Poison Ivy Removal Services in Buffalo, NY

Poison Ivy Removal Titans removes poison ivy from yards, fence lines, trees and building walls across Buffalo, NY and the rest of Erie County. About six in ten homes here were built before 1940, so much of what we clear is old vine on back fences and mature trees. City inspectors can order an owner to remove it, and Erie County requires notice to neighbors before most spraying. We work to the deadline and handle the notices. Contact us now for a free estimate.

How Much Does Poison Ivy Removal Cost in Buffalo, NY?

Poison ivy removal in Buffalo costs anywhere from $310 to $720 on average for a typical residential yard. The price here turns on how far the vine has climbed fences, trees and walls, whether we spray or hand dig, and hauling, since we keep it out of the city's composted yard waste. The $26 to $133 some cost sites show for Buffalo covers chemicals and 2 hours of labor on 321 square feet, not a finished job. Send photos for a firm price.

Which Buffalo Neighborhoods Do You Cover?

All of them. We work in North Park, Parkside, Central Park and University Heights, in Elmwood Bryant, Allentown and the West Side, in Black Rock and Riverside, across Kensington-Bailey, Hamlin Park, Schiller Park, Lovejoy and Kaisertown, and south through the First Ward, Seneca-Cazenovia, South Park and Hopkins-Tifft.

When Is the Best Time to Remove Poison Ivy in Buffalo?

Late May through September, while the plant is in full leaf, because spray works through the leaves. At the Buffalo airport the median last spring freeze is April 24 and the first fall freeze is October 26, a growing season of about 183 days. Local sightings jump from 8 in April to 69 in May as the leaves open.

How Soon Can You Come Out?

In season we can usually be out inside two weeks. The season is short this far north and June fills first, so book as soon as the leaves show. Tell us if someone at home is already breaking out.

Do You Dig Out the Roots, and Will It Grow Back?

Yes, roots are the job. We dig them, or use a systemic herbicide that the leaves carry down to them, and we come back about a month later to hit regrowth. Seed is another story. Birds keep dropping it, so walk the fence line again next May.

Is Poison Ivy Common in Buffalo, and Where Does It Grow?

Yes, though most of Erie County's recorded sightings are outside the city line. Volunteer naturalists have logged it in Buffalo at Delaware Park, Martin Luther King Jr. Park and South Park, and far more often on Grand Island and at Reinstein Woods in Cheektowaga. In city yards we find it along back fences and under trees.

Can the City of Buffalo Make Me Remove Poison Ivy From My Yard?

Yes, and it has. City code violation records show an inspector ordering poison ivy out of a back yard in Seneca-Cazenovia in 2020 and off the side of a house in Elmwood Bryant in 2024. The first cited a Green Code landscape rule that gives the owner 30 days from notice. If you have a letter, send it to us with the deadline.

What Can I Do About Poison Ivy From a Vacant Lot or a Neighbor's Yard?

Our work stops at your property line unless the other owner lets us in. For an overgrown or abandoned lot, call 311. Between May 2024 and October 2026 the city logged about 7,500 high grass and weeds complaints and about 2,500 vacant lot cutting requests, all routed to Permit and Inspection Services.

Is My Landlord Responsible for Poison Ivy at a Buffalo Rental?

Yes, as far as the city is concerned. One poison ivy order in the city's records says it must be abated by the property owner. About 57 percent of Buffalo households rent, so get your landlord's approval first. If nothing happens, a tenant can report the address through 311.

Do You Need a License to Spray Poison Ivy in New York?

Yes. In New York nobody can apply a pesticide for pay, and weed killer counts, without being certified by the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the company itself has to be registered with DEC. Both can be looked up on DEC's online pesticide portal, so ask for the name and check it. Digging by hand is not a pesticide application and needs neither.

Will My Neighbors Be Notified Before You Spray in Erie County?

Yes, unless the job is a small spot treatment. Erie County is one of the counties that adopted New York's neighbor notification law. Occupants of homes on abutting property within 150 feet get written notice at least 48 hours before a commercial spray. The exemption is a hand sprayer of 32 fluid ounces or less used on under 9 square feet. Markers stay up for at least 24 hours.

Can I Get a Price in Writing Before the Work Begins?

Yes. New York makes it mandatory for spray work. No commercial lawn application can start until the applicator and the owner, or the owner's agent, have a written contract listing the approximate dates, how many applications, and the total cost. We put hand digging prices in writing as well.

Can You Remove Poison Ivy Without Chemicals?

Yes, that is hand work: loppers for the vines, digging forks for the roots, and everything bagged. It is slower than spraying and usually costs more, but with no pesticide there is no notice period to wait out.

What Do You Need From Me for an Estimate?

Photos do most of it. Send the address, a wide shot of the area and a close shot of the leaves, and tell us what the vine is on: ground, fence, tree or wall. Mention whether a vacant lot or a park sits behind the yard.

