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Tree removal permit checker, Bendigo: homeowner looking up at a large old eucalyptus beside a brick house

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Bendigo?

Answer a few questions about the tree and your planning property report. You'll see whether a permit is likely, the clause behind each answer and what to do next.

  • Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme clauses
  • Overlays, native vegetation and the 10/30 rule
  • Rules checked October 2026

Permit checker

One tree at a time. Nothing you enter leaves this page.

What do you want to do?
Where does the tree grow?
Is the property in the City of Greater Bendigo?

Your planning property report names the council.

What state is the tree in?
Which overlays does your planning property report list?

Get the free report from VicPlan: search your address and create a planning property report. Tick every overlay it lists. Open VicPlan

Does the Heritage Overlay schedule say “Tree controls apply? Yes” for your HO number?

Find your HO number in the schedule's table of heritage places. Open the Heritage Overlay schedule (PDF)

Is the tree within 30 metres of a waterway, such as a creek or river?
Is the tree indigenous to Victoria?

The planning scheme's native vegetation means plants indigenous to Victoria. Council's Indigenous Plants of Bendigo guide lists local species. Council's native vegetation page

Was it planted, or did it grow there naturally?

Trees planted or managed with public funding for land protection or biodiversity don't count as planted here.

Is your land smaller than 0.4 hectares (4,000 m²)?

Count any adjoining land in the same ownership.

How big is the dead tree?

Measure the trunk's width at 1.3 metres above the ground.

How much will the pruning take off?
Is the tree within 10 metres of your house?
Is the house in a designated bushfire prone area?

The CFA says your planning property report shows this.

Was the house built, or approved by a permit, before 10 September 2009?
Is the tree near power lines?

Your answer appears here with JavaScript on. The rules table below covers each case.

How the permit checker works

Two kinds of rule decide whether a Bendigo tree needs a planning permit. Clause 52.17 covers native vegetation across Victoria, with exemptions for planted trees, small blocks, dead trees and light pruning. Overlays on some properties add their own controls, and most of them don't share those exemptions. The checker works through both, then applies the bushfire exemption in Clause 52.12, which overrides them close to an older house in a bushfire prone area.

Each answer links the clause it comes from. Where a rule turns on something you're not sure of, the checker says to check with council rather than guess. It covers the common cases. The City of Greater Bendigo has the final say.

How to find your overlays in VicPlan

  1. Open VicPlan and search for your address.
  2. Create the free planning property report for the property and download it.
  3. Find the planning overlays list. Note every code, with its number: VPO1, SLO1, ESO2, HO45 and so on.
  4. Check whether the report shows the property in a designated bushfire prone area.
  5. For a Heritage Overlay, look up your HO number in the schedule and read the "Tree controls apply?" column.

Council can explain the controls for your property: call its planning team on 1300 002 642 or book a free duty planner appointment at its Bendigo office.

Tree permit rules in Greater Bendigo

Clause 52.17 and the overlays that control vegetation decide most cases, with the bushfire exemption overriding them close to an older house.

Which rules control trees, and their exemptions

Which rules control trees

RuleWhat it controlsMain exemptions
Clause 52.17, native vegetationNative vegetation (indigenous to Victoria), including deadPlanted trees; land under 0.4 ha; dead trees, except standing ones 40 cm+ across at 1.3 m; pruning a third or less; immediate risk
Vegetation Protection Overlay (VPO1–VPO3)Native vegetationImmediate risk; no small-block or garden-planting exemption
Significant Landscape Overlay (SLO1–SLO2)Native vegetationImmediate risk; in SLO1, lopping to help the plant regenerate
ESO1 and ESO2Any vegetation, including dead and exoticImmediate risk
ESO3Vegetation within 30 m of a waterway; native vegetation over 1 haEverything else
ESO5Native vegetation, including deadVegetation not native to Victoria
EMO, SMO and PAOAny vegetation, native or exoticImmediate risk; planting for crops, grazing or timber (PAO: also line clearance)
Heritage Overlay (HO)Trees, where the schedule says tree controls applyImmediate risk; line clearance under a code of practice
Clause 52.12, bushfire exemptionsOverrides the rules above near a house built or approved before 10 September 2009, in a bushfire prone areaAny vegetation, including trees, within 10 m; vegetation other than trees within 30 m (50 m in the BMO)
Nature strip and street treesCouncil's own treesAsk council; owners don't prune or lop them

From the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme and council's guidelines, checked 6 October 2026. Each overlay's schedule can change with an amendment, and the exemptions have conditions not all shown here.

Common questions about tree permits

Is the checker's answer final?

No. It covers the common cases for one tree on private land under the Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme, as checked on 6 October 2026. The City of Greater Bendigo has the final say: call its planning team on 1300 002 642 or book a free duty planner appointment before anyone cuts.

Does every gum tree count as native vegetation?

Not under the planning scheme. Clause 73.01 defines native vegetation as plants indigenous to Victoria. A gum or other Australian species from another state, planted in a garden, isn't native vegetation under Clause 52.17, although an overlay such as ESO1 or ESO2 can still cover it. If you're not sure what the tree is, council suggests asking a suitably qualified professional.

My block is under 0.4 hectares. Does that mean no permit?

Only under Clause 52.17. None of the overlays that control trees has a small-block exemption, so check your planning property report for overlays too.

Why does an exotic tree need a permit in ESO1 or ESO2?

The Environmental Significance Overlay needs a permit to remove, destroy or lop any vegetation, including dead vegetation, unless its schedule says otherwise. ESO5's schedule exempts vegetation that isn't native to Victoria, but Greater Bendigo's ESO1 and ESO2 schedules state no such exemption. Confirm it with council for your property.

Why do the Erosion, Salinity and Public Acquisition overlays matter?

The Erosion Management Overlay, Salinity Management Overlay and Public Acquisition Overlay each need a permit to remove, destroy or lop any vegetation, native or exotic. Their exemptions cover immediate danger and planting for crops, grazing or timber, not garden trees. Overlays that only control buildings and works, such as the DDO, DPO and LSIO, don't control trees (Clause 62.02-3).

How much does a tree permit cost?

The City of Greater Bendigo's 2026–27 fee schedule lists VicSmart applications from $233.10. Removing or lopping one tree in the VPO, SLO or ESO is a VicSmart class of application. Which fee applies depends on the application, so confirm it with council.

Where this information comes from

The rules on this page come from these published pages, checked on 6 October 2026.

More guides

Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Bendigo?How to check your property's planning overlays, when the native vegetation rules apply, the bushfire exemptions, and street trees.Read the guide Tree removal costPublished Bendigo tree removal prices by tree size, what pushes them up, and what a good quote includes.Read the guide Stump grinding costPublished stump grinding prices, minimum charges, and what changes the price: size, access, depth and clean-up.Read the guide

All guides

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