The fees to lodge with council are not charged by Above All Tree Services. They are paid directly to Cumberland City 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
Cumberland tree removal rules
Checked against Cumberland City Council's own documents on · Council: 02 8757 9000
In Cumberland you need a permit from Council before removing or pruning any woody tree 4 metres or taller, unless the species is on the DCP's exempt list, the tree is completely dead, or it is very close to your house. Small pruning jobs (branches up to 150 mm, no more than 5% of the live crown a year) are exempt if done to the Australian Standard. Since 5 November 2021 one set of rules (Cumberland DCP 2021) applies to the former Auburn, Holroyd and Parramatta parts of the city.
The checker
Do I need approval to remove my tree?
Cumberland'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 (not a street, nature strip, park or reserve)?
Council's tree — don't touch it
Street, nature strip and park trees belong to Council. Lodge a request online or call 02 8757 9000.
Is the property a heritage item, or is the work part of a development?
You need a Development Application
Tree work on a heritage item, or tied to building work, is assessed through a DA. Talk to Council on 02 8757 9000.
Has an AQF Level 5 arborist found the tree or branches severely damaged or likely to fail right now?
Emergency work — phone Council
Your AQF 5 arborist can make an emergency application by phone. Afterwards, give Council a written and photo record. SES 132 500.
Is the tree completely dead and not providing habitat for native animals?
No Council permit needed
This work is exempt under DCP Part G7. Take photos first and use a qualified arborist working to AS 4373.
Is the species on the DCP exempt list (and the property is not in Pemulwuy)?
No Council permit needed
This work is exempt under DCP Part G7. Take photos first and use a qualified arborist working to AS 4373.
Is the tree 4 m or taller?
No Council permit needed
This work is exempt under DCP Part G7. Take photos first and use a qualified arborist working to AS 4373.
Is the trunk under 2 m from your house walls (or a Liquidambar or fig under 5 m)?
No Council permit needed
This work is exempt under DCP Part G7. Take photos first and use a qualified arborist working to AS 4373.
Are you only doing exempt pruning (branches up to 150 mm, no more than 5% of live crown, your own tree)?
No Council permit needed
This work is exempt under DCP Part G7. Take photos first and use a qualified arborist working to AS 4373.
Lodge a Tree Works Application
Apply with all owners' consent. The fee is $92Council fee for the first tree plus $25.50Council fee per extra tree.
How to apply on the Cumberland website · Need an arborist report?
Size matters
How big is "protected" in Cumberland?
- Height: 4 m or more (woody perennial plant, ground level to highest live foliage) — Council's web page says 'over 3.6 metres'
- Canopy: exempt pruning limited to 5% of live crown per calendar year and branches up to 150 mm diameter
- Near the house: any tree under 2 m from the external walls of an approved house is exempt; Liquidambar and Ficus under 5 m (Ficus also under 3 m from a boundary)
You need approval to…
- Removing or pruning any woody perennial plant (tree) 4 metres or taller, measured from the base at ground level to the highest live foliage, that is not exempt.
- Pruning that removes branches more than 150 mm in diameter, or more than 5% of the live crown in a year (crown thinning, lifting, selective, formative or remedial pruning).
- Pruning a neighbour's tree where branches overhang your boundary — always needs the tree owner's written consent and a Council permit, whatever the branch size.
- Pruning live roots more than 30 mm in diameter, wherever the tree is and whatever the species.
- Removing a tree that is only partly dead (if any part is alive, a permit is needed).
- Exempt-list species that are in Pemulwuy or within a heritage item.
- Tree and vegetation work in relation to a heritage item needs a Development Application.
Usually no approval needed for…
- Species on the DCP Part G7 Table 1 exempt list — except in Pemulwuy or within a heritage item.
- Any tree less than 2 metres from the external walls of an approved house, measured from the outside edge of the trunk at 1 metre above ground.
- Liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua) less than 5 metres from the external walls of an approved house.
- Fig trees (Ficus species) less than 5 metres from the external walls of an approved house, or less than 3 metres from a neighbouring property boundary.
