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What each council requires
Almost every council tree page you will find online is written for a homeowner who wants a tree gone. These are written for the person lodging a planning application, which is a different question with different answers.
Councils covered
Yarra
New local law from 1 September 2026, and a threshold set as a diameter.
Clifton Hill, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Richmond, Abbotsford, Carlton NorthDarebin
A two part size and height test, and it names the Diploma of Arboriculture as the minimum.
Northcote, Thornbury, Preston, Reservoir, Fairfield, AlphingtonMerri-bek
Measures at 1.2 metres, catches pruning over 15%, and has the best Clause 52.37 guidance in Melbourne.
Brunswick, Coburg, Pascoe Vale, Fawkner, Glenroy, Brunswick EastBanyule
The local law does not control private tree removal. The planning scheme does.
Ivanhoe, Heidelberg, Eaglemont, Rosanna, Viewbank, MontmorencyBoroondara
Two separate controls, and most applicants only find one of them.
Camberwell, Hawthorn, Kew, Balwyn, Glen Iris, CanterburyStonnington
Significant trees set by size, and bonds that bite harder than most.
Malvern, Toorak, Prahran, Armadale, Glen Iris, South YarraWhitehorse
The municipal wide overlay stopped applying in June 2026, and most published advice has not caught up.
Box Hill, Blackburn, Nunawading, Mitcham, Surrey HillsMonash
No tree local law, by a deliberate council decision. The planning scheme is all there is.
Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Clayton, Oakleigh, ChadstoneBayside
Specific about who is allowed to write the report.
Brighton, Sandringham, Hampton, Black Rock, BeaumarisFour different measuring heights across nine councils
Across the nine councils on this site a trunk gets measured at four different heights: 100 cm, 120 cm, 140 cm and 150 cm. Clause 52.37 uses 140 cm everywhere, which lines up with AS 4970:2025 but not with several of the local laws.
| Control | Measured at | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Clause 52.37, statewide | 1.4 m | > 0.5 m circumference |
| AS 4970:2025, Diameter at Standard Height | 1.4 m | Used for the zone calculation |
| Boroondara local law | 1.4 m or ground | 110 cm / 150 cm |
| Stonnington local law | 1.4 m or ground | 140 cm / 180 cm |
| Yarra local law | 1.5 m, new law from 1 Sep 2026 | 400 mm diameter |
| Darebin local law | 1.5 m | > 100 cm and over 8 m tall |
| Merri-bek local law | 1.2 m | 400 mm diameter |
| Monash Vegetation Protection Overlay | 1.2 m | > 50 cm and over 10 m tall |
| Bayside local law | 1.0 m | > 155 cm |
| Whitehorse Significant Landscape Overlay schedules | 1.0 m | ≥ 50 cm |
Trees are wider at the bottom, so 1.0 m and 1.4 m can easily put the same tree either side of a threshold. Where more than one control applies I take the tape to both heights on site rather than converting afterwards, and the report shows which figure answers which test.
Clause 52.37 sits on top of whatever else applies
Since 15 September 2025 every one of these councils also has Clause 52.37 running in parallel with whatever local controls it already had. A site can need a permit under a local law and under the planning scheme, assessed on different tests by different parts of the council. The full explanation is here.
Not sure which controls hit your site?
Send me the address. I will tell you what applies, what the permit path looks like and what it costs, before you commit to anything.