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Arborists and tree removal in Western Australia

Regulated tree policies, firebreak notices and two power networks.

Find your WA city below, and ask your local government before a tree comes down, because tree rules in WA differ from one council to the next.

Tree job in Western Australia?

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 chainsaw held in two gloved hands cutting through a log on the ground, chainsaw chaps and boots behind it
Storm-felled gums lying across a country road in Western Australia

Where in WA are you?

Perth, Bunbury and Albany are all on Western Power's network, which runs from Kalbarri in the north to Kalgoorlie in the east and Albany in the south. Horizon Power supplies regional and remote WA, with offices across the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Mid West and Goldfields-Esperance regions.

For a damaged powerline, Western Power says to stay at least 8 metres away, assume it's live and report it, calling 000 first if a life is at risk. For trees near Horizon Power's lines, WA's guidelines point to Horizon Power.

How WA councils protect trees

It's an offence in WA to clear native vegetation without a clearing permit or an exemption. For garden trees, local governments lead. WALGA's model tree retention policy, released in March 2024, calls a living tree regulated at 8 metres tall, a 6 metre average canopy, or a trunk 1.5 metres around at 1.4 metres, and each council decides whether to adopt it.

Removing a regulated tree can need development approval, and councils hold the line: in June 2026 the State Administrative Tribunal upheld Bassendean's refusal to let an owner remove one. WALGA puts Perth's canopy cover at 16%, the lowest of any Australian capital. Tree removal permits in WA goes council by council.

Read your firebreak notice first

Under section 33 of the Bush Fires Act 1954, local governments can require owners to put in firebreaks and reduce bushfire hazards, and each one sets its own dimensions and dates. Kalamunda's 2026/2027 notice, for example, has trees over 5 metres tall within its 20 metre zone around buildings under-pruned up to 2 metres.

Check your own council's notice before the season starts. If the pruning goes beyond what you can reach from the ground with hand tools, have an arborist quote it with the notice in hand.

Storm damage in WA

For fire or a life-threatening emergency, call 000. If a storm has badly damaged your home and you can't make it safe, call the SES, and DFES says non-urgent storm requests go to your insurer. Keep clear of fallen trees and anything touching a line.

Fronts in the south west, cyclones up north

South-west WA typically gets four to six cold fronts a month from April to October, and passing fronts bring about five tornadoes a year. DFES suggests removing overhanging branches before storms.

In the North West, cyclone season runs from November to April, and DFES calls the coast between Broome and Exmouth the most cyclone-prone region in Australia. Alerts and warnings are on Emergency WA.

Cities in Western Australia

Tree removal and arborists in PerthPerth tree removal: council-by-council rules, the borer quarantine, winter fronts and Western Power.Tree removal and arborists in BunburyBunbury tree removal: tuarts, heritage places, native vegetation permits, winter fronts and Western Power.Tree removal and arborists in Albany, WAAlbany WA tree removal: karri and peppermints, the fire management notice, street trees and Western Power.

Every suburb

Suburbs and tree services in Western Australia

Your suburb's page has its council's tree rules, the trees that grow there and who to call about power lines. Not listed? Tell us your postcode with the job, and we pass it to a local arborist near you.

Perth23 suburbs

Tree permits in Western Australia, council by council

Need an arborist in Western Australia?

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

Tree job in Western Australia?

What needs doing?

Only one local arborist gets your number.

More on Arborists and tree removal in Western Australia

Clearing trees for bushfire safetyNSW 10/50, Victoria's 10/30 and fence line rules, WA firebreak notices, and where the rules are thinner.Significant, protected and regulated treesRegisters, heritage listings, overlays and size tests, and how to check whether your tree is protected.Trees near power linesStreet lines, the line to your house and private poles: who clears what, and which network to call.Storm damage and fallen treesAfter a storm: 000, the SES, power lines, what an arborist does next, insurance and permits.

Where this information comes from

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