- Removing a completely dead tree that is not providing habitat for native fauna.
- Pruning deadwood, dying, diseased or conflicting branches, or dead palm fronds.
- Pruning branches that have been extensively damaged by recent severe storms or lightning.
- Pruning vegetation over footpaths or driveways to 2.4 m clearance (branches up to 150 mm diameter), to AS 4373-2007.
- With branches no more than 150 mm at the branch union and pruned to AS 4373: lifting lower branches to 2.4 m; clearing up to 1 m from power or service lines to a building; removing up to 5% of the live crown in a calendar year; reducing a hedge 4 m or taller by up to 20% of its height or width a year; clearing 1.5 m from the external walls and rooflines of houses, units and commercial buildings.
- Emergency work on severely damaged trees or branches, as assessed by an AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborist (see dead or dangerous trees).
Cumberland's exempt species list (38 entries): trees you can usually remove without a permit
- Cootamundra wattle (Acacia baileyana)
- Green wattle (Acacia decurrens)
- W.A. gold wattle (Acacia saligna)
- Box elder (Acer negundo)
- Crested wattle (Albizia lophantha)
- Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
- Evergreen alder (Alnus jorullensis)
- Bamboo (Bambusa species)
- Green cestrum (Cestrum parqui)
- Hackberry (Celtis species)
- Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora)
- Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster species)
- Fruiting persimmons (Diospyros species)
- Loquats (Eriobotrya species)
- Coral tree (Erythrina species)
- Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)
- Rubber tree (Ficus elastica)
- Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
- Norfolk Island hibiscus (Lagunaria patersonia)
- Privet (Ligustrum species)
- Apples (Malus species)
- White cedar (Melia azedarach)
- Mulberry (Morus species)
- Oleander (Nerium oleander)
- African olive (Olea africana)
- Edible olives (Olea species)
- Poplar (Populus species)
- Peaches, plums, apricots etc. (Prunus species)
- Pyracantha (Pyracantha species)
- Edible pears (Pyrus species)
- Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis)
- Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
- Willows (Salix species)
- Umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla)
- Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius)
- Cocos palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana)
- Rhus tree (Toxicodendron succedaneum)
- Sweet thorn (Vachellia karroo)
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 Cumberland.
From checking the rules to planting the replacement tree.
Check whether the tree is protected
Measure its height. A woody tree 4 m or taller (Council's web page says over 3.6 m) needs a permit unless it is exempt.
Check the exemptions
Look for the species on the DCP Table 1 list (not in Pemulwuy or on a heritage item), check its distance from your house walls, and whether the pruning fits the 150 mm / 5% rules.
Get every owner's consent
All owners must sign. Companies need directors' signatures and an ASIC extract; strata needs the Owners Corporation seal; new owners need proof of settlement.
Fill in the Tree Works Application
List each tree, its species, the work wanted and the reason, and draw a site plan showing the numbered trees, buildings and streets.
Lodge and pay
Email the form to council@cumberland.nsw.gov.au (an invoice is emailed), post it to PO Box 42 Merrylands NSW 2160 with a cheque, or lodge at the Auburn or Merrylands service centre. The fee is $92Council fee for the first tree and $25.50Council fee per extra tree.
Allow the inspection
Signing the form allows Council officers to enter the property. Restrain dogs and tell tenants about the inspection.
Do the work only after the permit arrives
Use an arborist of at least AQF Level 3 for approved pruning. If refused, you can appeal to the Land and Environment Court within 3 months.
Council fees paid to Cumberland City Council, not to Above All Tree Services
| Council fee for | Council fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tree Works Application — first tree | $92.00Council fee | 2025/2026 fees and charges shown on the application form (last revised 30/06/2025) |
| Tree Works Application — each additional tree | $25.50Council fee | per additional tree |
Processing: No processing time is stated on Council's current tree page or form.
The details
Everything else you should know.
The situations that trip people up, from Cumberland council's own rules.
