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Council tree rules · checked 30 September 2026
Hunters Hill tree removal rules
Checked against Hunter's Hill Council's own documents on · Council: 02 9879 9400
Hunters Hill protects ("prescribes") any tree or plant 4 m or taller, or with a stem 200 mm or more across measured 1.4 m above ground, plus bushland next to Buffalo Creek and Boronia Park reserves, heritage-listed trees and Significant Tree Register trees. Pruning or removing prescribed vegetation needs a tree permit ($115.50Council fee to remove one tree in 2026-27), or a Development Application if the property is a heritage item or in one of the seven heritage conservation areas, or the tree is significant or heritage listed. Dead trees without nesting hollows, small hedge trims, deadwood and a list of weed species are exempt.
The checker
Do I need approval to remove my tree?
Hunters Hill'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, park or reserve)?
Council's tree — don't touch it
Residents may never prune or remove Council trees. Call 02 9879 9400.
Is the tree dead, with no nesting hollows or native animals living in it?
Exempt, but get proof first
Dead trees without nesting fauna can be removed. Get professional confirmation it's dead and tell Council with evidence first.
Is the property a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area, or is the tree heritage listed or on the Significant Tree Register?
Do you want to remove it (not just prune)?
You need a Development Application
Lodge a tree DA on the NSW Planning Portal with owner's consent, a site plan and a Statement of Environmental Effects.
How to apply on the Hunters Hill website · Need an arborist report?
You need a tree permit
Apply online or at 22 Alexandra Street. Removal is $115.50Council fee for one tree; pruning 1–5 trees is $79Council fee (2026-27).
How to apply on the Hunters Hill website · Need an arborist report?
Is it on the exempt species list (and under 10 m where that limit applies)?
No approval needed
This vegetation isn't prescribed or is an exempt species. Follow AS 4373 and keep photos.
Is it 4 m or taller, or is the stem 200 mm or more across at 1.4 m, or is it bushland next to Buffalo Creek or Boronia Park?
You need a tree permit
Apply online or at 22 Alexandra Street. Removal is $115.50Council fee for one tree; pruning 1–5 trees is $79Council fee (2026-27).
How to apply on the Hunters Hill website · Need an arborist report?
No approval needed
This vegetation isn't prescribed or is an exempt species. Follow AS 4373 and keep photos.
Size matters
How big is "protected" in Hunters Hill?
- Height: 4 m or more
- Trunk: stem diameter 200 mm or more, measured 1.4 m above existing ground level
- Near the house: exempt clearance pruning of branches under 50 mm to give a maximum 2 m clearance from a roof or external wall
You need approval to…
- Any vegetation with a height of 4 metres or more.
- Any vegetation with a stem diameter of 200 mm or more, measured 1.4 metres above existing ground level.
- Bushland, or individual bushland remnants, on properties adjoining Buffalo Creek Reserve or Boronia Park Reserve, including threatened species.
- Vegetation on land the Hunters Hill LEP 2012 maps as having biodiversity or high biodiversity significance.
- Trees listed as a heritage item in the Hunters Hill LEP 2012.
- Trees on the Hunters Hill Significant Tree Register.
- Pruning, removal, lopping, ringbarking, poisoning or other injury all count, as does construction work inside a tree's protection zone.
- A Development Application instead of a permit is needed to remove a significant or heritage-listed tree, or to remove prescribed vegetation on a heritage-listed property or in a heritage conservation area, or where the tree is subject to a current DA.
Usually no approval needed for…
- Hedges: regular maintenance cutting back less than 500 mm of the hedge's current height, width or depth, where the branches pruned are less than 30 mm thick.
- Dead trees and dead branches, as long as the tree is not home to native fauna (the DCP says dead trees with nesting hollows are not exempt). Council recommends professional confirmation and notifying Council with evidence first.
- Removal of deadwood from any tree in line with AS 4373-2007.
- Noxious (priority) weeds declared for the Hunters Hill area.
- Species on the exempt list (Table 2.1), except on a heritage-listed property; some species are only exempt under 10 m tall.
