City of Bayside
Tree controls in Bayside
Bayside asks for more than a qualification. For a risk assessment supporting removal it wants an AQF Level 5 arborist who has also been formally trained in a tree risk assessment method. No other Melbourne council I have found sets that second requirement.
Brighton, Brighton East, Sandringham, Hampton, Black Rock, Beaumaris, Cheltenham, Highett
At a glance
- Local law
- Neighbourhood Amenity Local Law 2021
- Permit threshold
- Single or combined trunk circumference greater than 155 cm, measured at 1 metre above ground level
- Also caught
- Any tree planted as a condition of a previous local law permit, and any tree on the Significant Tree Register
- General exemption
- Vegetation under 2 m tall, or under 0.5 m trunk circumference at 1 m above ground
- Significant Tree Register
- Yes, nomination based, with a public nomination form
- Pruning qualification
- Certificate IV for root pruning, Certificate III for above ground pruning
- Risk assessment qualification
- Minimum AQF Level 5 or equivalent, formally trained in a tree risk assessment method
- Vegetation Protection Overlay trigger
- Native vegetation over 2 m tall with trunk circumference over 0.5 m at 1 m above ground
- Canopy target
- 30% tree and vegetation cover across the municipality by 2040
Drawn from Council's published material as at August 2026. Councils update without notice, so confirm anything you are relying on for a lodgement.
Council's exclusion distances are not root zones
Bayside publishes a fixed table of exclusion distances for working near council trees:
| Trunk diameter | Exclusion distance from tree base |
|---|---|
| Up to 25 cm | 2.0 m |
| Over 25 cm and up to 50 cm | 3.0 m |
| Over 50 cm and up to 65 cm | 3.5 to 4 m |
| Over 65 cm | 5 m |
These are simplified council distances rather than the AS 4970 root zone calculation. Under AS 4970:2025 the notional root zone radius is trunk diameter multiplied by twelve, so a 66 cm tree works out at 7.9 m rather than the 5 m in the table. You need both numbers for different reasons. On a Council tree the table is what you have to comply with. The standard's figure is the one that tells you whether the tree will survive the works. I put both in the report and label which is which.
The fencing standard cited is the 2009 edition
Bayside's working near trees guidance cites AS 4970 2009 for fencing. Fencing requirements did not materially change in the 2025 revision, so nothing turns on it in practice, but it confirms the guidance predates the revision.
What Council specifies for the fencing
Minimum 1.5 m high, securely attached on all sides so it cannot be modified by site workers, square if the nature strip is wider than 2 m and rectangular if narrower. Council's Open Space Arborist must be contacted with a plan of proposed works for all utility, service and vehicle crossing requests. That contact is a step people skip and then have to unwind.
Multi stemmed trees are measured as one
The 155 cm threshold applies to single or combined trunk circumference. Multi stemmed trees are common through Beaumaris and Black Rock, and measuring the stems together catches a lot of trees people had written off as too small.
What I do in Bayside
Tree Removal Report
Council has asked for an arborist report before it will consider removing your tree. This is that report, and it is usually the whole job.
ResidentialArboricultural Impact Assessment
What councils ask for when your works reach into a tree's root zone. Each tree assessed, the zones calculated to AS 4970:2025, and the encroachment measured and justified.
DevelopmentClause 52.37 Canopy Tree Report
The provision that arrived in September 2025 and now catches trees nothing else reached. Which of yours are caught, whether you need a permit, and what replacement planting you owe.
Residential · PlanningOther councils
Yarra
Clifton Hill, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Richmond, Abbotsford, Carlton North
Darebin
Northcote, Thornbury, Preston, Reservoir, Fairfield, Alphington
Merri-bek
Brunswick, Coburg, Pascoe Vale, Fawkner, Glenroy, Brunswick East
Banyule
Ivanhoe, Heidelberg, Eaglemont, Rosanna, Viewbank, Montmorency
Boroondara
Camberwell, Hawthorn, Kew, Balwyn, Glen Iris, Canterbury
Stonnington
Malvern, Toorak, Prahran, Armadale, Glen Iris, South Yarra
Whitehorse
Box Hill, Blackburn, Nunawading, Mitcham, Surrey Hills
Monash
Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Clayton, Oakleigh, Chadstone
The provisions behind these controls
AS 4970:2025 explained
What changed, how the zones are calculated now, and what to do with a council checklist still written in 2009 language.
Clause 52.37 canopy trees
Which trees are caught, the boundary trap, what council may weigh, and how many canopy trees your site has to end up with.
Do you need an arborist report?
A short decision path. Some jobs need three consents and some need none.
Working on a site in Bayside?
Send the address and whatever plans you have. I will tell you which controls apply, what reports the permit path needs, and what each one costs, within one business day.