Tree removal in Lane Cove: good to know
Take the four photos
The whole tree with a person standing beside the trunk for scale, then close-ups of the bark, the leaves, and the fruit if there is any.
Lodge the inspection form
Applications go through council's online Private Tree Works Inspection form. To remove a live tree for safety or property damage, council asks for an AQF Level 5 arborist report, plus plumber, engineer or builder evidence where it applies.
Allow the time
Council says the full process can take 8 to 10 weeks. No-fee works, such as a dead tree, are usually approved within 1 to 2 weeks, but they still need an application and a Tree Officer's review.
Give notice before work starts
Tell council at least 48 hours before the arborist arrives. Permits are valid for 12 months.
Tree removal in Lane Cove: what's local
Mostly apartments
62.4% of Lane Cove's homes were flats or apartments at the 2021 census, so plenty of tree jobs here sit on common property. Our strata page covers how those usually run.
Steep, timbered, creek-side
Early settlers found the land steep and timbered, and bushland still lines the river, especially near Riverview and Lane Cove West. Council manages about 90 hectares of it, mostly in long, narrow reserves beside creeks and foreshores.
Bush on private land too
Council says bushland grows on private land as well as in reserves. Property encroachments and dumped garden waste are on its list of threats, so keep work, machinery and green waste on your own side.
Street trees near wires
If a street tree overhangs powerlines or stands within 3 metres of them, Ausgrid decides whether it's trimmed or removed, and responds before council. In an emergency, call Ausgrid.
Why views and sun won't get a tree cut back
Lane Cove says it doesn't allow large sections of trees to be pruned for solar access or views. Council treats clearing a protected tree as an offence against the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
In 2026 the Land and Environment Court fined a Sydney contractor $187,500, plus council's costs, for illegally clearing more than 280 trees on council bushland at Woodford Bay, Longueville. If you see illegal tree work happening, council asks you to call so a Ranger can investigate.
Hiring an arborist in Lane Cove
Treat every pruning job as a permit job until council says otherwise, since Lane Cove doesn't give the small-prune allowance other councils do. Take the photos the way council asks, get the arborist's report sorted for any live removal, and lock in the 48 hours' notice before you set a date.