How much does tree removal cost in Melbourne?
Want an exact price for your job?
A local installer calls you with a real number — usually same day.
Enter a valid Australian mobile (e.g. 0400 000 000).
Your number goes to one or two local tradies — never five, never a call centre, never resold.
You're in. We’ll text you to ask what you need done — reply there. A local installer will be in touch about your job. No spam, no middleman.
Taking a tree out in Melbourne is priced mainly on how tall it stands. Our table puts a small tree at $260–$840, a medium one at $840–$2,625 and a large one at $2,100–$5,250, while the very biggest climb to $4,725–$15,750. Pruning rather than removing costs $210–$1,250, and grinding out a medium stump afterwards adds $260–$525. Before you book anyone, find out whether the tree needs a planning permit: Victorian planning schemes protect larger canopy trees in residential zones, and removing one without approval is an offence. All prices include GST.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Tree removal cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Tree Removal Cost in Melbourne 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small tree removal (under 5 m) | $260per tree | $525 | $840 |
| Medium tree removal (5–10 m) | $840per tree | $1,575 | $2,625 |
| Large tree removal (10–20 m) | $2,100per tree | $3,675 | $5,250 |
| Extra-large tree (20 m+) | $4,725per tree | $6,800 | $15,750 |
| Palm tree removal | $260per tree | $420 | $1,250 |
| Stump grinding (small <30 cm) | $160per stump | $210 | $315 |
| Stump grinding (medium 30–60 cm) | $260per stump | $370 | $525 |
| Stump grinding (large 60 cm+) | $420per stump | $630 | $945 |
| Tree pruning / trimming | $210per tree | $470 | $1,250 |
| Hedge trimming, maintained hedge up to 2.5 m (per m) | $5/m | $13 | $26 |
| Arborist report | $315per report | $470 | $735 |
| Emergency / storm damage | $525per job | $1,575 | $5,250 |
| Arborist hourly rate | $74/hr | $125 | $190 |
| Large palm (10 m+) or Canary Island date palm removal | $1,250per tree | $1,900 | $3,150 |
| Tree on house / structure, crane-assisted emergency removal | $3,150per job | $7,350 | $12,600 |
You're in.
A local installer will be in touch about your job. No spam, no middleman.
Getting quotes for tree removal work in Melbourne? Get a quote from a verified local tradie — free, no obligation.
Get Melbourne quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Melbourne metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
What to Know About Tree Removal Work and Cost in Melbourne
October is Melbourne’s wettest month, at 66.0 mm on average; its rain is spread fairly evenly across the year.
By height, a medium tree (5–10 m) is $840–$2,625 and a large one (10–20 m) $2,100–$5,250 in the Melbourne table. Pruning instead is $210–$1,250 a tree.
Arborist cost in Melbourne (2026): hourly rates, reports and clearing trees
An arborist in Melbourne charges $74–$190 an hour, with $125 typical for a qualified climber and a ground crew. Most tree work is quoted per job rather than by the hour, so the per-tree bands below are what you are actually asked to pay; the hourly rate is what sits behind them.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arborist hourly rate | $74/hr | $125 | $190 |
| Arborist report | $315 | $470 | $735 |
| Small tree removal (under 5 m) | $260 | $525 | $840 |
| Medium tree removal (5–10 m) | $840 | $1,575 | $2,625 |
| Large tree removal (10–20 m) | $2,100 | $3,675 | $5,250 |
| Extra-large tree (20 m+) | $4,725 | $6,800 | $15,750 |
| Stump grinding (medium 30–60 cm) | $260 | $370 | $525 |
Arborist report cost in Melbourne: $315–$735, with $470 typical. Councils across Melbourne ask for a report from a qualified arborist before they will issue a permit to remove a protected tree, and it is also what a builder needs when trees on a block are in the way of a new house. The report is a separate fee from the removal itself.
Cost of clearing trees for a house or a block: clearing is priced tree by tree using the same size bands, from $260 for a small tree to $15,750 for a very large one, plus stump grinding if the stumps have to go. A block with several trees is quoted as one job, and the arborist report and any permits come first.
What moves an arborist quote in Melbourne:
- Size and species: height, trunk diameter and how the timber behaves when cut set the band.
- Access: a tree that can be felled in one piece is far cheaper than one that has to be dismantled over a roof, a pool or power lines.
- Disposal: chipping on site is usually included; carting logs away or leaving them for firewood changes the price.
- Stumps: grinding is a separate line and depends on the stump diameter.
- "Cheap tree removal": the lowest quotes are often uninsured or skip the permit. Ask for insurance and whether the permit is included before comparing prices.
Tree Protection Overlays and the permit rules for Melbourne are covered further down the page.
