Cinnamomum camphora · Lauraceae
Camphor Laurel is exempt in some councils and protected in others, and several exemptions carry a height limit. Check the table below against the council for your address before assuming a permit is not needed.
A massive domed tree with glossy leaves that smell strongly of camphor when crushed, and pale new growth flushes in pink and bronze. Small cream flowers in spring, then clusters of small black berries. Bark is rough and vertically fissured.
Naturalised and planted across the whole of Sydney. Heavy presence in the Inner West, Canterbury-Bankstown, Georges River, Ryde and older North Shore gardens.
One of the most common removals in Sydney and one of the most variable for permits, because the exemption usually comes with a height cap. Bayside caps it at 5m, Georges River at 6m, Willoughby, Lane Cove, Hunters Hill, Ryde, City of Sydney, Woollahra and Canterbury-Bankstown at 10m, while Northern Beaches and Hornsby exempt it at any size. Measure the height before quoting.
Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council's size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.
| Council | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Beaches | No permit needed | On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. |
| Ku-ring-gai | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| Hornsby Shire | No permit needed | On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. |
| The Hills Shire | Confirm with Council | Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. |
| Blacktown City | Permit required | Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. |
| North Sydney | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| Willoughby | Exempt under 10m | Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
| Lane Cove | Exempt under 10m | Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
| City of Ryde | Exempt under 10m | Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
| Hunters Hill | Exempt under 10m | Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
| City of Sydney | Exempt under 10m | Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
| Inner West | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| Woollahra | Exempt under 10m | Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
| Waverley | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| Randwick | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| Bayside | Exempt under 5m | Exempt only below 5m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
| Georges River | Exempt under 6m | Exempt only below 6m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
| Strathfield | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| Burwood | Confirm with Council | Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. |
| Canterbury-Bankstown | Exempt under 10m | Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
No, and the height limits are what catch people out. It is exempt at any size on the Northern Beaches and in Hornsby, but capped at 5m in Bayside, 6m in Georges River and 10m in Willoughby, Lane Cove, Hunters Hill, Ryde, City of Sydney, Woollahra and Canterbury-Bankstown. Elsewhere on this list it is protected.
Yes, vigorously. Camphor Laurel resprouts from the stump and from roots, so stump grinding or treatment is part of the job rather than an optional extra.
This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Calistemon via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Our arborists work across 20 Sydney councils every week. We will identify the species, check the rules for your address and handle the permit application if one is needed.
