CHECK THIS BEFORE YOU ARRANGE TREE WORK
Council Tree Removal Rules Sydney
Greater Sydney has more than thirty councils, and they do not all treat trees the same way. What one council protects, another may not. What needs an application in one suburb may not in the next. That is why no website — including this one — can tell you whether your particular tree can be removed.
What we can do is show you which questions change the answer, and send you straight to the current information published by your own council. Then, when you are clear to go ahead, we can quote the physical work.
Start with the honest answer: it depends on your council
Councils across Sydney protect trees through their own local planning controls. Each one publishes what it protects, what needs an application, what it treats as exempt and how it wants to be asked. Those documents are not the same from one council to the next, and they are updated over time.
So the useful question is not "do I need approval in Sydney". It is "what does my council currently say about this tree, on this property, for this work". This page helps you answer that one.
The questions that change the answer
Before you look anything up, it helps to know what your council will be looking at. These are the things that most often change the outcome.
Whose tree is it, and where does it stand?
A tree wholly on your land is a different situation from a tree on the boundary, a tree in a neighbour's yard whose branches reach over your fence, or a tree on the footpath or in a reserve. Street trees and trees on public land are managed by the council itself, not by the adjoining owner.
What is the tree?
Councils protect trees by their own criteria, and some list particular species that are treated differently — either because they are valued, or because they are considered weeds. Palms are a common example of a species people assume is unprotected. Do not assume, either way. If you can identify the tree, note it down before you check.
How big is it?
Most Sydney councils use size as part of how they decide whether a tree is protected — but the measurements they use, and the numbers, are set by each council. Take note of roughly how tall the tree is, how wide the canopy spreads and how thick the trunk is at its base, so you can compare against what your own council publishes.
What is the property?
Heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, bushfire-prone land, environmental protection zones and significant-tree registers can all change what applies. If your property sits in any of those, check that before anything else.
What work are you actually planning?
Removing a tree and pruning it are often treated differently, and some councils treat significant pruning much like removal. Cutting back a small amount of a canopy, taking one limb off, reducing a tree hard and taking it out entirely are four different proposals. Be specific about which one you want.
Is there a development or building project involved?
If the tree sits near proposed works — a build, an extension, a pool, a driveway or excavation near the roots — tree matters are usually dealt with as part of that application rather than on their own. Raise it with whoever is managing the project.
Check the current information for your council area
These links go directly to each council's own current tree information. Requirements change, so use the council's page rather than a summary of it — including this one.
Find the council your property sits in, open its page, and read what it currently says about the work you are planning. If your council is not listed below, search for your council's name together with "trees on private land". Every Sydney council publishes this.
City of Sydney
Apply to prune or remove a tree
City of Parramatta
Blacktown City Council
North Sydney Council
Willoughby City Council
Lane Cove Council
Randwick City Council
Waverley Council
We check these links regularly, but councils reorganise their websites. If one does not open, search the council's own website rather than relying on a copy of its rules published elsewhere.
When the tree is not entirely yours
This is where most disputes start, and it is worth getting right before anyone touches a branch.
If a neighbour's tree overhangs your property, your council may still treat that tree as protected, and it may still want to be asked before the branches are cut. Some councils will also notify the tree's owner and give them a chance to comment. Approval to prune usually relates to work done from your own side of the boundary — it does not give you or a contractor the right to enter someone else's land, and it is not consent to have the tree removed.
City of Sydney publishes a plain-language guide to this in Trees and neighbours, which is a useful example of how councils approach it. Your own council's position is the one that applies to you.
Whatever your council says, we need to know before we quote: tell us whose tree it is and who is authorising the work.
Trees on the footpath, in a park or on public land
If the tree is on the nature strip, in a reserve, in a park or otherwise on public land, it is the council's tree. Requests about it go to the council directly, and it will decide whether and how any work happens. We do not carry out work on public trees on a resident's instruction.
When the situation is urgent rather than administrative
There is a difference between planning a removal and dealing with a tree that has already failed.
If a tree or branch has come down, is hanging, is resting on a structure or is blocking access, deal with the immediate danger first. Keep well clear, keep others clear, and if there is a risk to life, a powerline involved or any electrical hazard, contact emergency services or your electricity network provider before anything else. Then contact us about emergency tree work.
Some councils publish provisions covering trees that have become an immediate danger, and some ask for information after the fact. Check what your council says once the situation is safe. We can help with the physical work; we cannot decide how your council will treat it.
