The fees to lodge with council are not charged by Above All Tree Services. They are paid directly to Burwood Council. Prices were last checked on . We have done our best to keep these current and accurate, but you should always refer to the council's website to confirm pricing.
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Council tree rules · checked 30 September 2026
Burwood tree removal rules
Checked against Burwood Council's own documents on · Council: 02 9911 9911
In Burwood you need a Tree Permit (or a Development Application) before pruning or removing a "protected tree" — any tree 4 m or taller, with a trunk of 150 mm diameter at 1.4 m, or with a crown spread of 2 m or more. Heritage items and Heritage Conservation Areas need a DA. A short list of exempt species and minor works (dead branches, under 10% pruning away from buildings) don't need approval. Permits cost $133.50Council fee for 1–5 trees and are free for pensioners.
The checker
Do I need approval to remove my tree?
Burwood's rules as a map. Answer each question and it follows your path to the answer. It's a guide: if you're unsure, ask council or ask us.
Is the tree on your own private property?
Is the property a heritage item or in a Heritage Conservation Area?
Development Application needed
Heritage items and HCAs need a DA for protected trees, even exempt species. DA fee $110Council fee ($46Council fee pensioners).
How to apply on the Burwood website · Need an arborist report?
Is the tree dead, dying or a risk to life or property?
Ask council to confirm first
No permit is needed only once council is satisfied and confirms in writing. Contact council before any work.
Is it under 4 m tall, with a trunk under 150 mm at 1.4 m and a crown spread under 2 m?
No approval needed
Get the tree owner's consent and work to AS 4373-2007.
Is it on the exempt species list or a priority weed?
No approval needed
Get the tree owner's consent and work to AS 4373-2007.
Is it only allowable minor work — dead branches, or under 10% of the crown to clear roofs, gutters or walls?
No approval needed
Get the tree owner's consent and work to AS 4373-2007.
Tree Permit needed
Lodge the Tree Permit application with owner consent. $133.50Council fee for 1–5 trees; free for pensioners.
How to apply on the Burwood website · Need an arborist report?
Is it a neighbour's tree overhanging your property (not a street tree)?
Tree Permit needed
Lodge the Tree Permit application with owner consent. $133.50Council fee for 1–5 trees; free for pensioners.
How to apply on the Burwood website · Need an arborist report?
Council's tree — don't touch it
Nature strip and park trees are maintained by council. Call 02 9911 9911.
Size matters
How big is "protected" in Burwood?
- Height: 4 m or more above existing ground level
- Trunk: 150 mm diameter at 1.4 m above ground
- Canopy: crown spread of 2 m or more
You need approval to…
- Pruning or removing any tree 4 m or taller above existing ground level.
- Pruning or removing any tree with a trunk diameter of 150 mm, measured 1.4 m above the ground.
- Pruning or removing any tree with a crown spread of 2 m or more.
- Any work to a protected tree — including exempt species — on a heritage item, in a Heritage Conservation Area, or forming part of an Aboriginal object or place: this needs a Development Application.
- Tree work connected with new construction or development: this is dealt with in a Development Application, not a Tree Permit.
Usually no approval needed for…
- Trees that do not reach any of the protected-tree dimensions.
- Removal of vegetation that council is satisfied is a risk to human life or property (council confirms this in writing before work starts).
- Removal of vegetation that council is satisfied is dying or dead and is not needed as habitat for native animals.
- Pruning of dead branches and/or torn storm-damaged branches that do not have hollows or provide habitat for native fauna.
- Pruning of a shrub or hedge by no more than 20 per cent of its height and width in a 12-month period.
- Removal of any species of mistletoe or parasitic plant from a tree.
- Pruning of less than 10 per cent of the crown of a tree in a 12-month period to reduce interference with roofs, gutters and walls of buildings only.
- Up to 5% pruning of root systems in a 12-month period to reduce interference with footings of buildings.
- Species on council's exempt species list, unless on heritage land or part of an Aboriginal object or place.
- All allowable works must follow AS 4373-2007 and Safe Work Australia's Guide to managing the risks of tree work 2023, and the tree owner must consent first.
Burwood's exempt species list (15 entries): trees you can usually remove without a permit
- Bamboo (all species)
- Privet (Ligustrum species)
- Rubber tree (Ficus elastica)
- Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)
- Rhus tree (Toxicodendron succedaneum)
- Umbrella tree (Schefflera species)
- Willow (Salix species)
- Poplar (Populus, all species)
- Robinia (all species)
- Cocos palm (Syagrus romanzoffianum)
- Mulberry (Morus species)
- Banana (Musa species)
- Citrus (all species)
- Fruit trees, or trees harbouring fruit fly, except Australian native trees
- Any tree declared a priority weed for Greater Sydney (Burwood) — see NSW WeedWise
Exemptions usually don't apply on heritage properties. Not sure what your tree is? Send us a photo.