- Building clearance: reduction pruning to AS 4373-2007 giving a maximum 2 m clearance from a roof or external wall, pruning branches less than 50 mm diameter at the branch collar.
- Access clearance: crown lifting to AS 4373-2007 giving up to 2.4 m clearance above a public path or road, pruning branches less than 50 mm diameter.
- Emergency works for safety under the Fire Brigades, State Emergency Service or State Emergency and Rescue Management Acts, and bush fire hazard reduction work under the Rural Fires Act.
Hunters Hill's exempt species list (27 entries): trees you can usually remove without a permit
- Cootamundra wattle (Acacia baileyana)
- Mount Morgan wattle (Acacia podalyriifolia)
- Golden willow wattle (Acacia saligna)
- Box elder (Acer negundo)
- Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
- Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) — not exempt if 10 m or taller
- Hackberry (Celtis spp.) — not exempt if 10 m or taller
- Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster spp.)
- Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)
- Coral trees (Erythrina spp.) — not exempt if 10 m or taller
- Rubber tree (Ficus elastica)
- Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
- Silky oak (Grevillea robusta)
- Norfolk Island hibiscus (Lagunaria patersonia)
- Large-leaf privet (Ligustrum lucidum and cultivars)
- Small-leaf privet (Ligustrum sinense)
- Liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua) — not exempt if 10 m or taller
- Banana (Musa cavendishii)
- Oleander (Nerium oleander)
- African olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata)
- Radiata pine (Pinus radiata)
- Slash pine (Pinus elliottii)
- Poplar (Populus spp.) — not exempt if 10 m or taller
- Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
- Willow (Salix spp.)
- Umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla)
- Cocos palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana)
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 Hunters Hill.
From checking the rules to planting the replacement tree.
Check whether your tree is prescribed
Is it 4 m or taller, or is the stem 200 mm or more across at 1.4 m? Is it on the Significant Tree Register, heritage listed, or next to Buffalo Creek or Boronia Park reserves?
Check the exemptions
Hedge trims under 500 mm, deadwood, dead trees without nesting hollows, small clearance pruning and listed weed species are exempt (weed exemptions don't apply on heritage properties).
Check your heritage status
Look up the LEP heritage map on the NSW Planning Portal. If the property is a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area and you want to remove a tree, you need a DA, not a permit.
Prepare your information
For a permit you need the species, estimated height, a site plan and the owner's consent form. Add an AQF Level 5 arborist report where required.
Lodge and pay
Apply online through Council's tree permit form, or in person at 22 Alexandra Street, Hunters Hill (8.30am–4.30pm weekdays). Tree DAs go through the NSW Planning Portal.
Wait for approval before any work
Don't prune or remove until you have written approval. Stop work if nesting fauna is found and wait for a wildlife handler or for the animals to move on.
Council fees paid to Hunter's Hill Council, not to Above All Tree Services
| Council fee for | Council fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application to remove one tree | $115.50Council fee | 2026-27 fee schedule. Second and each subsequent tree $42.00Council fee. |
| Application to prune 1–5 trees | $79.00Council fee | 2026-27. Pruning 6 or more trees is $89.00Council fee. |
| Review of tree & vegetation decision | $82.50Council fee | 2026-27. |
| Tree Development Application | DA fees apply | Lodged through the NSW Planning Portal; Council advises entering $1.00Council fee as the cost of works if unknown. DA fee amount not separately confirmed. |
Processing: Council's tree pages do not state a processing time.
The details
Everything else you should know.
The situations that trip people up, from Hunters Hill council's own rules.
Pruning
Without approval you may remove deadwood, trim hedges by less than 500 mm (branches under 30 mm thick), prune branches under 50 mm diameter to give up to 2 m clearance from a roof or building wall, and crown-lift branches under 50 mm to give 2.4 m clearance over a public path or road — all to AS 4373-2007 Pruning of Amenity Trees. Any other pruning of prescribed vegetation needs a pruning permit ($79Council fee for 1–5 trees in 2026-27).