What we do, and what we do not do
We want to be plain about this, because it saves everyone time.
What we do. We carry out the physical tree work — removal, pruning, lopping, stump grinding, palm work, hedge and shrub work, green-waste clearing, gutter cleaning and emergency tree work — once you are clear to go ahead. We provide free quotes and we work across Sydney.
What we do not do. We do not decide whether approval is required for your tree. We do not guarantee that a council will approve anything. We do not lodge applications, deal with your council on your behalf, or give legal advice. We do not prepare, provide, sign or arrange formal arborist reports, and we do not refer report providers.
If someone has told you that a formal report may be needed, the arborist reports page explains what that usually means and what to do next.
Check first, then book
It is much easier to check your council's current information before you book work than to unpick it afterwards. Councils can attach conditions to an approval, and those conditions may affect how the work is done, when it is done or what has to happen afterwards.
So the order that works best is: read your council's current page, sort out anything it asks for, then come to us with the work you want quoted. If you are still waiting on an answer, you can still get a quote in the meantime — just tell us the situation so nothing is booked before you are ready.
The physical work we can quote
Once your side is sorted, tell us what needs doing.
Tree Removal Sydney
For a tree that is coming out.
Tree Pruning Sydney
For planned branch work where the tree stays.
Tree Lopping Sydney
For heavier cutting back where that is the work you want.
Palm Tree Removal Sydney
Palms are quoted as their own service.
Stump Grinding and Green Waste Removal
For a stump left behind, or material that needs clearing.
What to have ready when you ask for a quote
Your suburb, what the tree is and roughly how big it is, where it sits, what is underneath and around it — house, fence, pool, driveway, boundary, shared access — and how we can reach the work area. Photos help; take them only from somewhere safe.
Tell us as well if a council requirement has been raised, or if you are still waiting on an answer. It does not stop us quoting, and it means we both know where things stand.
Tree work across Sydney
We provide Sydney-wide service. The service areas page lists the regions we work across.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on your council area, the tree and the work you are planning. Sydney councils set their own tree controls and they are not the same. Check the current information published by the council your property sits in before you arrange anything.
No. We do not decide whether approval is required and we do not guarantee a council outcome. That decision belongs to your council.
No. Many councils use size as part of how they decide whether a tree is protected, but the measurements and the numbers are set by each council. Check what your own council currently publishes rather than relying on a figure quoted somewhere else.
Not necessarily. Some councils treat significant pruning much like removal, and some treat light pruning differently again. Be specific about the work you are planning when you check.
Do not assume palms are treated differently from other trees. Some councils name particular species, including palms, in their tree controls. Check your council's current information, then tell us what you need and we will quote the palm work.
Councils publish their own timeframes and they differ. Check the page for your council area. We cannot tell you how long yours will take.
Different responsibilities apply when a tree is not solely yours. Your council may still treat the tree as protected, and approval to prune generally relates to work from your own side of the boundary rather than a right to enter someone else's land. Check your council's current information, and tell us whose tree it is and who is authorising the work.
That is the council's tree. Contact your council about it directly. We do not carry out work on public trees on a resident's instruction.
Deal with the danger first. Keep well clear and keep others clear. If there is a risk to life, a powerline involved or any electrical hazard, contact emergency services or your electricity network provider before anything else. Then contact us about emergency tree work, and check what your council says once the situation is safe.
That is decided by whoever has asked for it — usually a council or a project requirement. We do not decide whether a report is needed, and we do not prepare, provide or arrange formal arborist reports. Our arborist reports page explains what to do next.
No. We do not lodge applications, deal with councils on your behalf or give legal advice. We carry out the physical tree work once you are clear to proceed.
Yes. Tell us the situation when you enquire. We can quote the work so you know where you stand, and nothing is booked until you tell us to go ahead.
Search for your council's name together with "trees on private land". Every Sydney council publishes this information on its own website. Use the council's own page rather than a summary published elsewhere.
No. It is general information about what to check and where. The current information published by your own council is what applies to your property.
Your suburb, what the tree is and roughly how big it is, where it sits, what is underneath and around it, and how the work area can be reached. Photos help if you can take them safely.
Yes. We provide Sydney-wide service. Tell us your suburb and the work you need quoted.
Top Quality Tree Services
Request a clear, free tree-work quote
Once you have checked your council's current information, tell us what work you need and we will come back to you with a free quote for the physical work. Nothing is booked until you say so.
CALL 0412 482 430