Which trees does the Glen Eira local law cover?
Glen Eira's Canopy Tree Protection Local Law has applied since 3 September 2020. It protects two kinds of tree on private land.
A canopy tree is any one of these: a palm taller than 8 metres; a tree whose stump measures 140 cm or more around at ground level; or a tree taller than 5 metres whose trunk, or trunks added together, measure 140 cm or more at 140 cm up.
A classified tree is one on the council's Classified Tree Register, whatever its size.
For either kind, a permit is needed to remove, damage, kill or prune the tree, or to work inside its tree protection zone (the area around it that has to be left alone, set under AS 4970-2009). Damage includes ringbarking, topping, poisoning and spilling cement or oil in the root zone.
Local law or planning scheme?
| Canopy Tree Protection Local Law | Planning scheme (Clause 52.37) | |
|---|---|---|
| Which trees | Palms over 8 m, stumps 140 cm around at ground, or trees over 5 m with a trunk 140 cm around at 140 cm | Trees over 5 m with a canopy at least 4 m wide on residential land |
| Where on the block | Anywhere on private land | Vacant land, or within 6 m of the street frontage or 4.5 m of the rear boundary |
| What needs approval | Removing, damaging, pruning, or works in the tree protection zone | Removing, destroying or lopping |
| If both apply | The scheme prevails | Only a planning application is needed |
How much pruning does the local law allow?
Pruning without a permit is held to tight limits: no more than 10% of the tree's total volume in 12 months, to AS4373-2007, and only branches less than 100 millimetres around where they join a larger branch or the trunk. That's light maintenance, not reshaping a tree.
Reducing the height or taking a large limb is permit territory. If you're unsure which side of the line a job falls, ask the council first. Our tree pruning page shows what good pruning looks like.
After a storm damages a Glen Eira tree
If anyone is in danger, call 000. If the storm has damaged your home, call the SES. Keep everyone out from under split or hanging branches. The local law allows work to control an immediate danger to life or property, but the council must be told within five working days, and it suggests keeping photos and a qualified arborist's statement.
Evidence that helps an application
- The trunk circumference at 140 cm up, or at ground level for a stump.
- A rough height, and whether the tree is on the Classified Tree Register.
- Photos of the tree and the reason you're asking.
- An arborist report, ideally by an AQF Level 5 arborist, the level the council's guidelines name. Building work near the tree needs a report showing it won't be unreasonably affected.
How Glen Eira handles a request
Check whether you need a permit
Use the council's online 'Lodge my request' link, or call Planning and Building Services.
Apply in writing
Through the permit portal on the council's website, or on the paper form.
Assessment
The guidelines say applications are assessed within 14 calendar days, and a qualified, experienced arborist looks at every one.
Conditions
Expect one replacement canopy tree per tree removed, planted at 1.5 metres tall and able to reach at least 13 metres high and 7 metres wide, within 12 months (24 months for a new dwelling). Works in a tree protection zone happen with a qualified arborist present.
What happens if you go ahead without a permit?
The local law sets a penalty of 20 penalty units for removing, damaging or pruning a canopy or classified tree without a permit, plus up to 2 more a day while it continues. Infringement notices run at 20 penalty units for removing a canopy tree, and 10 for some lesser offences.
Glen Eira City Council tree removal permits: what to do next
We'd take the tape measure out at 140 cm and confirm in writing whether the council treats the tree as protected. If there's building work coming, we'd get the tree protection zone report started early, because it shapes the plans as much as the permit.
Want an arborist to look at it?
Tell us the job and your postcode, and a local arborist calls you to talk it through.