Bridgton, ME asked in Land Use & Zoning and Real Estate Law for Maine

Q: My neighbor just cleared his land of all trees right up to my property line. Clear cut! Can he do that? No trees left!

His property was a forest and every tree is gone right up to my property line. Isn’t there a buffer of some sort? I thought it was 15 ft? I was surrounded by woods and now I see his yard and house with no trees at all.

1 Lawyer Answer
Fred Bopp III
Fred Bopp III
Answered
  • Real Estate Law Lawyer
  • Yarmouth, ME
  • Licensed in Maine

A: Check with your Town Office to see if there are any state or municipal land use regulations concerning clearing trees and other vegetation that might apply to your neighbor’s property. For example, there are regulations concerning clearing trees and other vegetation in the shoreland zone, which consists of areas within 250 feet of the normal high-water line of great ponds, rivers, and tidal waters; within 250 feet of the upland edge of non-forested freshwater and coastal wetlands; and within 75 feet of certain streams.

Another possibility would be any restrictions concerning clearing trees and other vegetation that are recorded in the County Registry of Deeds that would apply to your neighbor’s property. For example, some neighborhoods are governed by association rules, regulations, and by-laws that could restrict clearing trees and other vegetation.

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