How should our HOA prune crape myrtles without topping them?

By OurHOA · General information · Revised October 30, 2026

How an HOA board stops crape murder: when to prune crape myrtles, a no-topping clause for the landscape contract, and how to fix trees that were already topped.

Part of the HOA board handbook: vendors, projects and upkeep.

The short answer

Most crape myrtles on HOA common areas need very little pruning: suckers off the base, crossing and dead branches out, low limbs raised for sidewalks and parking, done in late winter. What they do not need is the annual chop that leaves bare knobby trunks every February. Extension horticulturists call that 'crape murder', and it gives you weaker branches and later blooms, not more of them. The board's job is to put this in writing. Add a no-topping clause and a short pruning scope to the landscape contract, walk the trees with the crew lead before the work starts, and replace trees that are simply too big for their spot instead of cutting them down to size every year. Which trees the association maintains depends on your declaration and plat, and some communities leave front-yard trees to owners. Treat this guide as general education, not legal advice.

Why topping backfires

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension's Williamson County office lists three results of topping: it delays blooms, it creates weak limbs where the new growth comes out, and it leaves knobby scars at the cuts. It also says this pruning is not needed for the trees to bloom. UF/IFAS Extension goes further. Topping triggers dense regrowth at each cut and more sprouting from the base, which blocks light and air from the inside of the tree, makes it more likely to get insect and disease problems, and may shorten its life. The flowers form on thin, weak shoots that droop, especially after rain, and can break. The common defense is that the tree blooms better. Clemson's Home and Garden Information Center calls it a misconception that a tree flowers better after a hard cut. Whatever the reason a crew gives, it will keep topping until someone tells it not to. That part is on the board.

What a good pruning visit includes

Late winter is the time. UF/IFAS calls late winter the best time, and Clemson says to prune while the tree is dormant, in winter or early spring. Dead or broken branches can come off whenever someone spots them. The work list is short: - Suckers. Cut sprouts at the base off at ground level. Clemson suggests pulling them while they are still soft. - Crossing branches that rub, and branches touching a roof, wall or fence. - Clearance. Clemson suggests removing lower limbs up to one-third to one-half of the tree's height, which opens up sidewalks, parking spaces and sight lines at entrances. - Trunk count. On multi-trunk trees, Clemson recommends keeping three to five of the strongest trunks. - Seed heads. Clemson says to remove them in late winter or early spring only if they are within reach, and to leave them on tall trees. Every cut goes just outside the branch collar, the swollen ring where a branch meets the trunk, or just above a side bud. No stubs. UF/IFAS notes that crape myrtles in full sun, away from walkways and roads, need little or no pruning at all. If your contractor bills for pruning every tree every year, ask which of those items each tree actually needs.

When a tree is too big for its spot

Most topping happens because someone planted a 25-foot tree under a 12-foot eave. The Williamson County office notes crape myrtles range from about 3 to 35 feet tall at maturity, and recommends removing a tree that has outgrown its space and planting a smaller variety rather than topping it year after year. Before you replace anything, Clemson lists less drastic options for overgrown trees: limb up for clearance, take out one major trunk if the tree crowds a building, and next to single-story buildings, cut back above the roofline where branches block windows or doors. For a spot that needs a low, compact plant, Clemson gives two choices: replace it with a dwarf variety, or cut the stems back to about six inches above ground every year and grow it as a shrub. Either is better than a topped tree. For new plantings, write the mature height into the plan. Ask the nursery for the variety name and its mature size, and match it to the space with a few feet to spare. Our guide on how to plan an HOA tree planting program covers species lists and planting spacing.

Writing the no-topping clause

Most landscape contracts say 'prune crape myrtles' and nothing else, which the crew reads as permission to top. Replace that line with something like this: 'Crape myrtle pruning shall take place between [January 15] and [March 1] and is limited to removing basal suckers, dead, damaged and crossing branches, branches touching structures, and lower limbs for clearance as marked by the association. All cuts shall be made just outside the branch collar or above a lateral bud. Contractor shall not top, head back or cut trunks or main scaffold branches to a uniform height. Any reduction of a tree's height requires written approval from the association for that tree. Trees cut in violation of this clause will be corrected or replaced at contractor's expense.' Then enforce it in person. Walk the trees with the crew lead before the first cut, tag any tree that needs clearance work, and photograph each tree before and after. If you skip the walk, expect the crew to do what it did last year. If owners maintain their own front-yard trees, the board can adopt a landscaping guideline asking them not to top, using the same reasons. Whether the board can enforce it with fines depends on the declaration and state law.

Fixing trees that were already topped

UF/IFAS describes two ways to bring a topped crape myrtle back. The gradual way: at each cut stub, keep the two or three strongest sprouts and remove the rest. Repeat the next season or two as new sprouts come. The tree stays standing while the new branches thicken. The drastic way: while the tree is dormant, cut it to within one to two inches of the ground. After two to three weeks of growth, keep the three to five strongest shoots on each trunk and remove the rest, and keep pulling later sprouts. UF/IFAS says to expect a natural-looking tree in three to five years. For most HOAs the gradual method is easier to explain to owners, because the entrance does not lose its trees for a season. Save the drastic method for trees that have been topped so many years that the knobs are rotting or the regrowth is a tangle. While the crew is up close, have them check the bark. White crusts and black sooty mold point to crape myrtle bark scale, covered in our guide on how to treat crape myrtle bark scale on HOA landscaping.

Telling owners, a motion and the yearly calendar

Owners notice when the crape myrtles stop getting chopped, and some will think the contractor got lazy. Say it before they ask: 'This winter our crape myrtles will be thinned and cleaned up, not cut back to stumps. Topping weakens the branches and delays blooms, according to Texas A&M AgriLife and UF/IFAS Extension. The trees will look fuller and less uniform than you are used to. That is on purpose.' Sample motion: 'Move to amend the landscape contract with [company] to add the crape myrtle pruning standard attached to these minutes, effective with the [year] winter pruning, at no change in price.' A yearly calendar: - December: board walk-through; tag trees that need clearance; list trees too large for their spot. - Mid-January to February: pruning visit; crew lead walk-through first; before and after photos. - March to April: pull new basal sprouts while they are soft. - Summer: blooms; note any limbs hanging into walkways for the next visit. - Fall: budget replacements for the trees that never fit.

Mistakes boards make

Assuming the contractor knows. Many crews top crape myrtles because the last board asked for it or never said otherwise. Approving height cuts to save a view or a gutter without asking whether removing one trunk or limbing up would do it. Pruning in late spring or summer because the crew had a slow week. Stick to the dormant season except for dead or broken wood. Replacing a topped tree with the same oversized variety in the same spot, which guarantees the next board has the same fight. Trying to undo years of topping in one visit. Restoration takes several seasons, so put it in the plan and the budget instead of expecting it in a single invoice.

Sources

These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.

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