Trees and power lines in Sydney
Leave them alone. The SafeWork NSW code says an ordinary person shouldn't cut branches that might come within 3 metres of electric lines, and if any part of a branch touches a line, the whole branch may be live. Ring Ausgrid, or Endeavour Energy in Greater Western Sydney.
Tree pruning in Sydney: what's local
Lane Cove
Council says that, unlike some other councils, it doesn't allow pruning of up to 10% without a permit. It also won't allow large sections of a tree to be cut back to improve sun or views.
Cumberland
Pruning that takes branches over 150mm across, or more than 5% of the live crown, needs a permit and an arborist with at least AQF Level 3. Cutting a neighbour's overhanging branch needs their written consent and a permit, whatever its size.
Inner West
A permit is needed to prune more than 10% of a prescribed tree's canopy, and for any root pruning. Council itself doesn't prune trees on private property.
Blacktown
Council lists pruning alongside lopping, cutting down and root cutting as work that needs its consent, so ask before even a modest prune.
Northern Beaches
Council says it won't approve lopping or topping requests, or pruning that goes against AS 4373, the Australian pruning standard.
How tree pruning works in Sydney
Most jobs are about clearance and safety: limbs over the roof or gutters, branches scraping a second storey, deadwood (dead branches still on the tree) above a path or driveway. Before storm season, the Insurance Council of Australia suggests trimming branches that overhang the house, and notes you may need a council permit.
Pruning can also be the alternative to removal. Sutherland Shire's DCP says that where pruning can adequately reduce a significant tree's risk, council will consent to pruning rather than removal. Crown lifting (taking off lower branches) and crown thinning are the usual tools, and our crown thinning and lifting page explains both.
Tree loppers, lopping and proper pruning
Sydney people often search for tree loppers, and plenty of good arborists still get called that. What matters is the cut. AS 4373-2007 lists lopping and topping as unacceptable practices, because cutting between growing points leaves stubs, and the regrowth is often poorly attached and can make the tree dangerous.
A proper cut goes just outside the branch collar, the swelling where a limb meets the trunk, so the tree can grow over the wound. Our lopping versus pruning guide shows the difference.
Questions to ask about tree pruning in Sydney
- Which branches come off and why, marked or described, not just "trim back"
- Cuts to AS 4373-2007, with no lopping or topping
- Whether your council needs approval for this much pruning, and who lodges it
- The arborist's AQF level (Penrith recommends pruning by an arborist with AQF Level 3 or above)
- How limbs over the roof, pool or neighbour's yard will be lowered and protected
- For a neighbour's tree, their written consent and any permit your council needs
- Green waste: chipped and taken away, or left as mulch
- Public liability insurance
Tree pruning in Sydney: what you can do yourself
You can
- Small twiggy growth you can reach with both feet on the ground, using secateurs, loppers or a pruning saw
- Photograph the tree and note the branches that worry you before anyone visits
- Check your council's rule first, because some count even small cuts
Leave to an arborist
- Anything you'd need a ladder for, or anything over the roof
- Branches anywhere near a power line, including the service wire to the house
- Large limbs, high deadwood and storm-damaged branches
- Root pruning, which Inner West and Cumberland both control
Hiring an arborist for tree pruning in Sydney
We'd look up your council's pruning rule before booking anyone, because it varies so much across Sydney. Then get an arborist to describe the cuts in writing and confirm they'll prune to AS 4373-2007. If your council needs a permit, ask the arborist to help with the application, and keep their written plan as your record.