TPO vs Conservation Area: What's the Difference?
Tree Preservation Orders and conservation areas both protect trees, but they work in different ways — and a tree can be covered by one, both, or neither. This guide explains the differences and why a nil TPO result is never the full picture.
Free · No account needed · Guidance only — based on available public data, so always confirm with your Local Planning Authority.
Guidance only
Results are based on available public datasets and may not include every Tree Preservation Order. Always confirm with your Local Planning Authority before carrying out tree works.
How it works
Enter a postcode
Type in the postcode for the property. We use it to find the location — no account or sign-up needed.
Check available TPO data
We search available public datasets for Tree Preservation Order records that may be near that location.
Confirm before work starts
Use the result as a starting point, then confirm with your Local Planning Authority before any tree works.
A Tree Preservation Order is a targeted protection. The council identifies specific trees, groups or woodlands and makes a written order naming them. From then on, most work on those trees needs the council's consent, applied for in advance.
Because it is specific, a TPO either applies to your tree or it does not — and the council's records will say which trees are covered.
A conservation area is a broader protection tied to a place rather than a tree. The council designates an area of special architectural or historic interest, and most trees above a certain size inside the boundary are protected automatically — without each one being named.
So the question for a conservation area is not "does this tree have an order?" but "is this tree inside the boundary and above the size threshold?"
The practical difference is in what you have to do before tree work:
- TPO: you apply for the council's consent and wait for a decision before working.
- Conservation area: you give the council written notice — commonly six weeks — and, if it does not act to protect the tree in that time, you may proceed with the described work.
- Both: the protection covers a wide range of work, and ignoring it can be a criminal offence.
The routes feel similar but the mechanisms — consent versus notice — are different, so it matters which one applies.
This is the most important point. If a check shows no Tree Preservation Order, the tree may still be protected because it sits in a conservation area. It may also have a TPO that simply is not published in the data being searched.
In other words, a nil result removes one possibility, not all of them. Treating "no TPO found" as "safe to cut" is exactly the mistake that leads to unauthorised work — so never rely on it alone.
To get the full picture for an address:
- Search available public data by postcode for an indication.
- Confirm with the Local Planning Authority whether a TPO applies.
- Ask, separately, whether the property is in a conservation area.
- Find out whether consent or notice is needed for your specific work.
- Get written confirmation before booking anything.
Checking both protections together is the only way to avoid a nasty surprise.
Not sure what the result means?
Request a manual protected tree check before you prune, pollard or fell. We will review the available council sources for the specific address and confirm what we find.
Frequently asked questions
Can a tree be in both a TPO and a conservation area?
Which is stricter, a TPO or a conservation area?
If there is no TPO, can I cut the tree?
How do I know if I am in a conservation area?
Related checks and guides
Guidance only
Results are based on available public datasets and may not include every Tree Preservation Order. Always confirm with your Local Planning Authority before carrying out tree works.