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What each council actually 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.
Yarra
The local law changes on 1 September 2026, and pruning is now caught.
Clifton Hill, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Richmond, Abbotsford, Carlton NorthDarebin
A two part size and height test, and the only council here that names AQF Level 5.
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
Threshold based significant trees, and the strongest bond position in the belt.
Malvern, Toorak, Prahran, Armadale, Glen Iris, South YarraWhitehorse
The municipal wide overlay was revoked in June 2026, and most published advice has not caught up.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
The most precise qualification requirement of any council in the belt.
Brighton, Sandringham, Hampton, Black Rock, BeaumarisThe thing nobody tells you: everyone measures differently
Across these seven councils there are four different measuring heights in force for trunk circumference, and Clause 52.37 adds a fifth reading of the same idea.
| Control | Measured at | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Clause 52.37, statewide | 1.4 m | > 0.5 m circumference |
| Boroondara local law | 1.4 m or ground | 110 cm / 150 cm |
| Stonnington local law | 1.4 m or ground | 140 cm / 180 cm |
| Bayside local law | 1.0 m | > 155 cm |
| Whitehorse SLO schedules | 1.0 m | ≥ 50 cm |
| Monash VPO | 1.2 m | > 50 cm and over 10 m tall |
| Glen Eira local law | 1.4 m along trunk | ≥ 140 cm |
| AS 4970:2025, DSH | 1.4 m | Used for zone calculation |
Measuring at the wrong height is a real and avoidable cause of rejected applications. On a tree that tapers, and most do, 1.0 m and 1.4 m can put you either side of a threshold. Where more than one control applies I report both figures and say which belongs to which test.
Clause 52.37 sits on top, not instead
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.