Why you should check before cutting down a tree
Owning the land does not automatically mean you can remove a tree on it. A tree can be protected by a Tree Preservation Order or by sitting in a conservation area, and felling a protected tree without consent can be a criminal offence with a substantial fine.
The responsibility falls on whoever does or arranges the work, so a quick check protects you and any contractor. Start with a postcode search above, then confirm the details with your council.
Tree Preservation Orders
A TPO is a council order that protects a specific tree, group or woodland. If your garden tree is covered, you generally need written consent before felling it — and before pruning or pollarding it too.
You cannot tell whether a tree has a TPO just by looking at it. Use the checker for an indication, then ask the Local Planning Authority's tree officer to confirm for your address.
Conservation areas
If your home is in a conservation area, most trees of any reasonable size are protected even without a TPO. You usually have to give the council written notice — often six weeks — before felling, so it can decide whether to protect the tree.
Because conservation area boundaries are set by the council and may not show fully in public data, this is a point worth confirming directly rather than assuming.
Boundary and ownership issues
Even an unprotected tree can raise questions about who owns it and who may work on it:
- A tree on or near a boundary may be jointly owned, or owned by a neighbour.
- You can usually cut back branches or roots crossing onto your land, but only back to the boundary and without killing the tree — and the cuttings belong to the tree's owner.
- A tree subject to a planning condition (for example, one required to be retained when a house was built) may be protected that way too.
If ownership is unclear, sort that out before any work to avoid a dispute.
Dangerous or dead trees
There are limited exceptions for trees that are dead, or that present an urgent risk of serious harm. Even then, you are often expected to give the council notice, and you should keep evidence — photographs and, ideally, a professional opinion — of why the work was necessary.
Do not rely on the exception without advice. "It looked dangerous" is rarely enough on its own if the tree was protected.
What to do before starting work
A sensible order of steps:
- Check available public data by postcode for nearby TPO records.
- Confirm TPO and conservation area status with the Local Planning Authority.
- Settle any ownership or boundary questions with neighbours.
- Get written confirmation of what you may do.
- Use a qualified, insured tree surgeon for the work.
If anything is unclear, request a manual protected-tree check before you commit.