🌿 How tall may my hedge be in Denmark?

With conditions

Quick answer

The baseline is 1.80 metres — but the rules depend on where the hedge stands. Shared fences on the boundary: height is agreed between neighbours; failing that the tribunal typically sets 1.80 m, and each of you may demand a shared hedge cut down to 2 m once a year. Your own fence (your side, within 1.75 m of the boundary): may be 1.8 m plus the distance to the line — a hedge 0.5 m in may stand 2.3 m. Planting further than 1.75 m from the boundary counts as ordinary vegetation, which the Fence Act doesn't regulate (only general neighbour law does). Shared-hedge upkeep is split — and you trim your own side.

📋 The rules

Shared boundary fences: agreement — else the tribunal, baseline 1.80 m
Right to demand shared hedges cut to 2 m once a year
Own fences (< 1.75 m from the line): max 1.8 m + distance
Vegetation > 1.75 m from the boundary: outside the Fence Act
Disputes: the fence tribunal (~DKK 2,000 flat fee), never self-help

🔓 Exceptions

Local plans and covenants can dictate fence types/heights — check the land registry
Corner plots and sightlines: road rules may require lower planting

⚠️ Penalties & fines

Self-help (cutting the neighbour's hedge without right): damages. Tribunal rulings bind — ignored, the work gets done at the refuser's expense.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-06-20

❓ Frequently asked

The neighbour refuses to trim our shared hedge. Now what?

You may demand a cut to 2 m once a year — refused, you take it to the fence tribunal, whose ruling binds.

May I plant a 3-metre hedge on my own land?

Yes, if it stands more than 1.75 m from the boundary (outside the Fence Act) — though neighbour law's shade threshold still applies.

Who pays for the shared hedge?

Establishment and upkeep of shared fences split equally by default; each trims their side.

What does the tribunal cost?

A flat fee around DKK 2,000 — the ruling decides who pays.

🔎 Common searches

What people search to land here:

“hedge height denmark”
“fence act denmark 1.8m”
“shared hedge rules denmark”
“hegnsyn dispute denmark”
“boundary fence denmark”