Pruning
You can prune without a permit if each branch is no more than 150 mm in diameter at the branch union and the work follows AS 4373 Pruning of Amenity Trees — for example removing up to 5% of the live crown in a calendar year, lifting lower branches to 2.4 m, clearing 1.5 m from the walls and roofline of a building, or 1 m from service lines to a building. Deadwood, diseased branches, dead palm fronds and storm-damaged branches can also be pruned. Pruning bigger branches, more than 5% of the crown, live roots over 30 mm, or any overhanging branches from a neighbour's tree needs a permit, and the work must be done by at least an AQF Level 3 arborist.
Dead or dangerous trees
A completely dead tree that is not habitat for native animals can be removed without a permit; if any part is alive, you need a permit. In storms or high winds, work on severely damaged trees or branches assessed by an AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborist is exempt. Where the arborist identifies likely failure and people or property cannot be moved away, an emergency application can be made to Council by phone. After the work, you or the arborist must give Council a written and photographic record. Call the SES on 132 500 if damage is occurring.
Arborist reports
Not required for every application. Approved pruning must be carried out by an arborist of at least AQF Level 3 to AS 4373-2007. Emergency work must be assessed by an AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborist. For development applications, Council may require an Arborist Report and/or Tree Protection Plan prepared to its Submission Requirements for Consulting Arborists, and an AQF Level 5 arborist to supervise work near retained trees. Council publishes a Qualified Arborist List.
Replacement planting
For trees removed as part of an approved development, the DCP requires offset planting: 1 replacement for each tree 4 to 9 metres tall, and 2 replacements for each tree over 10 metres, using at least 45-litre stock of a species that can grow over 10 metres, preferably on the same property. Replacement conditions for stand-alone Tree Works permits are not stated.
Bushfire and the 10/50 rule
Not confirmed. Council's tree pages and DCP Part G7 do not mention the 10/50 scheme. Check your address with the NSW RFS 10/50 online tool before relying on it.
Heritage properties
The exemptions for listed species do not apply within a heritage item, and a Development Application must be lodged for tree and vegetation works in relation to a heritage item (DCP Part G7 section 2.2).
Your neighbour's tree
You must not prune overhanging branches from a neighbour's tree without the tree owner's written consent and a Council permit, whatever the branch size, and the work must be done from your side to AS 4373-2007. The application must include the written consent of all owners of the property where the tree stands. Where a tree is on the boundary between two properties, Council may consider its removal after assessing the application.
Street and park trees
Public trees are all trees on land owned or managed by Cumberland City Council, including parks, reserves, bushland, streets and nature strips. Do not prune or remove them — lodge a 'Public tree - pruning and removal' request (or report 'Public tree - illegal removal') through Council's online request system or call 02 8757 9000. Council keeps a public Tree Removal Register when three or more public trees are removed.
Penalties
Council's tree pages do not state penalty amounts. The application form states that no work can be carried out until a permit has been issued by Council, and Council takes reports of illegal public tree removal through its online request system.
What's different about Cumberland
- One set of tree rules (Cumberland DCP 2021 Part G7) has applied across the former Auburn, Holroyd and Parramatta areas since 5 November 2021; the older Auburn DCP 2010 and Holroyd DCP 2013 tree rules still posted on Council's site apply only to DAs lodged before that date.
- In Pemulwuy the exempt species list does not apply, so even listed species need a permit.
- Liquidambars and figs within 5 m of your house are exempt — a wider distance than the 2 m that applies to other trees.
- The Grey-headed Flying-fox colony along Duck River at Clyde is protected, with a 25 m buffer on vertical structures (DCP Part G5).
- Council publishes a public Tree Removal Register whenever three or more public trees are removed.
Trees common in Cumberland
- Sydney red gum (Angophora costata)
- Cabbage gum (Eucalyptus amplifolia)
- Tallowwood (Eucalyptus microcorys)
- Brush box (Lophostemon confertus)
- Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina)
- Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides)
- Blueberry ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus)
- Weeping lilly pilly (Waterhousea floribunda)
Suburbs
20 Cumberland suburbs we cover.
Each suburb page has local notes, jobs nearby and a link back here.
