This common gardening gesture to beautify your garden is prohibited after March 15. If you do not comply with the law, it could cost you dearly.
In the spring, many of us focus on refreshing our gardens. However, it is essential to remember that there are specific rules regarding this activity, particularly regarding the period during which certain practices are permitted. Indeed, in many regions, trimming hedges is prohibited after March 15, following prefectural or municipal decrees which clarified a recommendation in force for many years. This rule may seem arbitrary, but it has valid reasons and potentially costly consequences for those who neglect it.
Why is this March 15 deadline so important? The answer lies in protecting local wildlife. The nesting season is beginning. Indeed, from spring, birds begin to build their nests to accommodate their offspring. Hedges often provide an ideal habitat for this, providing shelter and security. Article 4 of the decree of April 24, 2015 relating to the rules of good agricultural and environmental conditions provides for a ban on hedge trimming between April 1 and July 30 for farmers. It does not prohibit individuals from trimming their hedges, this only concerns farmers but this prohibition in the Environmental Code (article 411-1) or the Rural Code is not always firmly explained also for individuals.
What is it really ? The LPO (Bird Protection League) has therefore strongly recommended for several years not to prune or trim hedges and trees from March 15 until July 31. If no sanctions are provided for local residents in the Environmental Code or the Rural Code, there may be exceptions with municipal or prefectural decrees prohibiting the cutting of hedges between certain dates. In many municipalities, and in certain departments, trimming hedges after March 15 is considered an offense punishable by a fine. This has been the case, for example, in the Vosges department since last year (see the decree taken in 2023). This decree is clear, it concerns individuals, liable to a fine of 750 euros. And at your home ? It is important for individuals to contact their town hall to check whether a municipal or prefectural decree prohibits the pruning of hedges or trees after this date. Heavy sanctions may be imposed.
Fine amounts vary depending on local regulations, but they can be quite significant, especially if the act of trimming hedges results in damage to protected wildlife. In this case, article L. 415-3 of the Environmental Code provides for a penalty of up to 3 years in prison and a fine of up to €150,000 “for harm to the conservation of animal species non-domestic and for destruction of their habitat”.