Regulated and Significant Trees
We need your help protecting trees in City of Prospect
When building or developing a property, it’s important to protect ‘regulated’ and ‘significant’ trees.Trees are incredibly important for many environmental, social and economic reasons. They contribute to the landscape character of an area, preserve biodiversity, provide shade, shelter, food and a habitat for fauna, and can even increase the value of a property.
What is a regulated tree?
- A tree with a trunk circumference of 1m (approximately 310mm in diameter) or more (measured at a height of 1m above natural ground level); or
- If the tree has multiple trunks, it means a tree with a total size of all trunks being 1m or more in combined circumference and an average circumference of 310mm or more (measured at a height of 1m above natural ground level).
- Any tree identified as a significant tree in part 10 of the Code.
What is a significant tree?
- A tree that has a trunk circumference of 2m or more (measured at a height of 1m above natural ground level); or
- If the tree has multiple trunks, it is those trunks with a total circumference of 2m or more and an average circumference of 625mm or more measured at a point 1m above natural ground level); or
- Any tree identified as a significant tree in part 10 of the Code.
This applies to trees on both private and council land.
Who decides which trees are regulated or significant?
In South Australia, the State Government determines which trees are regulated or significant through the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 and the Planning and Design Code.
For more information on regulated and significant trees, please refer to the PlanSA Protecting Regulated and Significant Trees information sheet.
Rules for trees on private property and council land
You’re not allowed to do any of the following to a regulated or significant tree without asking us for permission first:
- Remove
- Kill or destroy
- Remove a branch or limb
- Ringbark or top
- Damage
You’re allowed to:
- Prune the tree for maintenance reasons, as long as it doesn’t exceed 30%, affect the health or appearance of the tree and only where the pruning is required for removing:
- Dead or diseased wood
- Branches that pose a material risk to a building
- Branches that are located in an area regularly used by people, and the branches pose a material risk to those people; and
- Is undertaken at least 5 years after the pruning of a kind referred to in this sub-regulation was last undertaken in relation to the tree.
We recommend engaging a qualified arborist for any tree pruning.
Lodging an application to remove or prune a regulated or significant tree
If you believe a tree might be a regulated or significant tree, please call us on 8269 5355 or email admin@prospect.sa.gov.au to seek advice before undertaking any works. Alternatively, you can lodge a development application with Plan SA to remove or extensively prune a regulated or significant tree.
If you would like any more information on significant and regulated trees within City of Prospect, please contact us on (08) 8269 5355 or email admin@prospect.sa.gov.au.