Tree Removal Cost Calculator
Estimate what it costs to remove a tree in Australia. Set the height, tell us how the crew can reach it, then add stump grinding and waste removal.
Ask to see the contractor's public liability certificate and confirm it covers tree work specifically. Standard landscaping cover often excludes dismantling, which is exactly the part that damages roofs.
If you have several trees, get them done in one visit. The crew's mobilisation, chipper hire and travel are charged once, so tree two and three are usually 20 to 30 per cent cheaper than the first.
- Climbing and dismantling labour$200
- Equipment and chipper$100
- Green waste disposal$50
- Stump and site cleanup$50
- Permits and reporting$50
💰 Ways to save
- Keep the mulch. Most crews charge a few hundred dollars to cart green waste away, but they will happily blow the chip into a pile on your property instead, which saves the tip fee and gives you free garden mulch. If you have nowhere to put it, ask the arborist whether a neighbour wants it, because a full chipper load is worth real money at a garden supplier.
- Book outside storm season. Demand for arborists spikes after every east coast low and summer storm front, and emergency callout rates run 50 to 100 per cent above scheduled work. A tree you know is coming down in autumn should be quoted in late winter when crews are chasing work.
- Separate the stump decision from the removal. Grinding is charged as its own line, usually $100 to $400 depending on diameter, and if you are not replanting or paving over that spot immediately you can defer it. Just make sure the quote states the stump height left behind, because a 600mm stub is far harder to grind later than a flush cut.
- Prune rather than remove where the problem is light or gutters. A structural prune or crown thin often costs a third of a full removal, keeps the shade and, importantly, avoids the council permit process entirely in most areas for minor works.
How we estimate this
## What tree removal costs in Australia in 2026
Pricing reviewed: June 2026.
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Pricing reviewed June 2026. Indicative Australian costs, not a quote.
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Understanding tree removal costs in Australia
What tree removal costs in Australia in 2026
Tree removal in Australia sits roughly between $600 and $6,000 for a typical residential job, and the spread is genuinely that wide because two trees of the same species can be trivial or terrifying depending on where they sit. A small ornamental under five metres, standing clear in a front yard with the truck parked alongside, is a two hour job for a crew of two and prices around $400 to $900. A ten to fifteen metre gum in a back corner, leaning over a neighbour's roof, becomes a full day of rigging for three or four people and lands between $2,500 and $5,000. Very large removals, the 20 metre plus eucalypts and figs that were planted when the suburb was subdivided, regularly exceed $8,000 once an elevated work platform or a crane is involved.
Why height is not the only driver
Arborists do not really price by height, they price by how the tree has to come apart. A tree that can be felled in one piece into open lawn is cut, chipped and gone. A tree that has to be dismantled from the top down, with every limb roped, lowered and controlled so it does not swing into a colorbond fence or a pool fence, can take four times the labour for the same volume of timber. That is why the position question matters as much as the size one. Overhanging the house means every cut is a controlled lower. Near powerlines means accredited crews and network notification. Over a pool means catching debris that would otherwise cost you a filter clean.
Access is the hidden multiplier
The single most common reason a phone quote and an on site quote differ is access. Chippers need to get within dragging distance of the drop zone. Stump grinders come in narrow track versions but the smallest still need about 750mm of clear gate width, and if yours is 700mm the crew is grinding by hand or craning the machine over the roof. Rear yards with no vehicle access typically add 30 to 70 per cent because every limb is carried, not dragged, and every barrow of chip goes out the side of the house one load at a time. If you have a laneway, a shared driveway or a removable fence panel, mention it when you get quotes, because it can move the price by four figures.
