Do you need a permit in Brisbane?
Brisbane City Council’s principal vegetation instrument. It makes it an offence to interfere with protected vegetation — including vegetation on private property — unless the work is covered by a permit or falls within a listed exemption.
A permit is required for
- Removing, pruning or otherwise interfering with any protected vegetation
- Building or excavating within the root zone of a significant landscape tree
- Construction works next to or underneath the canopy of protected vegetation
- Any work at all on a Council street tree beyond minor approved pruning
Generally exempt
- Vegetation posing an immediate and significant threat to people or property
- Removal essential for emergency access
- Pruning to accommodate overhead and underground utilities
- Pasture vegetation
- Garden vegetation
- Dead trees
- Declared pest vegetation
- Firebreak maintenance
Where people get caught out
- Exemptions apply only within your own property boundaries — never on Council land or a neighbour’s property
- Exemptions do not extend to significant landscape trees: pruning, removal or building within the root zone still needs a permit
- Exemptions do not cover construction works adjacent to or beneath a protected canopy
- Exemptions do not override other legislation — heritage, tidal vegetation, regional ecosystems, covenants or development approval conditions still apply
- If you rely on an exemption and Council later disagrees, the burden of proof is yours
What is protected in Brisbane
- All vegetation on Council-owned or Council-managed land — automatically protected, no exceptions
- Any vegetation covered by a Vegetation Protection Order on private property
- Trees listed as Significant Landscape Trees
- Vegetation in bushland areas, wetlands and waterway corridors
- Vegetation protected by City Plan overlays, heritage listings or development approval conditions
- Tidal vegetation and vegetation subject to statutory covenants
Other instruments that can apply
- Brisbane City Plan 2014 — biodiversity, waterway corridor and heritage overlays
- Vegetation Protection Orders (VPOs) made under the NALL
- Significant Landscape Tree listings
- Vegetation Management Act 1999 (Qld) — state-regulated remnant vegetation
When an arborist report is required
Not every application needs one. These are the situations where Brisbane either requires a report or will ask for one:
- Significant landscape trees — Council requires a report prepared by an AQF Level 5 arborist
- Construction expected to impact the root zone of protected vegetation — an Arboricultural Impact Assessment is required
- Long-term permits — a Protected Vegetation Management Plan is required
- Any application where Council issues an information request seeking supporting arboricultural evidence
How to apply
- 01
Check whether the tree is actually protected
Use Council’s Protected Vegetation Enquiry form. You supply the address and Council emails back a map and report showing what protection applies at that property. Do this first — a meaningful share of enquiries end here, because the tree was never protected.
- 02
Work out whether an exemption applies
If the tree is dead, is a declared pest species, or presents an immediate and significant threat, you may not need a permit at all. Get the basis documented before the work happens rather than after.
- 03
Choose the right permit type
Short-term permits cover one-off work. Long-term permits cover ongoing maintenance and can run up to ten years. Council street trees have their own minor-pruning pathway, which is issued immediately.
- 04
Assemble the supporting evidence
Council expects tree types and quantities, photographs demonstrating the health, structural or nuisance issue, and location maps. Significant landscape trees need an AQF Level 5 arborist report. Construction near root zones needs an Arboricultural Impact Assessment.
- 05
Lodge the application
Applications go in online, or by email to CARS-NALL@brisbane.qld.gov.au. There is no application fee.
- 06
Complete the Declaration of Compliance
After approved work is finished you must lodge a Declaration of Compliance confirming the work was completed in accordance with the permit. Skipping this step is a common and entirely avoidable compliance failure.
Penalties
Interfering with protected vegetation without permission is an offence. Penalties escalate from infringement notices through to prosecution for serious matters. Because Brisbane charges nothing to apply, an unlawful removal is the most expensive way to save no money at all.
Brisbane tree removal — questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Brisbane?
You need a permit if the tree is protected vegetation under the Natural Assets Local Law 2003 and no exemption applies. That covers trees under a Vegetation Protection Order, significant landscape trees, vegetation in bushland, wetland or waterway corridors, and anything on Council land. Trees in an ordinary garden that carry no VPO and sit in no protected area are frequently exempt — but the only way to know is to run a Protected Vegetation Enquiry on your address.
How much does a tree removal permit cost in Brisbane?
Nothing. Brisbane City Council does not charge for protected vegetation permit applications. Your cost is the supporting evidence — an arborist report where one is required — and the removal itself.
How long does a Brisbane tree permit take to be approved?
Council aims to respond within 20 business days. Minor pruning permits for Council street trees are issued immediately. Build the 20 days into your programme — it is the step people most often leave too late.
What is a Vegetation Protection Order?
A VPO is a legal document made by Brisbane City Council under the Natural Assets Local Law 2003. It protects an individual tree, a group of trees or an area of vegetation on private property, to prevent indiscriminate clearing. Anyone can nominate vegetation for a VPO — including a neighbour, and including without telling you.
How do I find out if my tree has a VPO?
Submit a Protected Vegetation Enquiry to Council with your address. Council emails back a map and report showing the extent of protected vegetation at that property. It is free, and it is the correct first step before any tree work in Brisbane.
Can I remove a dead tree in Brisbane without a permit?
Dead trees are a listed exemption under the NALL, so generally yes. The risk is definitional — a tree that is severely declining is not the same as a tree that is dead, and if Council disagrees after the fact, you are the one carrying the burden of proof. Where the tree is large, prominent or a neighbour is likely to complain, having the condition documented beforehand is cheap protection.
What is a significant landscape tree?
A tree Council has identified as making a significant contribution to Brisbane’s landscape character. They are treated more strictly than ordinary protected vegetation — the standard exemptions do not apply, and pruning, removal or building within the root zone all require a permit supported by an AQF Level 5 arborist report.
Do I need an arborist report for a Brisbane tree permit?
Not for every application. You definitely need one for a significant landscape tree, and you need an Arboricultural Impact Assessment where construction will affect the root zone of protected vegetation. For other applications a report is optional — but it is what turns a subjective claim that a tree is dangerous into documented evidence Council can act on.
My neighbour’s tree is dropping branches into my yard. What can I do in Brisbane?
Two systems apply and they are separate. Council’s local law governs whether the tree can lawfully be touched. Queensland’s Neighbourhood Disputes (Dividing Fences and Trees) Act 2011 governs what you can require of your neighbour as the tree keeper. If the tree is protected, neither of you can simply remove it — an independent assessment is usually the fastest route to resolving it.
What happens if I remove a protected tree without a permit in Brisbane?
It is an offence under the local law, with consequences running from infringement notices to prosecution in serious cases. Council also commonly requires replacement planting. Given applications are free and most straightforward requests are decided inside 20 business days, unlawful removal is a very poor trade.
Official Brisbane sources
Always confirm current requirements directly with council before undertaking tree work.
Information reviewed 28 August 2026. Council rules change — this is general information, not legal advice.