Hedges are a great way to separate your property from your neighbor's, but they can also be a source of arguments. So what should you know about the height of hedges?
In a nutshell
- Hedges often as a property boundary
- Height determines distance to property line
- No nationwide uniform regulations regarding hedge height
- Regulations vary by state
Table of contents
- What is allowed?
- General Rules
- Where to get help?
- frequently asked Questions
What is allowed?
How high one Hedge cannot be said in general, because the requirements in this regard are a matter for the federal states and differ from federal state to federal state. The height of the hedge and the distance to the property line cannot be separated from each other, they are mutually dependent. In Bremen, Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania there are no legal regulations regarding the height of hedges. In the other states it looks like this:
| Federal State | height of the hedge |
|---|---|
| Baden-Wuerttemberg | Max. Height 180 cm - border distance at least 50 cm |
| Bavaria and Saxony | Max. Height 200 cm - border distance 50 cm Hedges over 200 cm – spacing over 200 cm |
| Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia | Max. Height 200 cm - border distance 50 cm Hedges over 200 cm - border distance at least 100 cm |
| Brandenburg | Boundary distance at least one third of the total height of the hedge |
| Hesse and Lower Saxony | Heights up to 120 cm - limit distance 25 cm Hedges up to 200 cm - limit distance 50 cm over 200 cm – limit distance 75 cm |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | Hedge height up to 100 cm - limit distance 25 cm up to 150 cm – 50 cm limit distance up to 200cm - 75cm |
| Saarland | up to 100 cm height - 25 cm limit distance up to 150 cm – 50 cm limit distance over 150cm - 75cm limit distance |
| Saxony-Anhalt | Hedge height up to 150 cm - 50 cm limit distance up to 300 cm – 100 cm limit distance |
| Schleswig Holstein | up to 120 cm hedge height – no regulations over 120 cm – at least one third of the total height |
| Thuringia | up to 100 cm hedge height - 25 cm limit distance up to 150 cm – 50 cm limit distance up to 200 cm – 75 cm limit distance over 200 cm – height in cm minus 125 gives the limit distance |
Tip: By the way, the most popular plants for a hedge are liguster, tree of life, cherry laurel, juniper and hornbeam.
General Rules
As already mentioned, there are no nationwide regulations regarding the maximum or minimum height of hedges. How high they can be at what distance to the neighboring property is regulated in the regionally applicable neighborhood law and the local statutes of the cities and municipalities. General regulations can also be found in paragraphs 903 to 924 of the German Civil Code and the respective state building regulations. Since neighborhood law is part of private law, there is no authority that monitors compliance with the regulations.
Orientation aids:
- the higher the hedge, the greater the distance to the neighboring property
- Hedges up to 100 cm, at least 25 cm apart
- over 100 cm and up to 150 cm, at least 50 cm apart
- over 150 cm, at least 75 cm distance
- up to 300 cm, at least 100 cm distance
- For hedges over 300 cm, some tree rights apply
- up to 500 cm, at least 125 cm distance
- Hedges as a symbolic border 40-90 cm high
- privacy hedges approx. 170-190cm high
Where to get help?
Hedges that run along a property line are often the cause of disputes, especially when they reach a certain height or fall. have already exceeded. Anyone who is confronted with disputes about the permitted height of hedges should find out about the valid regulations of the respective federal state. This can be obtained from the local city or municipal administration, for example.
In addition, the justice ministries of the federal states offer corresponding brochures for further reading. The parties involved can often come to an individual agreement. Verbal agreements are generally not recommended. At the land registry office of the responsible district court, there is the possibility of inspecting the land register in the event of ambiguities. If all else fails, you can of course file a lawsuit in court.
A notice: A lawsuit is usually only possible after an attempt to settle the dispute through an arbitration or conciliation body has been unsuccessful.
frequently asked Questions
First of all, you should talk to the neighbor in question in order to ideally come to an amicable agreement. If this is not possible, you can ask him to cut the hedge back. But you shouldn't wait too long, because there is usually a statute of limitations after which there is no longer any right to cut back. This deadline varies from state to state.
Up to a height of 180 cm, they are usually not subject to approval, since they are not considered a "structural structure" but "living" enclosures. However, privacy hedges should generally not exceed this height and a minimum distance of at least 50 cm to the neighboring property should be maintained.
They are not only the most popular hedge plants, but also grow particularly quickly, the privet, the hornbeam and the cherry laurel. But bamboo and the Leyland cypress are also fast-growing, the latter can reach a height of up to 30 m uncut. However, particularly fast-growing hedges also require more effort when cutting.