10/06/2026
๐ณ ๐ง๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ณ? ๐๐๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ.
This can be quite annoying for homeowners. The tree is your neighbor's โ but its branches are already scraping your roof, clogging your gutters, or threatening your wall. Your first instinct: grab a saw and just cut.
But don't do it just yet.
โ๏ธ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐. ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ โ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฅ๐๐น๐ฒ๐
Article 680 of the Civil Code makes a critical distinction:
For ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด that hang over your property โ you have the right to ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ that the tree owner cut them off. The cutting is ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ job and ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ expense. You cannot simply take a saw to them yourself without following proper steps first.
For ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ต๐ด that have already crept into your land โ you ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ cut them yourself, as long as you stay within your own property boundary. No need to ask permission.
Taking a saw to overhanging branches on your own, without a prior demand, can expose you to a claim for damages โ or even a criminal complaint for malicious mischief.
๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ
1. Send a ๐ธ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ demand to your neighbor asking them to cut the overhanging branches. Document everything.
2. If they ignore you, go through the ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐บ first. Katarungang Pambarangay conciliation is mandatory for neighbor disputes before you can file any court case.
3. If mediation fails, the court can order your neighbor to do the cutting โ at ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ own cost.
๐จ ๐๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐
If the tree is rotting, leaning, or poses a real threat to life or property, it can be classified as a ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ท๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ช๐ด๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ under the Civil Code. The law obligates your neighbor to deal with it โ and they bear the cost ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ธ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ.
๐ฏ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐น๐ฒ
The Civil Code also says tall trees must be planted ๐ข๐ต ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐ต๐ธ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด from your property line. If your neighbor's tree violates that, you can demand it be uprooted ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ.
Yes, there's a law for all of these little things.
๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐
โข Civil Code of the Philippines, Art. 679 (Minimum planting distances)
โข Civil Code of the Philippines, Art. 680 (Overhanging branches; intrusive roots)
โข Civil Code of the Philippines, Art. 694 (Definition of nuisance)
โข Republic Act No. 7160 (Local Government Code) โ Katarungang Pambarangay provisions
โข Revised Penal Code, Art. 328 (Malicious Mischief)
๐ Follow Syntex Tree Cutting-Trimming and Wood Cutting Services for more inqueries like this.
