Tree lopping in Sydney: what it is, when it's legal, and what to ask for instead

What "lopping" means, and why councils fine it

Lopping is cutting branches or the trunk back to stubs, without regard to where the tree can grow from. It looks like a quick way to make a tree smaller. It isn't. The stubs die back, the tree throws out dense clusters of fast, weakly attached shoots, and within a few years it is taller, heavier at the ends and far more likely to drop limbs than it was. That is why the Australian pruning standard, AS 4373, rules it out, and why Sydney councils refuse permits for it and treat lopping a protected tree as an offence.

What you probably want instead

When people search for tree lopping they usually want one of four things, and each has a proper name that a council will approve and an arborist will do well:

• Crown reduction: the tree brought down in height and spread, with each cut made back to a suitable growth point so the shape and the health survive.
• Crown thinning: fewer, better-spaced branches so wind passes through and more light reaches the garden, without changing the outline.
• Clearance pruning: branches lifted or cut back from roofs, gutters, pools, power lines and driveways.
• Removal: when the tree is in the wrong place, failing, or simply too big for the block. Sometimes the honest answer is that no pruning will fix it.

All of this is on our tree pruning and trimming page in more detail, with photos of the work.

Can I lop a tree on my own land in Sydney?

Usually not without approval. Each council sets a size above which any pruning or removal needs a permit, most publish a short list of exempt species, and a tree on a heritage-listed property needs a development application. The council tree rules pages on this site set out each council's triggers, exempt trees, fees and how to apply, and our 10/50 guide covers the bushfire exemption. Where a tree is already dead or dangerous, see what councils accept as evidence.

What it costs

We don't publish a price list, and we'd be wary of anyone who does. Height, access, power lines, what is underneath and the distance from the truck to the tree all change the price, so every job is quoted free, fixed and on site. The one thing we can price from a photo is stump grinding, at $200 to $800 per stump. Our guide to what drives the cost explains the rest.