Stop before you lop! Know your trees and tree removal rules

Trees are important living assets forour City. They provide shade, clean the air, cool our neighbourhoods and are home to wildlife.

Trees significantly contribute towards making the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters one of the most desirable places to live, work and visit. 

Some trees are protected under South Australian planning laws, so it’s important to understand how to manage trees on your property to avoid damaging or removing protected species.

New laws were introduced in May 2024 to better protect Adelaide’s urban tree canopy and to safeguard large, mature trees that provide valuable community benefits.

Under these changes, the definition of regulated and significant trees was revised and, as such, any pruning, topping or removal may need to be approved by the Council.

While strict rules apply to regulated and significant trees, there are a number of exclusions relating to different species or situations of the tree, such as distance from a dwelling or swimming pool.

The Council’s Urban Planning staff can assist you to determine if a tree on your property is regulated or significant and guide you through an application process to adequately maintain or remove it.

Regulated tree
Any tree with a trunk circumference of 1 metre or more measured at 1 metre above natural ground level.

Where a tree has multiple trunks, a total circumference of 1 metre or more and an average circumference of 310 millimetres or more measured at 1 metre above natural ground level.

Significant tree
A tree with a trunk circumference of 2 metres or more measured 1 metre above natural ground level.

Where a tree has multiple trunks, a total circumference of 2 metres or more and an average circumference of 625 millimetres or more measured 1 metre above natural ground level.

Pruning regulated and significant trees
Necessary maintenance pruning of no more than 30% of the crown of the tree every five years to remove dead or diseased wood, or parts of a tree that are posing a material risk to buildings or people using the area, can be undertaken without approval, including for trees encroaching on your property.

For pruning that removes parts of a tree that do not pose material risk, are not dead, damaged or diseased, or that is likely to affect the health or appearance of the tree,
development approval must be provided by the Council.

Removing regulated or significant trees
Development approval is required for removal, killing or destruction, branch or limb lopping, ringbarking or topping, or any other substantial damage to a regulated tree, including to its root system.

For more detailed information, visit the PlanSA website

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