Tree Removal Sydney

Service NSW notes that tree removal rules differ from council to council and advises asking your council before removing a tree. A suburb can sit across two councils, so the council finder works from your street address. Our guide to council approval for tree removal in Sydney links each council’s own rules.

In NSW Rural Fire Service 10/50 entitlement areas, owners can clear trees within 10 metres of a home without council approval, and only the landowner, or someone with their approval, can do it. The RFS asks you to check the online tool on the day you clear, because the areas can change. The scheme does not allow vegetation to be removed below the soil surface, so the stump is not covered.

The Hills Shire Council, for one, says it has no authority to direct a neighbour to prune or remove a tree. A neighbour can apply to the Land and Environment Court for orders about a tree on adjoining land that has caused, or is likely to cause, damage to their property or injury to someone; the State Library’s legal guide notes that mere annoyance is not enough.

A tree that leans over the service wire from the street, or grows close to it, cannot simply be dropped. In Ausgrid’s network, owners must keep their own tree growth clear of that wire up to the property boundary, and any trimming within three metres of Ausgrid powerlines has to be done by accredited workers. On Endeavour Energy’s network, owners likewise keep their trees a safe distance from powerlines, and everyone stays three metres clear. Mention any wires when you ask for a quote.