Maroondah City Council Permit Guide

Tree Removal Permits
in Maroondah City Council

When you need a permit, what the application involves, and what the arborist report must contain — verified against Maroondah City Council's own planning scheme on 2026-09-17. We prepare permit-ready arborist reports in-house to AS 4970:2025 and AS 4373-2007.

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Verified2026-09-17
AQF L5Arborist Reports
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AS 4970 & AS 4373 Reports
In-House AQF Level 5
Permit-Ready Documentation

Source & verification. Every threshold on this page is quoted from Maroondah City Council's own permit information: https://www.maroondah.vic.gov.au/Development/Planning/Do-I-need-a-planning-permit/Tree-and-native-vegetation-removal. Verified 2026-09-17. Council thresholds change — the date on this page reflects when we last checked. If you're planning a job in the next few weeks, call us or check the source link before committing.

Overlays in Force

Which Planning Controls
Apply in Maroondah?

Maroondah City Council uses several layered controls to protect trees on private property. Which one applies to your specific tree depends on the overlay mapped over your property and the tree's own dimensions.

  • Significant Landscape Overlay (SLO) — Schedules 1, 2, 3, and 4 (SLO1, SLO2, SLO3, SLO4) in force in various parts of Maroondah
  • Vegetation Protection Overlay (VPO)
  • Heritage Overlay (HO)
  • Neighbourhood Character Overlay (NCO)
  • Clause 52.37 (Canopy Trees) applies site-wide in residential zones
Clause 52.37 (Canopy Trees)

Victoria-Wide Canopy Tree Rule

Since 15 September 2025, Clause 52.37 (Amendment VC289) applies state-wide to all residential zones — including throughout Maroondah City Council.

Under Clause 52.37 (Amendment VC289), a planning permit is required to remove, destroy or lop a canopy tree within 6 metres of the front boundary and within 4.5 metres of the rear boundary, or anywhere on a vacant lot. A canopy tree under Clause 52.37 has height more than 5 metres, trunk circumference more than 0.5 metres at 1.4 metres, and canopy diameter of at least 4 metres.

Maroondah-Specific Rules

Maroondah City Council's Own
Additional Requirements

On top of Clause 52.37, Maroondah City Council adds its own overlay-based controls — often stricter than the state minimum.

Under Maroondah's SLO, a planning permit is required for the removal of a tree that has EITHER a single trunk circumference of more than 0.5 metres measured at 1 metre above ground level, OR a height of more than 5 metres. This threshold is stricter than the Clause 52.37 canopy tree threshold (which requires both height AND circumference AND canopy criteria), so SLO-covered properties in Maroondah face broader permit requirements.

Exemptions

When You Don't Need a Permit

Genuine exemptions listed by Maroondah City Council. If your situation is unclear, we recommend confirming with Council or with us before removing anything — retrospective enforcement can be expensive.

  • Only limited exemptions are stated in Council's public information — including pruning for fire safety and pruning around electricity lines. Refer to the specific SLO schedule that applies to your property for detailed exemptions.
  • Under Clause 52.37: dead canopy trees; emergency works; and Victorian Noxious Weed List species are exempt.
Application Fee

What the Permit
Actually Costs

Fee is published on the Council's Application Fees page — call 1300 88 22 33 for the current fee before lodging.

Arborist Report Requirements

What the Report Must Contain

Council's Environmental Planners will need to access the property to assess the tree(s) as part of the permit assessment. Applicants are typically required to provide a plan showing proposed replacement canopy tree planting. Arborist reports prepared to AS 4970:2025 (protection of trees on development sites) and AS 4373-2007 (pruning) are accepted.

More on our arborist reports →
Local Context

What Else to Know
About Maroondah

Maroondah Council is drafting an updated Maroondah Vegetation Strategy which will further inform tree protection policy in the shire. Replacement-planting commitments are a standard expectation with permit applications, and Council may reject applications that don't include a credible replacement-planting plan.

Local Arborist Services

Suburbs We Service in Maroondah City Council

Dedicated arborist landing pages for each of our priority Maroondah suburbs — same permit framework as covered above, plus local tree species and street knowledge for each area.

Arborist Ringwood

Local arborist services in Ringwood, all under Maroondah City Council. Same permit framework covered by this page applies.

See our Ringwood page →
Get In Touch

Maroondah Permit
Support & Quotes

Send us your address and what you want to do. The TLC Team will confirm the overlay status on your property, quote the works, and prepare the arborist report Maroondah Council needs — all in-house, same business day for a written response.

The TLC Team will respond the same business day with next steps.

Common Questions

Maroondah Permit FAQs

Answers to what Maroondah property owners ask us most often.

When do I need a permit to remove a tree in Maroondah?

Under Clause 52.37 (Amendment VC289), a planning permit is required to remove, destroy or lop a canopy tree within 6 metres of the front boundary and within 4.5 metres of the rear boundary, or anywhere on a vacant lot. A canopy tree under Clause 52.37 has height more than 5 metres, trunk circumference more than 0.5 metres at 1.4 metres, and canopy diameter of at least 4 metres. Under Maroondah's SLO, a planning permit is required for the removal of a tree that has EITHER a single trunk circumference of more than 0.5 metres measured at 1 metre above ground level, OR a height of more than 5 metres. This threshold is stricter than the Clause 52.37 canopy tree threshold (which requires both height AND circumference AND canopy criteria), so SLO-covered properties in Maroondah face broader permit requirements.

Are dead trees exempt from permit requirements in Maroondah?

Only limited exemptions are stated in Council's public information — including pruning for fire safety and pruning around electricity lines. Refer to the specific SLO schedule that applies to your property for detailed exemptions. Under Clause 52.37: dead canopy trees; emergency works; and Victorian Noxious Weed List species are exempt.

What does the arborist report need to contain for a Maroondah permit?

Council's Environmental Planners will need to access the property to assess the tree(s) as part of the permit assessment. Applicants are typically required to provide a plan showing proposed replacement canopy tree planting. Arborist reports prepared to AS 4970:2025 (protection of trees on development sites) and AS 4373-2007 (pruning) are accepted. We prepare these in-house with our AQF Level 5 arborists — no third-party consultant, no scheduling gap between the site visit and the report delivery.

How much does a Maroondah tree removal permit cost?

Fee is published on the Council's Application Fees page — call 1300 88 22 33 for the current fee before lodging. Our arborist-report fee is separate and quoted on the specific job; we send you a fixed written quote after seeing the site or the drawings.

Can TLC apply for the permit on my behalf?

We prepare the arborist report Maroondah Council requires and can advise on the application, but the property owner or their agent lodges the permit with Council. We coordinate with your planning consultant, builder, or facilities manager if the tree work is part of a larger application.

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