Gardening and landscaping

Hedge trimming

Cutting and shaping hedges. Cutting hedgerows is restricted between March and August.

Post a task Hedge trimming by county

Whether this needs a licence in Ireland

Ireland

No licence required

Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer

Irelandwww.cru.ieChecked 14/10/2026

Hedge trimming: what the job involves

Cutting garden hedges back to shape — sides and top — and clearing the cuttings. Leylandii, laurel, griselinia and escallonia grow fast in Irish weather and need cutting at least once or twice a year, and an overgrown boundary can take a team and a platform.

Also asked for as: hedge cutting · leylandii cutting · cut back laurel hedge · hedge cutting service · overgrown hedge

How the job is usually done

Look at the hedge: species, length, height, width and what is behind it — a neighbour, a road, a wall.
Check for nesting birds and agree the timing, especially between March and August.
Lay sheets along the base to catch cuttings.
Cut the sides first, slightly tapered so the bottom gets light, then the top to a line.
For a tall hedge, work from a platform, tower or MEWP rather than a ladder.
Rake out the hedge base and clear the cuttings.
Bag, shred or take away the waste as agreed.

Hedge trimming: what is included

Usually included

Cutting the sides and top to an agreed height and shape
Clearing cuttings from the base, beds and paths

Usually not included — agree it separately

Taking the cuttings away, unless quoted (needs a waste collection permit)
Reducing a hedge hard or removing it entirely
The neighbour’s side, unless they agree and access is arranged
Grinding out stumps

Materials and who supplies them

Hedge trimmers, platforms and shredder — the contractor’s own
Bags or a trailer for cuttings — the contractor’s own

How long it takes

An hour or two for a garden hedge; a day or more for a long, tall or neglected boundary, and longer again when access to the far side is awkward.

When to book

Plan heavy cutting from September to February; a light trim in early summer is common for formal hedges but should stop wherever a bird is nesting.

Hedge trimming: the rules in Ireland

What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.

Cutting, grubbing, burning or otherwise destroying vegetation growing in any hedge or ditch is an offence from 1 March to 31 August, with exceptions such as works for road or public safety and the ordinary course of agriculture or forestry.
Applies to: the landowner and whoever does the cutting
Wildlife Act 1976, section 40 (as amended by the Heritage Act 2018) · revisedacts.lawreform.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
It is an offence to wilfully take, damage or destroy the nest or eggs of a protected wild bird, or to wilfully disturb a bird on or near a nest with eggs or young — at any time of year, not only in the closed season.
Applies to: anybody cutting hedges, shrubs or trees
Wildlife Act 1976, section 22 (as amended) · revisedacts.lawreform.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
The owner or occupier of land must take all reasonable steps to make sure a tree, shrub or hedge on it is not a hazard to people using a public road, and the council can serve a notice requiring it to be cut or felled.
Applies to: the owner or occupier of land beside a public road
Roads Act 1993, section 70 · revisedacts.lawreform.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Collecting waste for reward — grass clippings, hedge cuttings, soil, old slabs — needs a waste collection permit, and a householder may only hand waste to an authorised collector or bring it to an authorised facility.
Applies to: the gardener or landscaper who takes waste away, and the householder
Waste Management Act 1996, sections 32 and 34; National Waste Collection Permit Office · revisedacts.lawreform.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Burning household or garden waste — on a bonfire, in a barrel or in a garden incinerator — is illegal; garden and park waste is expressly outside the old agricultural exemption, which itself ended on 30 November 2023.
Applies to: the householder and anybody working in the garden
Waste Management (Prohibition of Waste Disposal by Burning) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 286/2009); Air Pollution Act 1987 · citizensinformation.ie · Checked 9 October 2026

What hedge trimming costs, and why

What jobs on Talqero came to

Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.

What affects the price

Length and height of the hedge, and both sides or one
Species and how overgrown it is — leylandii and laurel make a lot of waste
Access: platforms or a MEWP for tall hedges, and the far side
Removal of cuttings
A one-off cut or a regular arrangement
VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced rate of 13.5% by a VAT-registered business — unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, when Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the goods rate to the whole job. Ask whether a quote includes VAT.

Paperwork to ask for at the end

The waste collection permit number, if cuttings are taken away

Safety

Petrol and electric hedge trimmers cause serious injuries; keep children and pets well away.
Watch for overhead power lines along roadside hedges — keep well clear, and call ESB Networks before cutting a hedge that is near a line.
A tall hedge needs a stable platform, not a ladder leaning into the hedge.

Hedge trimming: before you hire

Questions to ask a tradesperson

How will you check for nesting birds if it is spring or summer?
Do you take the cuttings away, and with what waste collection permit?
Will you work from a platform for the top?
Do you have public liability insurance?

What you can do yourself

A low hedge is a reasonable job with an electric trimmer and a stable step; anything above head height, or near power lines, is for somebody with platforms.

What to put in your task

How long is the hedge, roughly?
How tall is it?
What kind of hedge is it?
Which parts need cutting?
What should happen to the cuttings?

Photos that help

The whole hedge from a distance, with something to show its height
Both ends and the top, if you can see it
Any power lines, road or neighbour’s side

Gardening and landscaping

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Questions about hedge trimming

Does hedge trimming need a licence in Ireland?

No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.cru.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.

Can I cut my hedge in summer?

The Wildlife Act makes it an offence to cut vegetation in any hedge or ditch from 1 March to 31 August, with some exceptions, and destroying an active nest is an offence at any time. Light shaping of a garden hedge is widely done in early summer, but heavy cutting belongs in autumn and winter. If in doubt, wait until September.

My neighbour’s leylandii is too tall — what can I do?

There is no specific Irish law setting a hedge height between neighbours. You may usually cut back what overhangs your side, without damaging the hedge, but the cuttings belong to the owner. Talking first is far better than a dispute.

How hard can a hedge be cut back?

Laurel, privet, griselinia and beech recover from hard cutting into old wood. Leylandii and most conifers do not regrow from brown wood, so cutting into it leaves a permanent bare patch. A good gardener will tell you which you have.

Often booked with hedge trimming

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