Step by step
How to apply in Burwood.
From checking the rules to planting the replacement tree.
Check whether your tree is protected
Measure height (4 m), trunk diameter at 1.4 m (150 mm) and crown spread (2 m). Check the exempt species list and the allowable minor works.
Check heritage status
Use the NSW Planning Portal address search. Heritage items and Heritage Conservation Areas need a Development Application instead of a permit.
Get owner consent
The written consent of every owner of the property where the tree stands must go with the application.
Collect supporting information
Tree location, species, size, condition and your reason. Add any arborist (AQF Level 5), plumber or engineer reports.
Lodge and pay
Complete council's Tree Permit Application Form and pay the fee ($133.50Council fee for 1–5 trees; free for pensioners).
Council assesses
Council inspects and may ask for more reports. If approved, the permit is valid for one year and usually needs 2–3 replacement trees.
If refused
Request an internal review within 3 months ($651,Council fee $326Council fee pensioners) or appeal to the Land and Environment Court within 3 months.
Council fees paid to Burwood Council, not to Above All Tree Services
| Council fee for | Council fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tree permit application — 1 to 5 trees | $133.50Council fee | 2026/27, no GST |
| Tree permit application — 6 to 10 trees | $199Council fee | 2026/27 |
| Tree permit application — 11 to 20 trees | $264Council fee | 2026/27 |
| Tree permit application — more than 20 trees | $397Council fee | 2026/27 |
| Tree permit application — pensioners and not-for-profits | No fee | With a valid Pensioner Concession Card, or proof of non-profit status |
| Request for review of a tree permit decision — private tree | $651Council fee | $326Council fee for pensioners |
| Development application — pruning or removal of a tree, heritage items and HCAs | $110Council fee | Per application; $46Council fee for pensioners (statutory) |
Processing: Not stated on council's tree page or in the DCP.
The details
Everything else you should know.
The situations that trip people up, from Burwood council's own rules.
Pruning
Without approval you may prune dead or torn storm-damaged branches (no hollows or habitat), remove mistletoe, trim a hedge or shrub by up to 20% of its height and width a year, prune less than 10% of a tree's crown a year only to stop it interfering with roofs, gutters and walls, and prune up to 5% of the roots a year near building footings. Work must follow AS 4373-2007. Other pruning of a protected tree needs a permit, and approved works must be done by an arborist with at least AQF Level 5 in Arboriculture, as a condition of approval.
Dead or dangerous trees
No permit is needed to remove a tree that council is satisfied is a risk to life or property, or is dying or dead and not needed as native animal habitat — but council must be satisfied before work starts. Council will contact the tree owner in writing to confirm; if it isn't satisfied, it will tell you to lodge a Tree Permit or DA. In an emergency, work carried out by the SES, Fire and Rescue or council for safety reasons is allowed.
Arborist reports
Council may require a report from a practising AQF Level 5 arborist, landscape architect, structural engineer, licensed plumber or other expert. Any arborist's report must be prepared by a consulting arborist with at least a Diploma (AQF Level 5) in Arboriculture and include the details listed in DCP 6.1.13 (tree dimensions, site map, methods, photos and so on). For root damage claims, council asks for a licensed plumber's report with photos or video of root ingress.
Replacement planting
Approvals generally carry replacement-tree conditions. On merit, council may require two or three replacement trees for every tree removed, planted on the same site and kept healthy until they become protected trees. Replacements should not be planted within 3 m of a building, 1.5 m of a pool or spa, or 1 m of a boundary. A Tree Permit is valid for one year.
Bushfire and the 10/50 rule
The NSW Planning Portal bush fire prone land map shows no bush fire prone land in Burwood, so the 10/50 clearing rule is not expected to apply. Confirm your address with the NSW RFS 10/50 online tool before relying on it.
Heritage properties
If the property is a heritage item or in a Heritage Conservation Area, a Development Application is required for the removal or pruning of any protected tree — including exempt species — unless the work is one of the allowable minor works. The same applies where the tree is part of an Aboriginal object or place. A landscape plan prepared under council's Landscaping Code must accompany a tree DA.
Your neighbour's tree
If branches overhang from a neighbour's tree you can apply to council to prune the overhanging part, with the same supporting information and written owner's consent. Approval does not let you enter the neighbour's property, and council cannot order a neighbour to remove a tree. Council does not mediate minor works to neighbouring trees. If you cannot resolve it, you can apply to the Land and Environment Court under the Trees (Disputes Between Neighbours) Act 2006.
