At its Council Meeting held on 11 December 2023, Greater Dandenong City Council endorsed the Tree Protection on Private Land Local Law 2023. In accordance with section 74(4) of the Local Government Act 2020, the objectives of this Local Law are to:
1. prohibit, regulate and control activities that could be a risk or endanger protected trees in the Municipal District;
2. apply controls which will complement other controls being applied by the Council to maintain and protect trees in the Municipal District; and
3. provide for the uniform and fair administration of this Local Law.
This Local Law will ensure that the urban forest is healthy, safe, provides amenity, increases liveability for the Greater Dandenong community, provides habitat for biodiversity and mitigates the impact of, and provides adaptive benefits in response to, climate change.
Download the Tree Protection Local Law - 234KB
Read the Tree Protection on Private Property Policy
All residents will require a permit to remove any tree with a diameter of 40cm or larger as measured 1.4 metres from the ground.
What do I need to do before submitting a permit application:
1. An assessment undertaken of the tree by a qualified independent arborist.
- The arborist will provide you with a report to include with your permit application.
This report should include:
- Arborists name, company name (where applicable), contact phone number and business address
- The client’s (the applicant’s) name and address
- Site address.
- Date of site inspection and report preparation
- Species of tree, diameter (measured at 1.4m from ground level), height
- Current health and structural condition of the tree
- Retention value and recommendations
The report is required to clearly demonstrate the need to remove the tree(s)
2. Owner consent
If you are not the owner of the property you will also need consent for us to process your application.
Is a permit required for pruning?
A permit is not required for pruning, so long as the following conditions are met:
- the pruning is carried out by a qualified arborist in accordance with Australian Standard AS 4373–2007 Pruning of amenity trees and the Arborist has provided their qualifications
- the property owner has kept photographs of trees before and after the work
- in an emergency, where any part of a tree is an immediate hazard to life and or property, as determined by a minimum AQF Level 5 Arborist.
How to apply
If you would like to apply to remove a tree on private property you will need to use the below form.
The cost is $113 per tree. This fee will be waived for all applications prior to 1 July 2024.
Apply for a Tree Removal on Private Land Permit
