Tree removal permits in Port Macquarie
The council sets the test. Properties zoned R1 through to W4, which takes in residential, business, environmental and recreation land, need a council permit to prune or remove a tree. Land in other zones is treated as rural, and tree questions there go to Local Land Services.
The threshold is low. A tree 3 m or higher, or with a trunk 100 mm across at 1 m above the ground, is covered, and so are hollow-bearing trees, mangroves, cycads, Norfolk Island Pines and threatened species. The state framework behind it is on our NSW tree permit page.
NSW tightened its urban tree rules in 2026. Protected dead and dying trees now need a permit too, and a tree can only come down under the risk exemption once council agrees in writing that it's an imminent danger.
How a Port Macquarie tree application usually runs
Check the zoning and the tree
Confirm the zone on your planning certificate or with council, then measure the tree against the 3 m and 100 mm triggers. Look for hollows, and ask whether your street sits in mapped koala habitat.
Apply online or at a Customer Service Centre
Applications for 1 to 5 trees can go in online or in person. Council wants a site diagram showing where the tree is in relation to the buildings.
Give reasons council can assess
Council looks at whether a tree is dead, diseased, dangerous, defective or damaging, and it may ask for an AQF Level 5 arborist report (from a consulting arborist with a Diploma of Arboriculture).
Allow time, then book the work
Council aims to decide within 28 days of a fully completed application. A permit lasts 12 months from issue, and a refusal can be appealed to the Land and Environment Court within 3 months.
Tree removal in Port Macquarie: what's local
Koala habitat
A permit is required in areas mapped as Core Koala Habitat under the local environmental plan, and council asks for 2 replacement trees for every 1 Koala Food Tree species removed. Ask the arborist where those new trees could actually grow on your block.
Norfolk Island Pines
These tall coastal pines are named on council's permit list in their own right, so a pine near the house is a council conversation before it's a quote.
Bushfire-prone blocks
Council's tree page says the RFS 10/50 scheme may apply to bushfire-prone properties, with strict conditions. Check the RFS online tool on the day you plan to clear and keep a copy, as our 10/50 guide explains.
Essential Energy's lines
Essential Energy runs the network across most of regional NSW, including its Mid North Coast area. Call Essential Energy if branches are touching or hanging over its lines, or for a power outage. Your bill names your distributor if you're unsure.
Common tree jobs in Port Macquarie
Trees close to the house. Council's rules have a lot of detail about trees near dwellings, and koala habitat changes the picture again, so get council's answer for your address rather than relying on a neighbour's experience.
Koala food trees. Removals here often come with a replanting plan. Build that into the quote: which species, how many, and where.
Pruning. The permit covers pruning as well as removal on most town land, so a big prune needs the same check. Fines of up to $110,000 apply to unapproved removal, which is a good reason to ask first.
After a blow. Storm-damaged trees still need care with the rules once they're safe. Our storm damage page covers what to do in the first hours.
Hiring an arborist in Port Macquarie
Ring council with the street address before you collect quotes. Ask two things: does the permit apply to this tree, and is the lot in mapped koala habitat. With those answers, an arborist can quote the real job, replacement planting included, and you'll know whether a Level 5 report is worth having ready.