Tree issues, pruning and maintenance

Report a Council tree that is unsafe or has caused damage

If a fallen tree or branch is causing a dangerous situation, call us 24/7 on (03) 9278 4444 to report it immediately.

Use our Report an issue form to report a Council tree that:

• has damaged your private property, such as a building, fence, driveway, or car 
• is unsafe, such as a fallen, unhealthy or diseased tree, a tree with pests, or a tree touching power lines. 

A Council tree is a tree that is on public land, such as a nature strip, park, public garden, or public car park.

Report a tree issue

Or contact us at [email protected] or on (03) 9278 4444.

Find out how to report a beehive or wasp nest in a tree on our Bees and wasps page.

Trees on your neighbour's property

Trees can sometimes cause problems between neighbours. If a neighbour's tree is unsafe, causing problems or damaging your property, talk to your neighbour. This is the first step to resolve the issue.

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

We can't:

• help settle a dispute with your neighbour
• make them remove a tree. 

For advice on talking to your neighbour about tree issues, visit the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria website. 

Pruning a neighbour's tree

• Check if you need a permit to prune their tree on our Tree works permits page.
• Talk to your neighbour before you start pruning.
• Prune to Australian Standard 4373-2007 Pruning of Amenity Trees to avoid damaging the tree. We recommend you hire a qualified arborist (tree specialist).
• You can prune leaves or branches that hang over onto your property. You have to pay any costs for the work and not damage the tree.
• Only prune branches that overhang your property. Do not enter your neighbour’s property to remove branches unless you have their permission.

Your neighbour can also remove or prune branches that hang over onto their property. They can only do this from their property. They can't enter your property without your permission.

You can't prune a Council tree, such as a tree on a nature strip. If a Council tree is hanging over onto your property, email us at [email protected] or call us on (03) 9278 4444.

Managing trees on your property

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

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

Dangerous trees

If you think a tree on your private property is dangerous, hire a professional arborist to inspect the tree and recommend how to address the issue.

Some options of possible next steps are below. For each one you will need to check if you need a permit to prune or remove the tree. 

Pruning trees near power lines

We (Council) are legally 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.

How we prune trees

Trees are trimmed 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.

Trees on Council land

Under Energy Safe Victoria regulations, 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 next to it. 

We do not clear communication lines.

Trees on private property 

The homeowner is responsible for trimming the private trees around the service line that connects to the house. 

Trees and shrubs should be cleared from the service line before they grow to within 30 cm in any direction of that line.

Trees that are:

• near other electric lines that cross your property boundary
• within your property and near the electric lines in the street

are the responsibility of the electricity distribution company. This is CitiPower or, if you live south of Toorak Road, it is United Energy.

Please contact these companies directly if you have questions or need a tree to be trimmed. 

• Visit CitiPower website
• Visit United Energy website.

Pruning dates

Estimated completion dates for the next 2 rounds of pruning are listed below.

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

Some works take us longer to complete, such as:

• pruning in larger suburbs
• specialist works like live line and high voltage shutdowns.

Electric Line Clearance Management Plan

Our annual Electric Line Clearance Management Plan details how we manage tree pruning for low and high voltage power lines.

More information

To enquire about a tree on private property, such as a neighbour’s tree, use our online Tree enquiry form. 

For more information, contact us at [email protected] or on (03) 9278 4444.