Dead or dangerous trees
Dead trees and dead branches can be removed without approval unless the tree is home to native fauna (the DCP specifically excludes dead trees with nesting hollows). Council recommends getting professional advice confirming the tree is dead and notifying Council with that evidence before removal. Genuine emergency works for safety under the Fire Brigades, SES or State Emergency and Rescue Management Acts are exempt. Council's pages set out no separate exemption for a living tree that an owner believes is dangerous, so apply for a permit.
Arborist reports
Council may require an arboricultural report and pruning specification prepared by an AQF Level 5 arborist. They are required for bushland remnants (especially next to Buffalo Creek or Boronia Park reserves), threatened species, land of biodiversity significance, heritage-listed trees or trees on heritage properties, Significant Tree Register trees, and requests for review of a decision. Engineering, drainage or plumber's reports may also be needed.
Replacement planting
Council considers whether removal can be compensated by replacement planting of suitable species, sizes and numbers to maintain the neighbourhood's landscape character. Council's pages do not set a fixed replacement ratio or pot size.
Bushfire and the 10/50 rule
The DCP defines properties in Barons Crescent adjoining Buffalo Creek Reserve and Boronia Park Reserve as bush fire prone, so the 10/50 entitlement may apply to some of those homes. Check your address with the NSW RFS 10/50 online tool before relying on it; the rest of the LGA is unlikely to be eligible.
Heritage properties
Heritage is the defining issue in Hunters Hill. There are seven heritage conservation areas (including The Peninsula, The Isler and Gladesville Village), 515 local heritage items and nine State Heritage Register items. Removing prescribed vegetation on a heritage-listed property or in a heritage conservation area, or removing a heritage-listed or significant tree, needs a Development Application lodged on the NSW Planning Portal with owner's consent, a site plan and a Statement of Environmental Effects. Exempt species are not exempt on a heritage-listed property.
Your neighbour's tree
To prune or remove a neighbour's tree, including overhanging branches, you must get consent from all the tree's property owners (or the body corporate for strata) before applying to Council. If a neighbour's tree is damaging or could damage your property and they won't cooperate, the Land and Environment Court (02 9113 8200) deals with tree disputes.
Street and park trees
Under no circumstances may residents prune or remove Council trees. Many streets have avenue plantings dating from the 1920s that commemorate soldiers of the Great War. Report problems or damage claims to Customer Service on 02 9879 9400; claims for damage from Council tree roots need evidence (plumber, arborist or engineer reports) before any repairs.
Penalties
Council says offenders found guilty in the Land and Environment Court can be fined up to $1.1 million and have a criminal record, and Council can issue on-the-spot fines of up to $3000. Penalties under the Local Government Act 1993 and Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 also include orders to remediate and pay for replacement vegetation and its maintenance. The DCP says Council has a long-standing commitment to investigating and prosecuting all reported incidents.
What's different about Hunters Hill
- Hunters Hill has seven heritage conservation areas and 515 local heritage items, so many tree removals here need a full Development Application rather than a permit.
- The size trigger is a stem diameter of 200 mm measured at 1.4 m above ground — a different height from the 1 m used by many other councils.
- Bushland remnants on properties next to Buffalo Creek Reserve and Boronia Park Reserve are protected regardless of size, and those Barons Crescent properties are defined as bush fire prone.
- Council publishes some of the highest stated penalties: on-the-spot fines up to $3000 and Land and Environment Court fines up to $1.1 million.
- The Significant Tree Register lists 60 trees or groups, including Moreton Bay and Port Jackson figs, blackbutts and a Dragon's Blood tree in Ady Street.
Trees common in Hunters Hill
- Blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis)
- Sydney red gum (Angophora costata)
- Port Jackson fig (Ficus rubiginosa)
- Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla)
- Turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera)
- Sydney blue gum (Eucalyptus saligna)
- Brush box (Lophostemon confertus)
- Lemon-scented gum (Corymbia citriodora)
Suburbs
5 Hunters Hill suburbs we cover.
Each suburb page has local notes, jobs nearby and a link back here.
