Tell us the job

Central Coast, New South Wales

Tree removal on the Central Coast

Tree removal, pruning, stumps and storm jobs on the Central Coast, matched to a local arborist.

On the Central Coast, a tree removal starts with Central Coast Council's pre-application checklist, which sorts out whether the job needs a council permit, a 10/50 check or a different approval altogether.

  • 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 on the Central Coast?

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.

A worker in a helmet, earmuffs and a visor feeding a leafy branch into a wood chipper on a grass verge

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.

Storm damage and fallen trees on the Central Coast

Don't try to move it. NSW SES says to stay away from fallen trees and powerlines after a storm, and to assume lines are live. Call 000 if anyone is hurt or trapped, the SES for a tree on the house, and Ausgrid for anything on a line.

Tree removal permits on the Central Coast

Private trees come under Central Coast Development Control Plan 2022, Chapter 3.5 Tree and Vegetation Management. Before you lodge anything, council's checklist asks about the native vegetation map, biodiversity values, threatened species, the RFS 10/50 area and heritage or Aboriginal significance.

Some answers send the job elsewhere, such as to another approval body or a development application, instead of a tree permit. Otherwise it's a Private Tree Works Application, and only the property owner can authorise a removal. Our Central Coast permit page has the detail.

Council takes this seriously. In September 2024 it reported a $55,000 penalty, plus costs, for a landowner near Mangrove Mountain who cleared vegetation without approval.

Tree removal on the Central Coast: what's local

Sandstone country

Brisbane Water National Park, 12km from Gosford, covers 12,000ha of rugged sandstone. Sydney red gums grow on sandy soils and sand over sandstone right along this coast, and their smooth, shedding bark is easy to pick.

Lakes and the 10/50 rule

Inside a 10/50 entitlement area the RFS rules apply, but the Code doesn't allow clearing within 10 metres of a lake or a river at least 2 metres wide, or on slopes over 18 degrees. Waterfront blocks need a closer look.

East coast lows

The Pasha Bulker storm's flash flooding on the night of 8 June 2007 reached as far south as the Central Coast, and the April 2015 low battered the coast from Nowra to Seal Rocks with gale-force winds.

Ausgrid's lines

The Central Coast is on Ausgrid's network, grouped with Northern Sydney for tree trimming. Ausgrid says trimming within three metres of its lines is only for workers qualified under the SafeWork NSW code.

Is your council the right Central Coast Council?

It sounds obvious, but Central Coast Council in NSW is a different council from the Central Coast Council in Tasmania, and it's easy to land on the wrong one online. Make sure any form or rule you read came from the NSW council, with offices in Gosford and Wyong.

Questions to ask an arborist on the Central Coast

Beyond removals, we have Central Coast pages on tree pruning and stump grinding. If a tree came down under the 10/50 rule, read the stump page before anyone grinds: the RFS has conditions about disturbing the soil.

Local pages for Gosford and Wyong go street level, and the 10/50 guide explains the bushfire clearing rules in full.

Hiring an arborist on the Central Coast

Run council's pre-application checklist first. It shows if you're dealing with council, the RFS, another approval body or a development application, and that decides everything else. Then get an arborist out to look, and ask for the quote in writing with who handles the paperwork spelled out.

Tree removal on the Central Coast: common questions

Do I need approval to remove a tree on the Central Coast?

Generally, yes, through Central Coast Council's DCP Chapter 3.5, unless the job belongs to another approval. Council's checklist shows which path applies. Check with council before anything is cut.

Does the 10/50 rule apply to my Central Coast property?

Only if your land is inside a mapped 10/50 entitlement area. The RFS says to check its online tool on the day you clear and keep a copy of the result, and it only covers your own land.

Who do I call about a tree on the power lines?

Ausgrid. Keep 8 metres or two car lengths between you and any fallen line, and ring 000 if someone's injured.

Need an arborist on the Central Coast?

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

Tree job on the Central Coast?

What needs doing?

Only one local arborist gets your number.

Tree services on the Central Coast

Tree pruning on the Central CoastStump grinding on the Central Coast

Arborists in suburbs around the Central Coast

Tree permits in New South Wales

More on tree removal on the Central Coast

Sources

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