Questions
Cumberland tree rules: questions.
Do I need council approval to remove a tree in Cumberland?
In Cumberland you need a permit from Council before removing or pruning any woody tree 4 metres or taller, unless the species is on the DCP's exempt list, the tree is completely dead, or it is very close to your house. Small pruning jobs (branches up to 150 mm, no more than 5% of the live crown a year) are exempt if done to the Australian Standard. Since 5 November 2021 one set of rules (Cumberland DCP 2021) applies to the former Auburn, Holroyd and Parramatta parts of the city.
Can I prune a tree without a permit in Cumberland?
You can prune without a permit if each branch is no more than 150 mm in diameter at the branch union and the work follows AS 4373 Pruning of Amenity Trees — for example removing up to 5% of the live crown in a calendar year, lifting lower branches to 2.4 m, clearing 1.5 m from the walls and roofline of a building, or 1 m from service lines to a building. Deadwood, diseased branches, dead palm fronds and storm-damaged branches can also be pruned. Pruning bigger branches, more than 5% of the crown, live roots over 30 mm, or any overhanging branches from a neighbour's tree needs a permit, and the work must be done by at least an AQF Level 3 arborist.
How much does a tree permit cost in Cumberland?
This is a council fee, paid to Cumberland City Council, not to us. Tree Works Application — first tree: $92.00Council fee (2025/2026 fees and charges shown on the application form (last revised 30/06/2025)). Other council fees are listed on this page.
How long does Cumberland council take to decide?
No processing time is stated on Council's current tree page or form.
Can I remove a dead or dangerous tree in Cumberland?
A completely dead tree that is not habitat for native animals can be removed without a permit; if any part is alive, you need a permit. In storms or high winds, work on severely damaged trees or branches assessed by an AQF Level 5 Consulting Arborist is exempt. Where the arborist identifies likely failure and people or property cannot be moved away, an emergency application can be made to Council by phone. After the work, you or the arborist must give Council a written and photographic record. Call the SES on 132 500 if damage is occurring.
Can I prune or remove the street tree outside my house?
Public trees are all trees on land owned or managed by Cumberland City Council, including parks, reserves, bushland, streets and nature strips. Do not prune or remove them — lodge a 'Public tree - pruning and removal' request (or report 'Public tree - illegal removal') through Council's online request system or call 02 8757 9000. Council keeps a public Tree Removal Register when three or more public trees are removed.
Sources: what Cumberland council actually says
“For many 'woody' trees that are over 3.6 metres high, you'll need Council's written approval before removing or pruning them.”
“any woody perennial plant that is 4m or greater in height, measured from the base of the tree at ground level to the highest point of live foliage.”
“any tree located less than 2m from the external walls of an approved residential dwelling, as measured from the outside edge of the trunk at 1m above existing ground level.”
“If any part of the tree is still alive, a permit from Council is required for its removal.”
Rules come from: Cumberland DCP 2021, Part G7 Tree Management and Landscaping (sections 2.1 Preservation of trees, 2.5 Tree removal and/or pruning, 2.6 Storm damaged trees), in force 5 November 2021 across the whole city; applied under SEPP (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021, Chapter 2 (the DCP still cites the former SEPP (Vegetation in Non-Rural Areas) 2017).
- Tree management — Cumberland City Council
- Tree Works Application form (last revised 30/06/2025)
- Cumberland DCP 2021 Part G — Miscellaneous Development Controls (Part G7 Tree Management and Landscaping)
- Development Control Plans (DCP) — Cumberland City Council
- Cumberland DCP 2021 Cover and List of Amendments
- Tree Species List (Urban Tree Strategy 2020)
- Tree Application Process — former Holroyd area only (superseded guidance)
- Auburn DCP 2010 — Tree Preservation (repealed for new applications)
Checked against Cumberland City Council's own pages and documents on 30 September 2026. Councils change their rules and fees, usually on 1 July, so confirm with Cumberland City Council (02 8757 9000) before any work. This page is a plain-English guide, not legal advice. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
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