Will I Need to Be Home During the Removal?

No. If the gate is open and the dog is in the house, we can do the work while you are out. Mark the plants you want kept with tape or a flag, and settle the price and date with us beforehand.

Can You Remove Poison Ivy Climbing a Tree, Fence or Garage?

Yes, climbing vine is most of what we see on older lots. Buffalo has the eastern poison ivy, which Cornell's weed guide says can run 150 feet as a vine, and with a median build year of 1938 the fences and trees have had time to carry it. We sever it low, treat the cut stump, and take the dead top down later.

Can I Put Poison Ivy Out With Buffalo's Yard Waste?

No, keep it out. Buffalo's yard waste goes to the curb in clear plastic or paper bags and is composted, and the New York Botanical Garden's advice is to double bag poison ivy, put it in the household trash, and never compost it. What we cut leaves with us.

Is There Poison Oak or Poison Sumac Around Buffalo?

No poison oak, and very little poison sumac. Volunteer naturalists have recorded poison ivy more than 300 times in Erie County, Atlantic poison oak not once, and poison sumac just 7 times, all in the rural towns around Springville and Akron. What people call poison oak here is usually poison ivy with lobed leaves.

Do You Work on Rental Houses, Apartment Buildings and Commercial Lots?

Yes. Only about 36 percent of Buffalo's homes are detached single-family houses, so much of this work is on multi-unit houses, apartment grounds and commercial lots. Before we spray at a multiple dwelling, state law has us give the owner or agent a copy of the product label information and its warnings.

Who Handles Poison Ivy on a Street Tree or in a City Park?

The city, through 311. There is no poison ivy category, so a vine on a street tree goes in as a tree request to Public Works, Parks and Streets, and a patch in a park as a City Parks Issue or an Olmsted Parks Issue. We clear your side and leave city trees alone.

Can You Remove Poison Ivy in the Winter in Buffalo?

Yes, part of the job. We can cut vines off trees and fences, and bare stems still carry the oil. Digging is harder. Buffalo averages about 95 inches of snow a season and January lows near 19 degrees, so roots wait for the thaw and leaf sprays wait for spring.

Does Rain or Wind Delay Spraying in Buffalo?

Yes, more often than people expect. Spray has to land on dry leaves in still air, and Buffalo's airport records measurable rain on 10 to 13 days of every month from May through August. Erie County also logged 167 thunderstorm wind reports from 2016 through 2025. Heat rarely stops us, since July highs average about 80 degrees.

Why Does Poison Ivy Keep Showing Up Along My Back Fence?

Birds, mostly. They eat the berries from fall into early spring and drop the seed where they perch, so seedlings come up under fences, wires and branches. Poison ivy also increases after windstorms open the tree canopy, and the October 2006 snowstorm damaged as many as 90 percent of Buffalo's trees.

Can You Remove Poison Ivy Near a Creek, Pond or Wetland?

Yes, and near water we normally dig instead of spray. State rules cover freshwater wetlands and the 100 feet of adjacent area around them, and a contractor needs a DEC permit to apply pesticide inside either one. Buffalo has wetland inside the city, such as the cattail marsh at the 264-acre Tifft Nature Preserve on the Outer Harbor. Tell us how close the water is.

Can You Remove Poison Ivy From a School or Daycare Yard?

Yes, and there we dig. Under New York law a school or day care center cannot have pesticide applied to its playgrounds, turf, or athletic or playing fields unless an emergency application is approved. So the vines get cut and the roots dug, on a day the children are out.

Is It Legal to Burn Poison Ivy in Buffalo?

No. New York's open fire rule allows brush burning only in towns with fewer than 20,000 people, and Buffalo is a city of about 277,000. It is dangerous anywhere, because the smoke carries the oil into your lungs. Bag it for the trash instead.

Do I Have to Post Signs if I Spray Poison Ivy Myself?

Yes, if you treat more than 100 square feet. In counties that took up the state notification law, Erie County included, a resident spraying their own yard above that size has to post markers around the area on the day of application. A small spot treatment does not trigger it.

Can I Hire Goats to Eat Poison Ivy in Buffalo?

Yes, there is a herd for hire. A nonprofit rescue herd based in Orchard Park grazes urban, suburban and rural lots and says its goats readily eat poison ivy. Goats strip the leaves and leave the roots, so it takes repeated grazing. Ask City Hall whether your lot can take livestock.

What ZIP Codes and Suburbs Do You Serve?

Every Buffalo ZIP code, including 14215, 14220, 14206, 14214, 14211, 14210, 14207, 14216, 14213, 14222, 14208, 14201 and 14209. We also take jobs across Erie County, in Amherst, Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, Kenmore, Williamsville, West Seneca, Lackawanna, Hamburg, Orchard Park and Grand Island.