Tell us the job

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Tree removal in Canberra

Tree removal, pruning, stumps and storm jobs in Canberra, matched to a local arborist.

In Canberra, one set of ACT rules covers every suburb, and a tree on your block that's 8 metres tall or 8 metres wide is protected, so removing it needs approval first.

  • We match you with the local arborist who does your kind of job.
  • Tell us the job once, and the arborist who takes it calls you.
  • Storm damage and fallen trees flagged urgent.

Tree job in Canberra?

What needs doing?

If anyone is in danger, call 000. For storm damage to your home, call the SES. Then tell us the job.

Only one local arborist gets your number.

Gloved hands lifting a cut log round onto a stack of rounds

Matched by the job, not just the postcode

A big gum over a roof, a stump and a council report are different jobs, so the job comes first.

Only one local arborist gets your number.

Your contact details go to one arborist for your job, so you deal with one person.

Storm jobs flagged urgent

Pick storm damage and the arborist sees it marked urgent. If anyone is in danger, call 000 first.

Council rules before the cut

Many councils protect bigger trees. The permit guides cover every state, so you can check first.

What happens next

A local arborist calls you.

Tell us the job

  1. Tell us the job

    What the tree needs and your postcode. A few taps.

  2. We pass it on

    To a local arborist near your postcode.

  3. They call you

    They talk it through, usually see the tree, and quote in writing. You decide.

Tree removal permits in Canberra

There's no local council in the picture. The ACT Government looks after trees on public land through City Services, and it protects many trees on private blocks under the Urban Forest Act 2023, which took over from the Tree Protection Act 2005 on 1 January 2024.

If a tree on your block is protected, removing it, lopping it, major pruning or groundwork in its tree protection zone (the ground under and around the canopy) all need approval first. You ask with a tree activity application, and the decision-maker has 35 working days, not counting time spent waiting on information it requested. Our ACT tree permit page walks through it.

Queanbeyan is the exception people forget. It's over the border in NSW, so NSW and council rules apply there instead, and our Queanbeyan page covers that side.

Tree removal in Canberra: what's local

The 8 metre test

A living tree on a leased block is protected if it's 8 metres or taller, has a canopy 8 metres or wider, or has a trunk 1 metre or more around at 1.4 metres. Dead native trees count once the trunk reaches 1.88 metres around. Registered trees are protected at any size, and ACTmapi shows which they are.

Nature strips aren't yours to cut

City Services counts over 834,000 trees on suburban streets, at shops, along main roads and in parks. Residents aren't permitted to plant, trim, prune or remove a street tree, so ask for work through Fix My Street or Access Canberra.

An urban forest getting older

The ACT's Urban Forest Strategy names an ageing tree population as a key challenge, and the government is aiming for 30% canopy cover by 2045. That's why an approved removal comes with a canopy contribution: new trees planted on your block, or a contribution towards planting elsewhere if there's no room.

Evoenergy and the line to your house

Evoenergy runs the ACT network and says keeping trees clear of lines on your property is your job: at least 1 metre from service lines and 1.5 metres from powerlines, or 2 metres for higher voltage lines and bushfire prone areas. Inside that distance, only arborists Evoenergy has authorised can do the trimming.

Storm damage and fallen trees in Canberra

If anyone's hurt or in danger, call 000. For a tree on or touching power lines, call Evoenergy and keep at least 8 metres back from fallen lines and anything they touch, such as a fence. The ACT SES helps when a fallen tree has hit the house or blocked the driveway. If a tree on your own block is an immediate safety risk, Access Canberra can give an urgent circumstances authorisation for removal, and a tree activity application follows as soon as practicable.

Common tree jobs in Canberra

Big backyard removals. These are the jobs most likely to need approval, because size is the test. City Services weighs the tree's health, safety risk, property damage, a poor location, heavy shading and trees planted too close together, where other fixes haven't worked.

Pruning for winter sun. Major pruning of a protected tree can be approved where it substantially blocks winter sun to your home or a neighbour's between 9am and 3pm and lighter pruning won't fix it, though remnant eucalypts are left out of that criterion. The detail is on tree pruning in Canberra.

Stumps and hedges. The stump after an approved removal is its own job (stump grinding in Canberra), and so are overgrown screens near the service line (hedge trimming in Canberra).

The neighbour's tree. The approval rules reach trees on neighbouring land, so an application about a neighbour's protected tree needs the owner's written consent to the application and to an inspection. If talking stalls, City Services points people to the Conflict Resolution Service.

Questions to ask an arborist in Canberra

  • Do you think this tree is protected, and how did you measure it?
  • Who will lodge the tree activity application, and will you wait for the decision before starting?
  • If it's coming out, what replacement planting would suit the canopy contribution, and where would it go?
  • Is any of the work inside the minimum distance from Evoenergy's lines, and has Evoenergy authorised you to work there?
  • Will the pruning follow AS 4373 or MIS 308?

Hiring an arborist in Canberra

We'd measure it before ringing anyone: rough height, canopy spread and the trunk's girth at about 1.4 metres up. If it's anywhere near 8 metres either way, treat it as protected, check ACTmapi for a registration, and get the application in before booking a date. The only shortcut worth taking is Access Canberra's urgent authorisation, and only when the tree genuinely can't wait.

Tree removal in Canberra: common questions

Do I need approval to remove a tree in Canberra?

If it's protected, yes. On a private block that generally means 8 metres tall, an 8 metre canopy, a trunk 1 metre around at 1.4 metres, or a registered tree. Check with City Services before anyone cuts, even if the tree looks dead, because dead native trees can be protected too.

Can I trim the street tree out the front?

No. Nature strip trees are the ACT Government's, and residents aren't permitted to plant, trim, prune or remove them without written approval. Report it through Fix My Street or Access Canberra, and City Services aims to respond within 10 business days.

Whose job is a tree growing into the power line to my house?

On your property, Evoenergy says it's the homeowner's or occupier's job to keep trees clear. Once branches are inside the minimum distance, the trimming must be done by an arborist Evoenergy authorises, and trying it yourself can attract penalties. If the tree is touching a line right now, call Evoenergy.

Need an arborist in Canberra?

Pick the job and give your postcode, and a local arborist calls you.

Tree job in Canberra?

What needs doing?

Only one local arborist gets your number.

Tree services in Canberra

Tree pruning in CanberraStump grinding in CanberraHedge trimming in Canberra

Arborists in suburbs around Canberra

Tree permits in the Australian Capital Territory

More on tree removal in Canberra

Sources

Tree rules change, so check with your council before anything is cut. How we write and check these pages.