Throughout the municipality tree lopping and removal on private property may require permission by way of a permit. The need for permission could be due to one of two reasons:

Trees on private property may be protected by:

Your property is covered by any of the following Overlays through the Boroondara Planning Scheme. The Overlays mostly affect properties in and around the Yarra River environs in Hawthorn, Balwyn North and Kew. 

The Tree Protection Local Law came into effect on 8 April 2016 and aims to:

Trees are a part of Kingston’s character. They provide us with social, economic and environmental benefits. We're naturally committed to conservation and protection of trees, especially large canopy trees that take many years to mature. In line with the State Government’s Biodiversity Strategy, we're aiming for no further net loss in canopy cover throughout the city.

A planning permit is generally required for the pruning or removal of trees within the City of Knox. Knox City Council has numerous planning controls which protect trees and vegetation, and tree controls are enforced vigorously, with harsh penalties issued for illegal tree removal. 

We recommend consulting with Council's Planning staff prior to the pruning or removal of a tree.

The Manningham City Council stands out amongst other suburbs in Melbourne because extensive areas of native bushland and exotic trees are retained within the municipality. Council is committed to preserving this special character. This includes the protection of vegetation where practical. Town Planning Permits may be required for vegetation removal. Before you undertake any vegetation and/or tree removal please contact the Statutory Planning Unit on 9840 9495 or 9840 9273 to find out if you require a planning permit.  

Under the Maroondah Planning Scheme, a planning permit is required for:

A Planning Permit is required to remove or destroy any vegetation that:

The Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme provides for the protection of native and exotic vegetation.

Reasons include:

A permit is required to prune or remove a significant tree or palm under Community Amenity Local Law No.1 Clause 44. A significant tree permit is required in addition to any planning permit required by the Port Phillip Planning Scheme.

A Significant Tree permit must be obtained before a person removes, damages, kills or destroys a Significant Tree under the City of Stonnington General Local Law 2008 (No.1). A Significant Tree is any tree listed in Council’s ‘Significant Tree Register’ or is a tree:

If the property is within a Significant Landscape Overlay or Vegetation Protection Overlay, a Planning Permit may be required for tree removal and/or lopping. The current title of the land must also be checked to make sure there are no Section 173 Agreements with tree protection controls.

If there is a pending Planning application on the site or an application proposed to be submitted to Council within the next 12 months, trees should not be removed from the site until a final decision has been made on the application allowing the removal and/or pruning of specified trees.

The state government's 10/30 right allows you to clear vegetation around your home, without a planning permit, for bushfire protection.

Yarra has a Significant Tree Register 2014 to help ensure that unique, historical, rare and environmentally important trees are not removed or lopped without Council’s approval. The register covers trees located on private properties, as well as those in local parks, gardens and other public land across Yarra.