Questions to ask an arborist in Salisbury
Get the tape out
Measure around the trunk 1 metre above natural ground. A single trunk of 1 metre or more is regulated, and 2 metres or more is significant. With several trunks, a total of 1 metre and an average of 310 millimetres or more makes it regulated.
Check the species
If it's a Eucalyptus, Corymbia, Angophora or Willow Myrtle, the 3 metre allowance near a house or pool doesn't apply. Treat it as needing approval.
Talk to the council
Ask the City of Salisbury what to lodge. Our Salisbury permit page covers its process and a recent panel decision.
Plan for replacements
Councils can approve with conditions, such as replacement trees or a payment into an urban tree fund, so think about where new trees could go.
Tree removal in Salisbury: what's local
River town
John Harvey founded Salisbury beside the Little Para River and began selling allotments in 1848. A former orchard beside the river is now a public reserve.
Post-war gardens
A Housing Trust estate began taking shape at Salisbury North in 1949. Trees planted in those early gardens have had decades to pass the regulated size, so measure before assuming anything.
A big council area
Salisbury the suburb is a small piece of the City of Salisbury, which is 33 times larger. Postcodes run from 5106 for Salisbury South to 5108 and 5109 across the rest.
Lines on the street
SA Power Networks keeps the clearance zone around public lines, and that includes private trees leaning over the road reserve. Lines past your connection point are yours to keep clear.
Tree removal permits in Salisbury
When Salisbury's Council Assessment Panel approved a Mawson Lakes primary school's removal of one regulated and one significant tree on 23 September 2025, it set replacements within 12 months: 2 for the regulated tree and 3 for the significant one. A payment into the urban trees fund was allowed instead.
That's one decision, not a rule for every house, but it shows how replacement conditions work in practice. If a council refuses an application, you can appeal to the Environment, Resources and Development Court within 2 months.
Storm damage and fallen trees in Salisbury
If anyone's at risk, call 000. For storm damage to the house, the SA SES can help, and for a tree on powerlines, SA Power Networks takes fault reports; keep 10 metres back. SA law allows urgent work to protect a person or a building, but the council has to be told within 28 days, with an application lodged afterwards.
Hiring an arborist in Salisbury
We'd measure, then check the species, because those two answers decide almost everything in SA. If it's over 1 metre around, we'd ring the City of Salisbury before getting quotes, and ask arborists to quote with the replacement trees in mind. For a dying or dangerous tree, an arborist report is the strongest evidence you can give council.