What Permission Is Required to Cut a Tree in Cape Town?

You've got a tree that has to go, and before you book anyone you want to know: am I allowed to cut it down? In Cape Town the answer depends on whose tree it is and what kind of tree it is. For most trees in most gardens nobody needs to sign anything. For a few, the City or the national government has the final say.

Do you need permission to cut down a tree in your own garden?

Usually not. For an ordinary tree on your own property, such as a pine, a gum, an oak, a syringa, a palm or most ornamental trees, Cape Town tree fellers generally say no permit is needed to fell it. We couldn't find a City of Cape Town page that says so in writing, so treat it as the usual case rather than a guarantee, and run through the four checks below first.

Those four checks are: is it actually your tree, is it a protected species, is your property in a heritage zone, and do your title deed or estate rules say anything about trees?

Who owns the tree on the pavement outside your house?

The City does. Trees on the verge, the pavement and the road reserve belong to the City of Cape Town, even if the tree is right outside your gate and you've watered it for years. Nobody may prune or remove a City tree without written permission from the City's Recreation and Parks Department.

The City removes street trees only for specific reasons: when a tree is an unmanageable risk, when it's dead, or for road or services work. It won't remove a healthy tree just because you'd like it gone.

To ask the City about a street tree, log a service request on 0860 103 089 or at capetown.gov.za/servicerequests.

Is your tree a protected species?

Some trees are protected nationally under the National Forests Act. The Minister publishes a list of protected tree species, and no one may cut, damage or destroy a listed tree without a licence from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). That applies wherever the tree grows, your own garden included.

The one you're most likely to meet in Cape Town's northern suburbs is the white milkwood. Milkwoods are one of the trees of the coastal dune bush (Cape Flats Dune Strandveld) that this side of Cape Town is built on, so an old milkwood in a garden near the sea is quite possible. If you're not sure what your tree is, ask before anyone starts cutting.

Is your property in a heritage protection overlay zone?

Parts of Cape Town sit in Heritage Protection Overlay Zones. Inside one, no one may remove a tree, a boundary hedge or mature plantings without the City's approval first. Some areas, such as Bakoven, Clifton and the Glen Beach bungalows, need special consent from the City's Environment and Heritage Management branch.

We didn't find Parklands or Table View in the overlay lists, but zones are mapped property by property. The City's heritage overlay maps will tell you for certain.

What do your title deed and estate rules say?

Private rules can be stricter than the law. In Edgemead, for example, the original title deeds barred owners from removing trees without permission. Many estates and complexes in the northern suburbs also have their own rules about trees, hedges and the look of the garden. If you live in an estate or a sectional title complex, check with the HOA or body corporate before you book the work.

What about invasive trees like Port Jackson?

Invasive trees are the opposite case. Under the national invasive species regulations, landowners must control listed invasive species on their land. Port Jackson and rooikrans, two wattles you'll see on open ground all over the northern suburbs, are on that list. They're trees you're expected to deal with, not ones you need permission to remove.

Whose permission do you need? A quick guide