Stump removal on its own in Melbourne
What removing a stump costs in Melbourne
Stumps are priced one by one in our Melbourne table, by size: grinding a medium stump, 30–60 cm across, is $260–$525 (typically $370), and a large stump over 60 cm is $420–$945 (typically $630). Measure the stump across the cut before you ask for quotes, so each quote is for the same size.
These answers use the prices in the table on this page.
What Affects Tree Removal Costs in Melbourne
Height sets the band
Arborists price a removal by the height band first, then adjust for what sits underneath. A small tree is $260–$840 and a medium one $840–$2,625. Past 20 m the job usually needs a crane or a second climber, and our table runs $4,725–$15,750. Palms have their own line at $260–$1,250, because fronds and a fibrous trunk come down in a different way.
Canopy trees need a permit
Every Victorian planning scheme carries clause 52.37, under which cutting down, killing or lopping a canopy tree on residential-zoned land needs council permission (Low Density Residential land is the exception). The clause counts a tree as a canopy tree once it reaches 5 metres in height and its crown averages 4 metres or more in diameter, so a tree in our medium band can qualify if it spreads wide enough. Many of these applications can go through the fast-track VicSmart process.
Exceptional and heritage trees
Inside the City of Melbourne, council control of trees on private land is limited to the 268 entries on its Exceptional Tree Register. Taking one of those down, or cutting it back hard, requires a planning permit, and lopping any tree within a Heritage Overlay goes through a separate VicSmart application. Outside that council area, your own council's planning scheme decides, so ask them before the arborist quotes.
Lopping and pruning
Often a tree only needs thinning or lifting clear of the roof, not removing. Our table has a pruning job at $210–$1,250 and a maintained hedge at $5–$26 a metre. Remember the canopy-tree clause covers lopping as well as removal, so heavy cutting back of a protected tree needs the same permit.
Stumps are a separate line
Grinding is quoted per stump: $260–$525 for one of medium width and $420–$945 once the trunk is wider than 60 cm. Ask whether the grindings are raked into the hole or carted away. In a back corner where nobody walks, leaving the stump to rot is a fair choice and keeps that line off the bill.
Courtyards and shared walls
Terraces, townhouses and flats together make up nearly a third of Melbourne's housing (16.2% semi-detached and 15.6% flats, ABS 2021 Census). In those narrow back gardens there is seldom room to fell a tree whole, so it comes down piece by piece on ropes and every log is carried out through the house or a side gate, which adds hours at $74–$190 each.
When a report is needed
An arborist report costs $315–$735 in our table. Ask your council whether a permit application for your tree has to include one, since the assessment turns on the tree's size, health and position. A report can also settle whether a tree is dangerous enough to justify removal, and it is worth having before a dispute with a neighbour about overhanging branches.
How to Save Money on Tree Removal Cost in Melbourne
- Ring your council before collecting quotes and ask whether the tree counts as a canopy tree or sits in a Heritage Overlay; arborists can price firmly once the permit question has an answer.
- Leave deciduous pruning for the cold months, when the branches are bare: July is Melbourne's coolest month at a 13.5 °C average maximum (BOM averages).
- Get the stump grinding priced separately, so it can come off the job if the stump sits under a garden bed.
- Ask the crew to leave the wood chip on site as mulch; carting it away is part of what you pay for.
- Before anyone climbs, ask to see proof of the arborist's public liability cover.
- If a neighbour also has a tree to come down, book the same crew on the same day so the truck and chipper only make one trip to your street.
Tree Protection Overlays drive Melbourne pricing
Melbourne councils (Yarra, Stonnington, Boroondara, Bayside) actively enforce Tree Protection Overlays. Mature eucalyptus, oak, and significant trees typically require permits — and since Amendment VC315 (September 2026), removing a canopy tree at least 5 metres tall with a canopy at least 4 metres wide in a residential zone can need a planning permit. Permit-required removal: $800–$2,500 once arborist report, permit fee, and removal work are combined. Standard non-protected removal: $400–$1,500. Bayside and Mornington Peninsula coastal salt-affected pines drive volume work in summer.
Inner-Melbourne narrow laneways and shared driveways frequently require manual rig-down rather than chipper access — adds 30–50% to job cost. Storm-damage callouts spike after winter cold-fronts (June–August). Arborist reports for council submission run $300–$600; sometimes worth getting before quote stage so multiple tradies can quote against a clear scope.
A Carrum Downs homeowner needed three medium palm trees felled, with the wood left on-site for disposal. Estimated at $2,400–$4,500.
Details anonymised. Range is our estimate at enquiry — final quotes vary with access, materials and condition.
Frequently Asked Questions — Tree Removal Cost in Melbourne
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →
Five deep-dives on Melbourne tree removal cost
