What does Lane Cove protect?
Lane Cove applies the NSW SEPP (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021 through the Tree Preservation section of its DCP. Any tree, native or exotic, is covered if it's over 4 metres tall, has a canopy spread over 5 metres, or has a trunk over 150mm in diameter at 1 metre above ground.
Roots 40mm or thicker are covered as well. That matters before anyone digs for a pool, a path or new pipes near a tree.
Two things set Lane Cove apart from many neighbours. Council says it does not allow pruning of up to 10% without a permit. And a dead tree still needs a permit (a no-fee one), with council's Tree Officer deciding whether it's dead and how much can come down, depending on its height and any wildlife using it.
What's a no-fee permit?
Some work goes through a no-fee permit: removing a tree council is satisfied is dead, pruning dead branches, removing declared priority weeds, and certain listed species, some only below 6 or 10 metres. It's still an application, and a Tree Officer reviews it before anything happens. If the tree doesn't qualify, council tells you and the standard application applies.
What to send with a Lane Cove application
- The whole tree, base to top, with a person standing beside the trunk for scale.
- A close-up of the bark.
- A close-up of the leaves and how they're arranged.
- The fruit, if the tree has any.
- To remove a live tree over safety or damage: an AQF Level 5 arborist's report, plus a plumber's, engineer's or builder's evidence where it applies.
- For four or more trees: council strongly recommends an AQF Level 5 report, or an itemised assessment from an arborist with at least AQF Level 3.
How the Lane Cove process runs
Lodge online
Use council's Private Tree Works Inspection form. A heritage item, Heritage Conservation Area or Aboriginal site needs a development application through the NSW Planning Portal instead, and a tree in a mapped Endangered Ecological Community goes to the NSW Native Vegetation Panel, not council.
Allow time
Council says the full process can take up to 8 to 10 weeks from lodgement. No-fee works usually take 1 to 2 weeks when the tree can be identified from your photos.
Give notice
Council must be told at least 48 hours before the tree work starts. Permits last 12 months, and pruning permits can't be extended.
Appeal if refused
Appeals must be lodged within 3 months of the decision, or of a deemed refusal.
What happens without approval?
Lane Cove treats clearing a protected tree as an offence under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, and breaking permit conditions can lead to enforcement action. In 2026 the Land and Environment Court fined a contractor $187,500, plus council's costs, for illegally clearing 280+ trees on council bushland at Woodford Bay, Longueville.
If illegal work is happening now, council asks you to call so a Ranger can investigate.
Lane Cove Council tree removal permits: what to do next
Take the four photos before anything else. They're what council's officer looks at first, and an arborist quoting the job will want them too. If you're asking to remove a healthy tree for sun or views, expect a no; council says it doesn't allow heavy pruning for those either. If the tree is cracking or splitting, an AQF Level 5 report on the risk is worth having before you lodge.
Want an arborist to look at it?
Tell us the job and your postcode, and a local arborist calls you to talk it through.