City of Bayside
Tree controls in Bayside
Bayside is the only council here that requires more than a qualification. For a risk assessment supporting removal it wants an AQF Level 5 arborist who is also formally trained in a tree risk assessment method, which is a materially higher bar than anyone else sets.
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
- VPO 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.
Published exclusion zones, and why they are not TPZs
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 |
| 25 to 50 cm | 3.0 m |
| 51 to 65 cm | 3.5 to 4 m |
| Over 66 cm | 5 m |
Note what this is not. These are simplified council distances, not the AS 4970 root zone calculation. Under AS 4970:2025 the notional root zone radius is DSH multiplied by 12, so a 66 cm diameter tree gives a 7.9 m radius, not 5 m. For a council tree, Council's table is the compliance requirement. For assessing whether the tree survives your works, the standard's calculation is the one that answers the question. A good report gives both and says 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.
Fencing specifics Council actually states
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.
Combined trunks count
The 155 cm threshold is single or combined trunk circumference. Multi stemmed trees, which are common through Beaumaris and Black Rock, are measured as a whole. That catches a lot of trees people assume are 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
The report councils ask for when your works reach a tree. Every tree assessed, every zone calculated to AS 4970:2025, every encroachment justified.
DevelopmentClause 52.37 Canopy Tree Report
The provision that landed in September 2025 and caught most of the industry flat. Assessment, permit triggers and replacement canopy strategy.
Residential · PlanningOther councils
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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.