Guides to all Local Council Regulations

Navigating the many state and local laws that regulate pruning and removing residential trees throughout Victoria can be a tricky business. Each local council have their own specific set of rules, permits and application processes. The details of these are often obscured by technical language, spread among several legal documents and tucked away in large files somewhere on the council website. Despite the lack of clarity, these laws are important for all homeowners and residents to be aware of before commencing any significant treeworks, including substantial trimming or shaping.

Regular maintenance, through pruning, trimming, shaping, lopping and health assessments, is an essential part of keeping your trees healthy and safe. Each species requires different levels of care and attention. This regular upkeep can have a range of positive benefits for your home. Well kept trees not only look good, but won’t clutter your garden, your roof or your drains. Regular health assessments can also ensure that your trees are structurally safe and free of disease. While the need to maintain your trees is well known, local councils use tree protections to ensure that this is not done in a way that could harm the ecosystem or the character of the region. One common requirement of these protections is to have the work done by a qualified Arborist who will abide by Australian Pruning Standards – as all Jim’s Trees personnel do.

Tree removal is another important element of preserving a healthy ecosystem and a safe community. Trees that have deteriorated through age, disease, damage or neglect can become hazardous to any people, wildlife or property near them. From falling leaves, sticks and branches, to the entire body of a tree coming down, there are plenty of risks associated with trees in poor health. Cutting down trees however, is heavily restricted in all councils across Victoria. These restrictions are in place to ensure the preservation of the urban forest and to prevent unnecessary or irresponsible removal of healthy and beneficial trees. In most cases you will need to apply for a permit from your council in order to remove a tree, especially if it is a large, mature or native tree. These permits are often accompanied by application fees, however these fees are far outweighed by the fines that can be imposed for removing a tree without a permit.

Victorian Council Tree Removal Regulations

Council Maps

To make this process as simple as possible, we have created guides for pruning and removing private trees throughout the local councils of Victoria. These include:

  • The benefits of pruning & removing trees for your community

  • The tree protections used in your council

  • What you need to know before beginning tree works

  • Links to the necessary permits and extra information

  • Insight from a tree specialist who works in your region

Below you will find links to the many of the major councils areas around Australia.


New South Wales Council Tree Removal Regulations

The state of New South Wales is a large geographic area with many councils, and many complex regulations when it comes to removing trees.

Below is some more in depth details on what you need to do to remove a tree in one of the many councils in NSW.

Queensland Council Tree Removal Regulations

Still need a little more help?

The team at Jim’s Trees are experts at navigating through Council Requirements, Permits, and all other aspects of the job.

Call us on 131 546 and we’ll explain how we can take all the stress out of the job.

 

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