tree comes down, a Tree Removal Notification Form is filed with the city DPW, with a certification signed by the property owner. Covered trees are those with trunks of at least 6 inches measured at breast height, about 4.5 feet up, or 2.5 inches or more for street trees in a sidewalk, planting strip or right-of-way. The form asks for a simple plan marking each tree with an X, its diameter and the structures around it. We measure and photograph the trees during the free estimate, which makes that plan easier to draw.

How the replacement table works

Section 162-8 scales replanting to trunk size. A covered tree up to 12.99 inches calls for one new tree; one between 13 and 22.99 inches calls for two; 23 to 32.99 inches means three; and anything 33 inches or larger means four. Replacements must be at least 1.5 inches in caliper. If they cannot be planted on the property or in an approved separate area, the owner pays $350 per tree removed into the city's tree planting and maintenance fund. Hazard trees, as the ordinance defines them, are exempt from both the payment and the replanting (Section 162-9). Read the ordinance or call the DPW to see how it applies to your property; this page summarizes it and is not legal advice.

Notes for landlords and condo boards

If you manage a rental or an association, a few steps keep the day simple: give tenants the date in advance, mark which parking spaces need to stay empty, and choose one person to sign off on the written quote. On apartment grounds we set out cones and keep walkways open while we work, and we schedule around trash pickup and resident parking. The quote lists every tree by location, so a board approves exactly what was priced.

Big trees on small city lots

With close to 11,000 people per square mile, Hackensack leaves little room to drop a tree whole. On small city lots, removal usually means climbing and lowering sections by rope over roofs, fences and parked cars, plus a crane when a trunk leans over a building or a rear yard has no way in for equipment. Stump grinding is priced as its own line so you can decide whether the stump goes too.

Pests to keep an eye on

New Jersey's spotted lanternfly quarantine has covered all 21 counties since early 2023, so Bergen County is inside it. The state Department of Agriculture notes the insect feeds on the sap of more than 70 plant species, maples among them. If you notice egg masses or clusters of lanternflies on a tree you plan to remove, point them out during the estimate. Call (201) 957-7596 to set up a visit.