Street and park trees
Council maintains trees on nature strips, in parks and public places. It prunes for safety, tree health and traffic clearance, not for views, fruit reduction or solar access. Contact council on 02 9911 9911 or council@burwood.nsw.gov.au.
Penalties
Council says unlawful removal of a tree may lead to court action and fines. The DCP says breaches are subject to penalties under section 9.56 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, and a court can also order replanting and a security bond. Council officers can order work to stop on site. Dollar amounts are not stated by council.
What's different about Burwood
- Burwood's tree rules were rewritten in Amendment No. 12 to DCP Section 6.1, in force from 3 November 2025 — older summaries online may be out of date.
- Burwood uses some of Sydney's lowest thresholds: 4 m height, 150 mm trunk or a 2 m crown spread.
- Tree permits are free for pensioners with a valid Pensioner Concession Card.
- Council's target is 25% urban tree canopy cover by 2030 (Sustainable Burwood Strategy), and it may require two or three replacement trees for each one removed.
- Croydon and Croydon Park are split between Burwood and Inner West councils — check which council your address is in.
Trees common in Burwood
- Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina)
- Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
- Lemon-scented myrtle (Backhousia citriodora)
- Weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis)
- Ivory curl tree (Buckinghamia celsissima)
- Lemon-scented tea tree (Leptospermum petersonii)
Suburbs
5 Burwood suburbs we cover.
Each suburb page has local notes, jobs nearby and a link back here.
Questions
Burwood tree rules: questions.
Do I need council approval to remove a tree in Burwood?
In Burwood you need a Tree Permit (or a Development Application) before pruning or removing a "protected tree" — any tree 4 m or taller, with a trunk of 150 mm diameter at 1.4 m, or with a crown spread of 2 m or more. Heritage items and Heritage Conservation Areas need a DA. A short list of exempt species and minor works (dead branches, under 10% pruning away from buildings) don't need approval. Permits cost $133.50Council fee for 1–5 trees and are free for pensioners.
Can I prune a tree without a permit in Burwood?
Without approval you may prune dead or torn storm-damaged branches (no hollows or habitat), remove mistletoe, trim a hedge or shrub by up to 20% of its height and width a year, prune less than 10% of a tree's crown a year only to stop it interfering with roofs, gutters and walls, and prune up to 5% of the roots a year near building footings. Work must follow AS 4373-2007. Other pruning of a protected tree needs a permit, and approved works must be done by an arborist with at least AQF Level 5 in Arboriculture, as a condition of approval.
How much does a tree permit cost in Burwood?
This is a council fee, paid to Burwood Council, not to us. Tree permit application — 1 to 5 trees: $133.50Council fee (2026/27, no GST). Other council fees are listed on this page.
Can I remove a dead or dangerous tree in Burwood?
No permit is needed to remove a tree that council is satisfied is a risk to life or property, or is dying or dead and not needed as native animal habitat — but council must be satisfied before work starts. Council will contact the tree owner in writing to confirm; if it isn't satisfied, it will tell you to lodge a Tree Permit or DA. In an emergency, work carried out by the SES, Fire and Rescue or council for safety reasons is allowed.
Can I prune or remove the street tree outside my house?
Council maintains trees on nature strips, in parks and public places. It prunes for safety, tree health and traffic clearance, not for views, fruit reduction or solar access. Contact council on 02 9911 9911 or council@burwood.nsw.gov.au.
Sources: what Burwood council actually says
“any tree with a height equal to or greater than 4 metres above ground level (existing) or any tree with a trunk diameter of 150mm, measured at a distance of 1.4 metres above ground or any tree with a tree crown spread equal to or greater than 2 metres”
“Pruning of less than 10 per cent of the crown of a tree in a 12-month period to reduce interference with roofs, gutters and walls of buildings only.”
“If the property is a Heritage Item or within a Heritage Conservation Area, a Development Application (Development consent) is required for the removal/pruning of any tree.”
“The unlawful removal of a tree may result in formal action being pursued in the courts.”
Rules come from: Burwood DCP, Section 6.1 Preservation of Trees and Vegetation (Amendment No. 12, adopted 28 October 2025, in force 3 November 2025), made under SEPP (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021 Ch 2.
- Trees — Burwood Council
- Burwood Development Control Plan (full PDF, Section 6.1 pp. 331–341)
- Burwood Development Control Plan page
- Tree Permit Application Form 2025/2026 (online)
- Fees & Charges 2026–2027 (Tree Management p. 28; tree DA fee p. 13)
- NSW Planning Portal bush fire prone land layer (queried against LGA boundary)
Checked against Burwood Council's own pages and documents on 30 September 2026. Councils change their rules and fees, usually on 1 July, so confirm with Burwood Council (02 9911 9911) before any work. This page is a plain-English guide, not legal advice. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
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