Questions
Hunters Hill tree rules: questions.
Do I need council approval to remove a tree in Hunters Hill?
Hunters Hill protects ("prescribes") any tree or plant 4 m or taller, or with a stem 200 mm or more across measured 1.4 m above ground, plus bushland next to Buffalo Creek and Boronia Park reserves, heritage-listed trees and Significant Tree Register trees. Pruning or removing prescribed vegetation needs a tree permit ($115.50Council fee to remove one tree in 2026-27), or a Development Application if the property is a heritage item or in one of the seven heritage conservation areas, or the tree is significant or heritage listed. Dead trees without nesting hollows, small hedge trims, deadwood and a list of weed species are exempt.
Can I prune a tree without a permit in Hunters Hill?
Without approval you may remove deadwood, trim hedges by less than 500 mm (branches under 30 mm thick), prune branches under 50 mm diameter to give up to 2 m clearance from a roof or building wall, and crown-lift branches under 50 mm to give 2.4 m clearance over a public path or road — all to AS 4373-2007 Pruning of Amenity Trees. Any other pruning of prescribed vegetation needs a pruning permit ($79Council fee for 1–5 trees in 2026-27).
How much does a tree permit cost in Hunters Hill?
This is a council fee, paid to Hunter's Hill Council, not to us. Application to remove one tree: $115.50Council fee (2026-27 fee schedule. Second and each subsequent tree $42.00Council fee.). Other council fees are listed on this page.
How long does Hunters Hill council take to decide?
Council's tree pages do not state a processing time.
Can I remove a dead or dangerous tree in Hunters Hill?
Dead trees and dead branches can be removed without approval unless the tree is home to native fauna (the DCP specifically excludes dead trees with nesting hollows). Council recommends getting professional advice confirming the tree is dead and notifying Council with that evidence before removal. Genuine emergency works for safety under the Fire Brigades, SES or State Emergency and Rescue Management Acts are exempt. Council's pages set out no separate exemption for a living tree that an owner believes is dangerous, so apply for a permit.
Can I prune or remove the street tree outside my house?
Under no circumstances may residents prune or remove Council trees. Many streets have avenue plantings dating from the 1920s that commemorate soldiers of the Great War. Report problems or damage claims to Customer Service on 02 9879 9400; claims for damage from Council tree roots need evidence (plumber, arborist or engineer reports) before any repairs.
Sources: what Hunters Hill council actually says
“any vegetation that has a height of 4 metres or more”
“any vegetation with a stem diameter of 200mm or more (measured 1.4 metres above existing ground level)”
“the pruning is regular maintenance and involves cutting back less than 500mm”
“Council can also issue on-the-spot fines of up to $3000.”
Rules come from: Hunters Hill Consolidated Development Control Plan 2013, Part Two, Chapter 2.3 Trees & Vegetation (clauses 2.3.3 to 2.3.6), with State Environmental Planning Policy (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021 Chapter 2.
- Trees on your Property — Hunter's Hill Council
- Prescribed Vegetation — Hunter's Hill Council
- Exemptions — Hunter's Hill Council
- Tree Permits — Hunter's Hill Council
- Tree DAs — Hunter's Hill Council
- Neighbours Trees — Hunter's Hill Council
- Hunters Hill Consolidated DCP 2013 (Chapter 2.3 Trees & Vegetation, pages 14–24)
- Hunter's Hill Council Fees & Charges 2026-27
- Report tree vandalism — Hunter's Hill Council
- Trees on Council land — Hunter's Hill Council
- Street trees — Hunter's Hill Council
- Significant Tree Register — Hunter's Hill Council
- Heritage Areas & Items — Hunter's Hill Council
Checked against Hunter's Hill Council's own pages and documents on 30 September 2026. Councils change their rules and fees, usually on 1 July, so confirm with Hunter's Hill Council (02 9879 9400) before any work. This page is a plain-English guide, not legal advice. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
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