Question
Can you please tell me how far down or how short I can prune my 20 alberta spruce shrubs. They are 8 foot tall and I cannot care for them or see my street anymore. Also, what time of year is the best to prune? Thanks, Jodie

Answer
the best time of the year to prune evergreens is in the spring while the weather is still cooler. this allows the plant to produce new growth that will cover the pruning marks for the rest of the season. to keep a plant at a certain size you have to prune it every year.
i'm assuming your plants are dwarf alberta spruce and have reached about maximum size(6-8' tall). unfortunately you have "missed the boat" on your plants for controling their size if you wanted them much smaller. as soon as the plants reached the size you wanted them to they should have been pruned every year to keep them at that size. you would only have had to prune 2-4" off at a time every year to keep them at the height you wanted them. if they are uniform in height someone probably has at least pruned them before.
for now you could top them at(5-7') and keep them uniform in height by pruning every year. they will be open at top until the plants have time to recover(1-2 years) by growing new growth to cover your cutting. i'm assuming they have been fertilized every year to keep them looking healthy. do continue to fertilize them yearly. i like hollytone granular fertilizer by espoma. you could also topiary them to allow to see through them. like they do at disney world.
i had one plant i kept in a gum drop shape(3'tall x 3'wide)for many years by pruning every year.
good luck. please rate my answer on the allexperts site.
rick