Tree issues, pruning and maintenance

Hire a qualified arborist (tree specialist) to inspect the tree regularly. We recommend inspections every 3 to 5 years, or more often if the tree has issues.

If your trees or plants hang over onto public or Council land, we can ask you to prune them.

An arborist will advise on the best way to address a tree issue. If they recommend pruning or removal, check if you need a permit on our Tree works permits page.

If the arborist recommends urgent pruning or removal work, call us on (03) 9278 4888 to let us know the issue is urgent or dangerous. If we agree it’s urgent we can approve pruning or removal within 24 hours.

If you don’t need a permit, your arborist can start work straight away. 

Trees can sometimes cause problems between neighbours. If a neighbour’s tree is unsafe, causing problems or damage to your property, talk to your neighbour.

If you and your neighbour agree to remove the tree, check if you need a permit on our Tree works permits page.

For advice talking to your neighbour about tree issues, visit the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria's Trees in Victoria page.

You can prune leaves or branches that hang over your property. You must pay any costs for the work and not damage the tree.

We are responsible for making sure street trees don’t touch power lines. Every 2 years we inspect and prune street trees to clear branches from power lines. This is part of our Electric Line Clearance Management Plan, which details how we manage tree pruning for low and high voltage power lines.

Trees are trimmed in a certain way to maintain the minimum clearance.

Distances specified under Energy Safe Victoria's Electricity Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations 2020 Act. This is why some trees appear to have a ‘y’-shape once they are cut.

If you have any questions about a tree that has recently been pruned around your neighbourhood, please contact Energy Safe Victoria.

We only clear street trees around low and high voltage powerlines on Council-managed land. We will clear the service line to your house at the same time if it’s impacted by street trees. We do not clear communication lines.

We send a letter to residents before pruning to advise when works are upcoming.

Pruning in larger suburbs and specialist works like live-line and high-voltage shutdowns can take longer to complete. These are the estimated dates for the next round of pruning.