Phoenix canariensis · Arecaceae
Canary Island Date Palm 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 very thick trunk patterned with diamond shaped old frond scars, topped by a massive crown of long stiff fronds. The lower leaflets on each frond are modified into rigid spines capable of serious puncture injuries.
Planted as a feature palm in older gardens and streetscapes across the Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, Bayside, Georges River and Canterbury-Bankstown.
Exempt in Willoughby under 7m of trunk, Lane Cove under 6m, Georges River under 6m and Canterbury-Bankstown under 4m of trunk, and on the Northern Beaches at any size as part of the general palm exemption. Note that several councils measure trunk height, not overall height. Physically one of the heaviest palms to remove, and the spines make it a genuine injury risk.
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 | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| 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 7m | Exempt only below 7m in trunk height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
| Lane Cove | Exempt under 6m | Exempt only below 6m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
| City of Ryde | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| Hunters Hill | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| City of Sydney | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| 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 | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| 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 | Permit required | Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. |
| 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 4m | Exempt only below 4m in trunk height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. |
Read the wording carefully. Willoughby measures trunk height rather than overall height, and Canterbury-Bankstown measures trunk at under 4m. Lane Cove and Georges River set 6m limits. The difference between trunk and overall height often decides whether a permit is needed.
Yes. Phoenix palm spines cause deep puncture wounds that frequently become infected and can drive splinters into joints. This is not a DIY palm.
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 Jebulon 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.
