Tree removal permits in Scarborough
It's voluntary. An owner chooses to register a tree, and once it's listed, it's protected from damage and removal through a Section 70A notification on the property title.
It's also recent. Stirling's Scheme Amendment No. 113 took effect on 22 October 2024, a week after the register policy, LPP 6.17, was adopted on 15 October 2024. If you're buying in Scarborough, check the title for a notification.
For a house build, Stirling expects significant trees to be kept, or new trees planted, under the R-Codes, the state's residential design rules. Its pages don't spell out whether a big private tree needs approval outside the register, so ask the City and read our WA permits page.
Tree removal in Scarborough: what's local
Dunes and beach
Stirling looks after seven kilometres of coastline, including Scarborough and Trigg beaches, and about 70 hectares of coastal conservation dunes. It restores them by pulling invasive weeds and planting local native dune species.
Tuarts nearby
Trigg Regional Open Space includes tuart forest. Tuart grows to 40 metres on sand over limestone, the same sandy ground most Scarborough gardens sit on.
Taller buildings, tighter sites
Stirling caps Scarborough at eight storeys, after Observation City went up in 1986. Redevelopment brings street tree protection into play, because Stirling won't remove a street tree to make way for a private development.
Questions to ask an arborist in Scarborough
- Where will the new crossover go, and does it allow the setback the City sets from the street tree's trunk?
- Who puts up the tree protection zone fencing around the street tree, and when?
- Is there a bond on the street tree, and what would forfeit it?
- Is any tree on the lot on the Significant Tree Register, or noted on the title?
- Does the arborist's quote cover protecting the verge tree's roots while machinery is on site?
Tree pruning and lopping in Scarborough
No. Stirling counts pruning, damaging, poisoning or removing a street tree without authority as vandalism, and penalties may apply. Ask the City to do it instead; the council street trees guide explains how those requests usually go.
Trees and power lines in Scarborough
Don't go near a tree that's touching a line. Western Power says stay at least 8 metres from a damaged powerline and treat it as live; report it to them, or call 000 first if anyone's hurt. WA's guidelines leave pruning near lines to trained people, because a flashover can happen without anyone touching the wire.
Hiring an arborist in Scarborough
We'd check the title and the register before anything else, then ring Stirling about the street tree if the job is anywhere near the front of the lot. For a backyard removal, we'd ask the City in writing whether anything protects the tree, then get an arborist to quote with the clean-up and the shot-hole borer rules for the wood written in.