Victorian planning rules
Tree removal permits in Geelong
The state canopy tree rule changed when amendment VC315 was gazetted on 24 September 2026. Whether a tree needs a permit now turns on its size, the zone and where it stands on the lot.
Clause 52.37
What counts as a canopy tree
Clause 52.37 of the planning scheme sets the test. In the residential zones, except for the Low-Density Residential Zone, a permit is needed to remove, destroy or lop an existing canopy tree.
Height
The tree has a height of at least 5 metres above ground level. A tree shorter than that is not a canopy tree under the clause.
Canopy
It also has an average canopy diameter of at least 4 metres, measured across the widest points of the drip line in two directions.
A house already on the lot
If the site is developed with an existing dwelling, the permit is only needed for a boundary canopy tree: one with part of its trunk within 6 metres of the front of the lot (the narrowest frontage, on a corner block), or within 4.5 metres of the rear boundary.
Compared: removal, lopping or pruning, stump grinding or stump removal, council tree rules compared
How it works
From the first call to a clear garden
Nothing happens without a written quote you have agreed to.
Tell us about the tree
Call or send the form with the tree and what is worrying you.
A contractor comes to see it
A local tree contractor looks at the tree, the access and whatever sits underneath it, because a quote off a photo misses the things that change the job.
A written quote
The quote sets out the scope, what happens to the timber and the stump, and the date. It is the contractor's quote, and nothing starts until you accept it.
The work and the clean up
On the day the tree is dealt with as quoted, the green waste leaves on the truck and the lawn is raked.
Permits
Exemptions, overlays and applying
Which canopy trees are exempt?
The clause lists several. The ones that come up at a house are a canopy tree that is dead, a declared noxious weed or an environmental weed as determined by the responsible authority, and maintenance pruning of no more than 1/3 of the foliage, as long as the tree is left at least 5 metres tall and 4 metres across.
A tree is about to come down on the house. Does the rule still apply?
Work is exempt where a tree presents an immediate risk of personal injury or damage to property, but only on the part of the tree that presents the risk. The rest of the tree still falls under the normal test.
Does the Geelong council add its own rules on top?
The City of Greater Geelong has said it will not pursue permit controls to protect trees on private residential land through a local law or planning overlay. Overlays that already sit on a property are separate from this clause, such as the Significant Landscape Overlay Schedule 15 in Ocean Grove, and can still call for a permit.
What about the Surf Coast, Queenscliffe and Golden Plains?
Clause 52.37 is part of every Victorian planning scheme, so the same canopy tree test applies there. Each council has its own overlays as well, so check the property on VicPlan or ask the council's planning team.
How does an application work?
An application under the clause is a class of VicSmart application, the state's fast track permit process. The City of Greater Geelong says that once all the information is submitted, a decision should be made in 10 business days.
Can you tell me whether my tree needs one?
Send the tree, the address and roughly where it stands on the block. We pass it to a local tree contractor, who looks at it and quotes the work in writing. The council's planning team gives the answer that counts.
