Council street trees and nature strip trees

Whose tree is it?

If it's growing between your front boundary and the road, it's very likely on public land. Townsville, for example, treats the road reserve as including the footpath and nature strip, and Darwin treats nature strip vegetation as council property. In the ACT, the Government manages trees on nature strips and road verges.

That holds even when you've been looking after it. Rockhampton plants street trees and asks residents to water and care for them, but they're still council trees. If you're not sure where your boundary runs, ask the council before anyone touches the tree.

Why you shouldn't prune or remove it yourself

Because the rules make it the council's call, and many make it an offence. In NSW, work on a tree on public land needs approval first. In the ACT, you can't remove a nature strip tree without written approval. Brisbane's local law bars interfering with a footpath tree except under a council permit, and Wyndham makes removing or damaging a street tree without approval an offence.

Some councils enforce it hard. Sunshine Coast Council reported in July 2024 that a resident who cleared road reserve vegetation was fined $30,000 in the Caloundra Magistrates Court, on top of compensation and court costs.

A few councils allow small, defined jobs. Sunshine Coast says residents may prune council branches back to the boundary where they overhang more than 0.5m and sit within 2.5m of the ground. Rockhampton's policy allows ground-based minor maintenance within five metres of your property, on branches no thicker than five centimetres. Brisbane issues minor street tree pruning permits on the spot. Unless your council has said so in writing, assume the answer is no.

What councils will and won't do

The councils we've looked at generally act on trees that are dead, dying, diseased or structurally dangerous. Brimbank takes removal requests for those, and Hume does clearance pruning to a height of 3.5 metres where a street tree overhangs a property line.

They usually won't remove a healthy tree for leaves, shade or views. Wyndham won't remove planted street trees for personal preference, leaf litter, limbs over private property, parking or fauna. Hume won't for shade, debris, allergens or bees. Albany won't prune to improve views or reduce shading, and Mildura says dropped leaves, flowers or fruit ordinarily won't justify removing one.

Street trees and power lines

Who clears a street tree from the lines depends on the state and the network. In Victoria, Energy Safe Victoria says nature strip trees near lines belong to either the electricity distributor or the council, and either can tell you which. Ku-ring-gai says Ausgrid prunes trees growing near lines between street poles. In WA, planted verge trees are the local government's or Main Roads WA's to keep clear, and naturally occurring ones are the network's.

Roots, damage and your own trees

If roots from a street tree are damaging your property, report it with evidence. Launceston asks for evidence from a suitably qualified person that its tree's roots are contributing, and an arborist report is the usual way to get that.

It works the other way as well. Your own trees can't hang low over the footpath: Wodonga's local law sets a 2.5 metre clearance above the footpath or nature strip, and Hobart can do the work and invoice the owner.