Council permits and protected trees
This is where Australian homeowners get caught. Almost every council in the country regulates tree removal through a local Tree Preservation Order or a vegetation clause in the LEP or planning scheme, and the trigger is usually a combination of height (often three or five metres) and trunk circumference measured at one metre above ground. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth metro councils all operate variations of this. Applications commonly cost $100 to $400 to lodge, take two to eight weeks to assess, and frequently require an AQF Level 5 arborist report costing $400 to $800. Penalties for removing a protected tree without consent are severe, with maximum fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the worst cases and councils increasingly willing to prosecute. Exemptions do exist for declared weed species, for trees within a set distance of a dwelling under bushfire provisions in some states, and for genuine emergencies where a certified arborist can document imminent risk.
Stumps, roots and what happens after
Removal quotes usually stop at ground level, leaving a stump. Grinding takes it 200 to 300mm below the surface and costs $100 to $400 for most residential trunks, priced on diameter. That is enough for turf or garden bed, but not enough if you are pouring a slab, laying pavers or building a retaining wall over that spot, in which case you need full root ball excavation at $700 to $1,500 plus fill. Be realistic about what remains either way, because grinding produces a large volume of chip and soil mix that has to go somewhere, and lateral roots from a mature gum or camphor laurel can run 15 metres and will keep decomposing under new turf for years.
Regional and seasonal variation
Sydney and Melbourne carry the highest rates in the country, driven by labour costs, tip fees and the sheer difficulty of inner suburban access. Brisbane and Perth sit around 10 to 15 per cent lower for equivalent work. Regional areas can be cheaper per hour but often add travel, and in some towns there simply is not a crew with a 20 tonne crane, so the machine comes from the nearest city and you pay for the float. Season matters too. The weeks after any major storm event are the worst possible time to book non urgent work, because every arborist in the region is on emergency callouts at premium rates. If your removal is planned rather than reactive, quote it in the quiet months and you will see a materially better number.
Use the estimate above as your starting bracket, then get at least three written quotes that each state the tree height, the removal method, whether the stump is included, where the waste is going and who is responsible for the council permit. The spread between those quotes tells you which contractor has actually looked at the access.
Frequently asked questions
How much does tree removal cost in Australia?
Typically $600 to $6,000 in 2026 for a residential job. A small tree under five metres in an open yard runs $400 to $900, a medium 5m to 10m tree $1,000 to $2,500, and a large 10m to 20m tree $2,500 to $5,000. Very large removals over 20 metres, or anything needing a crane, commonly exceed $8,000.
Do I need council approval to remove a tree?
In most cases yes. Almost all Australian councils have a Tree Preservation Order or vegetation control that protects trees above a set height, usually three to five metres, or above a set trunk circumference. Applications typically cost $100 to $400, take two to eight weeks, and often need an AQF Level 5 arborist report at $400 to $800. Removing a protected tree without consent attracts fines that can run into six figures.
How much does stump grinding cost?
Between $100 and $400 for most residential stumps, priced on trunk diameter, and it is almost always a separate line from the removal. Grinding takes the stump 200 to 300mm below grade, which suits turf or garden. If you are paving, pouring concrete or building over the spot you need full root ball excavation instead, at roughly $700 to $1,500 plus imported fill.
Why is a tree near powerlines more expensive?
Work within three metres of live conductors must be carried out by an accredited utility arborist, and the network operator generally has to be notified or the line de-energised for the works window. That accreditation, the outage booking and often traffic management push these jobs 50 to 80 per cent above an identical tree standing in open lawn.
Is it cheaper to remove several trees at once?
Yes, noticeably. Mobilisation, chipper and grinder hire, travel and disposal runs are charged largely once per visit, so the second and third tree typically come in 20 to 30 per cent below what they would cost as standalone jobs. If you know three trees are coming out over the next two years, doing them in one booking is the single easiest saving available.
Does the quote include removing the branches and mulch?
Not always. Some arborists include chipping and cartage in the headline figure, others quote removal only and charge $200 to $400 to take the green waste away. Ask specifically. If you have somewhere to put it, having the chip blown onto your property instead saves the tip fee and gives you several cubic metres of free mulch.
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