Pruning Private Trees

Do i need a permit to prune my tree?

Part 5 of the Wagga Wagga Development Control Plan 2010 outlines how trees and vegetation are preserved and managed in the Wagga Wagga LGA, and sets out when an application is required to prune a tree on private property in urban areas.

Pruning of private trees that does not require a permit

A pruning permit is not required to prune trees and shrubs on private land where:

• the tree or shrub is less than 8m in height
• the removal of dead branches within a tree canopy
• Where crown modification pruning of a hedge by no more than 20% of its height and or width in any one calendar year or canopy lifting/thinning of a tree crown by not more than 10%.
• Selective pruning being only pruning to remove 50mm or less in diameter at the nearest branch collar to clear:
  • a roof
  • an external face of building
  • a dividing fence - refer to the Dividing Fences Act 1991-072

Pruning of private trees that requires a permit

• For trees and shrubs greater than 8m in height.
• Threatened Species and Threatened Ecological Communities, as listed in Schedules 1 and 2 of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
• Extinct in the Wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable Plant Species, and Critically Endangered and
• Endangered Ecological Communities, as listed under Part 13, Division 1, Subdivision A of the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
• any other native vegetation including understorey plants, groundcovers and plants occurring in a wetland and is less than the biodiversity offsets scheme threshold identified under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 or Fisheries Management Act 1994
• Native Species of Local Conservation Significance, as listed by Greening Australia South-west Slopes Division – list is provided in Table 5.2.2 in the Wagga Wagga DCP 2010.
• Plants identified as native species, as listed under the NSW Local Land Services Act 2013.

Applying for a permit to prune a private tree

Step 1: Prepare a site plan showing all vegetation (including trees). Mark the vegetation proposed for clearing on site.

Step 2: Fill out the Permit To Clear Vegetation (Trees) online application form, or download and return the PDF version and attach any supporting documents, photographs, distance from dwelling (arborist report, structural engineers report, if required).

Permit to Clear Vegetation (Trees) Online Form

Permit to Clear Vegetation Form 213.4 KB Download

What happens next?

Upon receipt of the application, our Arborist will inspect the site and the vegetation proposed to be cleared. An assessment will be undertaken, and a decision made within 28 days of lodgement.

Our decision guidelines

When assessing a Permit to Clear Tree or Vegetation application, Council considers the following factors:

• The health and condition of the tree (e.g. whether it is dead, dying, diseased, or structurally unsound).
• How suitable the tree is for its location and growing conditions.
• The tree’s contribution to the landscape, including its aesthetic value.
• The cumulative impact of previous vegetation clearing on the site.
• Whether the tree is causing structural damage to driveways, utilities, or assets, and whether alternatives to removal (such as pipe replacement, relining, relocation, encasement, or root pruning) have been explored.
• Whether the tree is native or part of a local endangered ecological community.
• The tree’s habitat value for wildlife.
• Any historical or cultural significance of the tree.
• The role of the vegetation in reducing soil erosion and sediment entering waterways.
• Whether compensatory planting is proposed to replace lost vegetation, or whether other vegetation will be retained to balance the loss.
• If established trees have been planted as part of a succession plan to maintain canopy cover in the future.

Wagga Wagga City Council will notify the applicant in writing if their application is successful.

The following criteria must be met

• the property owners’ consent has been obtained for the permit
• Wagga Wagga City Council has provided a Permit to Clear or Prune Vegetation and the Conditions of Consent in writing to the applicant.
• the pruning work is carried out by a minimum AQF Level 2 Arborist in accordance with the prepared specification and AS4373 – 2007
• the completed pruning permit form must be retained by the property owner for a period of one (1) year.