City of Monash
Tree controls in Monash
Monash is the simplest council in this belt to advise on, because it decided not to make a tree local law. A March 2024 council report concluded that a local law for canopy tree removal was not recommended at this time. So the planning scheme is the whole of it.
Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Clayton, Oakleigh, Chadstone, Mulgrave, Notting Hill, Ashwood
At a glance
- Local law
- None for private trees. Council specifically decided against one in March 2024
- VPO trigger
- Vegetation higher than 10 m AND trunk circumference greater than 50 cm, measured at 120 cm above ground level
- Clause 52.37
- Applies as per the state provision. Over 5 m, circumference over 0.5 m, canopy 4 m or more
- Where 52.37 bites
- Anywhere on the site if vacant, otherwise within 6 m of the front and 4.5 m of the rear boundary
- SLO
- Gardiners Creek, framed as exemptions by dimension and weed species
- 52.37 exemptions Council publishes
- Dead trees, immediate risk of injury or property damage, and pruning of no more than one third of foliage
- VPO application fees
- The fee exemption for VPO tree removal applications was discontinued from 1 July 2024
- Bonds
- No tree bond. A landscape bond was flagged for investigation in March 2024
- Canopy target
- 30% across Monash 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.
Another measuring height, and it is a third one
The Monash VPO measures circumference at 120 cm above ground level. Clause 52.37 measures at 140 cm. AS 4970:2025 measures DSH at 140 cm. That is three different heights across the controls that can apply to one tree.
The VPO test is also conjunctive. A tree must be over 10 m tall and over 50 cm circumference at 1.2 m. A tall thin tree or a short fat one fails the test and needs no permit under the VPO, though it may still be caught by Clause 52.37.
The free advice service is worth using
Monash offers a free service for residents unsure whether a permit is required in a VPO area. For a straightforward single tree question that is the fastest answer available, and there is no reason to pay anybody for it.
What Monash does not publish
No arborist report checklist, no minimum qualification, no reference to AS 4970. For removal on health or stability grounds Council asks only for an assessment prepared by an arborist or other qualified person. In practice a report that states its methodology and works to the current standard will clear that bar comfortably, but there is nothing to point at, so the report has to carry its own justification.
A long running amendment worth checking
Monash lodged Amendment C165 with the Minister on 15 October 2019 seeking municipality wide tree controls. It was still undecided as at the 2024 report. Clause 52.37 has arrived in the meantime and may well have overtaken it, as happened to Whitehorse's SLO9. If you are planning around today's position on a long lead time project, check where C165 has landed.
What I do in Monash
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
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
Bayside
Brighton, Sandringham, Hampton, Black Rock, Beaumaris
Working on a site in Monash?
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.