Where does a tree's protection come from?
Council names five sources: the vegetation management code in the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, vegetation covenants on the title, the biodiversity, waterways and wetlands overlay code, drainage easements, and development approval conditions. A tree can be caught by more than one.
It isn't only removal. Council says a permit may be needed for pruning so heavy the tree is likely to die, and for clearing the understorey plants below the canopy.
Koalas add a layer. Council says clearing koala habitat areas inside koala priority areas is prohibited, and outside those areas the Queensland Government assesses koala habitat clearing. Clearing that affects matters of national environmental significance can also need federal approval under the EPBC Act.
How do I check my property?
Council points to the Development.i site report, which shows whether a lot has protected vegetation and whether there's an approved building envelope. For the state layer, the Queensland Government's vegetation management property report shows whether state rules affect the lot.
What council says about fences and building work
- Clearing within 3 metres on your side of a boundary fence, where reasonably necessary, after telling the neighbours and confirming the vegetation isn't protected
- Clearing tied to a building work approval: council wants a copy of the approval, and total clearing can't exceed 600 m²
- With no approved building envelope: clearing stays within 20 metres of a building, or 1.5 times the canopy height in a bushfire hazard area
- On mapped vegetation with an approved building envelope: clearing stays inside the envelope, apart from driveway access
Council also says these may not apply where the land carries development conditions, a vegetation covenant, a biodiversity offset, a voluntary declaration, or restrictions after earlier unlawful clearing. Those details are easy to miss on an older title, so read the site report closely.
How to apply to remove protected vegetation
Complete the State DA Form 1
Council's fact sheet FS8801, dated 22 July 2026, walks through each part of the form for a private tree removal.
Mark the trees on a site plan
Council's site plan template works with an aerial image of the lot. Circle each tree you want to remove.
Take labelled photos
Clear ground-level shots from more than one angle, numbered to match the site plan.
Write a short cover letter
Explain why the vegetation needs to go, and attach supporting material such as an arborist report.
Lodge it as a development application
Council's fact sheet invites questions before you lodge.
Does council follow up?
It does. On 18 July 2024 council reported a resident fined $30,000 in Caloundra Magistrates Court, plus $23,534.46 in compensation and $2,981.80 in court costs, over clearing in the road reserve in front of his property. Council says a permit is needed to clear any vegetation, trees included, on road reserves. See our street trees guide for verge trees.
Sunshine Coast Council tree removal permits: what to do next
Pull the Development.i site report before you call anyone, and read it for covenants and development conditions, because those can cancel the fence and building allowances. On a big or bushy lot, especially near koala habitat, we'd ask council before clearing anything, even along a fence line. Then get the quote in writing, with the trees marked the same way as your site plan.
Want an arborist to look at it?
Tell us the job and your postcode, and a local arborist calls you to talk it through.