Thirty-three rule books
Greater Sydney has no single tree law. Each council writes its own tree preservation order into its development control plan, setting the size thresholds at which a tree becomes protected, the species that are exempt, and whether you need a permit or a full development application.
The gap is wide. Ku-ring-gai and Woollahra regulate trees at modest sizes with short exemption lists and active enforcement. Penrith, Blacktown and Campbelltown set higher thresholds and longer exemption lists. Same state, same species, entirely different answer.
Council pages
These four council areas have their own pages with local detail:
- Waverley Council — Bondi, Bronte, Tamarama and Waverley. Coastal salt, tight streets and protective controls.
- Northern Beaches Council — Manly to Palm Beach. Sandstone escarpment, bushfire interface and the 10/50 entitlement.
- North Sydney Council — North Sydney, Neutral Bay, Cremorne and Cammeray. Dense apartment and terrace stock over sandstone.
- City of Randwick — Randwick, Coogee, Kensington, Maroubra and Malabar. Sand and sandstone, heavy salt exposure.
Everywhere else
The other councils are covered through the service areas index, which groups them into regions: the Inner West, the North Shore including Ku-ring-gai, Willoughby, Lane Cove and Hornsby, the Hills District, Western Sydney, South West Sydney, the Sutherland Shire and the Eastern Suburbs.
What to check before you call
Find your council's development control plan and look for the tree preservation or vegetation management chapter. Three things decide your position:
The threshold. Usually a height and a trunk circumference measured at a set distance above ground. Below it, no approval. Above it, you need one.
The exempt species list. Most councils exempt declared weeds — camphor laurel, privet, cocos palm, rubber tree — outright or with reduced requirements.
The overlays. Heritage conservation areas, biodiversity or endangered ecological community mapping, bushfire prone land and riparian corridors all add requirements on top of the base rule.
If the property is in a mapped 10/50 vegetation clearing entitlement area, the state entitlement may override the council rule within ten metres of a home. Check the address on the NSW Rural Fire Service tool rather than assuming, because proximity to bush is not the same as being inside the mapped area.
Then get it priced
Ring (02) 9000 1943. For the work itself see tree lopping and tree removal, and for suburb-level lopping notes see the tree lopper suburb index.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the council matter more than the tree?
Because approval, not method, is what usually stops a job. A tree that is exempt in one local government area needs a full development application two suburbs away. Knowing which rule book applies before you book a crew saves a wasted inspection and, in strict areas, avoids a penalty that dwarfs the cost of the work.
The tree is on the nature strip. Who deals with that?
The council owns it and the council maintains it. No private contractor may prune or remove a street tree, and doing so is an offence. Report damage or a hazard to the council directly. If a street tree is genuinely dangerous, say so clearly when reporting it so it is triaged rather than queued.
Who pays for a tree on a shared boundary?
In NSW, ownership follows where the trunk emerges from the ground, so the tree belongs to whoever's land the base is on. Neighbours may generally prune overhanging branches back to the boundary at their own cost, subject to council rules on protected trees. Disputes that cannot be resolved go to the NSW Land and Environment Court under the Trees Act.