Tree Loppers and Tree Removal Across Joondalup

Tree loppers for the whole City of Joondalup

The City of Joondalup stretches from Duncraig and Warwick in the south up to Burns Beach and Kinross in the north, and from the ocean across to the lakes of Yellagonga Regional Park. Within that area the tree work changes a fair bit from one suburb to the next, mostly because of when each suburb was built.

The older southern suburbs. Places like Duncraig, Greenwood, Kingsley, Padbury, Hillarys and Sorrento were largely built from the 1970s onwards. Many blocks still have trees planted by the first owners or kept from the original bush, and after forty-odd years those trees are big. Eucalypts that were a sensible size in 1980 now hang over roofs and pool fences, and a lot of the original blocks have since been split, which puts a new house much closer to an old tree.

The central and northern suburbs. Joondalup itself, Edgewater, Heathridge, Currambine, Kinross and Iluka came later, from the late 1980s through the 2000s. Blocks are generally smaller, side access is often a single narrow gate, and the trees planted when the houses went up are now reaching the stage where they need their first serious reduction or are simply too big for the garden.

The coastal strip. Around Mullaloo, Ocean Reef, Hillarys and Burns Beach, trees cope with salt wind and shallow limestone. Peppermints, tuarts and Norfolk Island pines are common, and coastal trees often grow lopsided away from the prevailing wind, which changes how they are rigged and cut.

Lopping, pruning or tree removal in Joondalup

Most calls we get from Joondalup are for lopping: a tree that has got too tall or too wide for the block. Done properly, tree lopping cuts branches back to a suitable fork or growth point so the tree keeps a natural shape and does not throw out a mass of weak regrowth. Topping a tree to stubs is cheaper on the day and more expensive later.

Other jobs that come up often across the northern suburbs:

• Clearance pruning over roofs, gutters, driveways and pool fences, and lifting the canopy so you can walk under it. Our tree pruning page covers the different types of cut.
• Deadwooding big tuarts and gums before summer, when dry limbs are most likely to drop.
• Tree removal where a tree is dead, split, leaning more than it used to, or standing where an extension, granny flat or pool is going. Tree removal in Joondalup is nearly always sectional on the smaller lots, with pieces lowered on ropes rather than dropped.
• Palm cleaning and removal, mostly Washingtonia and date palms carrying dead fronds and heavy seed stalks.
• Stump grinding after a removal, so the area can be turfed, paved or replanted.

If you are not sure which of these you need, describe the problem. "It drops bark and leaves in the pool" or "it's over the neighbour's roof" gives the arborist more to go on than a job name.

Sand, limestone and roots

Most of the City sits on yellow Spearwood sand over limestone, with looser, paler dune sand close to the beach. Two things follow from that.

First, roots run wide. In free-draining sand, trees send roots well out past the canopy looking for water, and they will find reticulation lines, leaking pipes and the moisture under paving. A tree that seems a safe distance from the house can still have roots under the slab edge or lifting the driveway.

Second, limestone can sit close to the surface, especially nearer the coast. Roots work into cracks in the rock, and stump grinders can hit limestone a short way down. If you want a stump ground out, tell the arborist what you plan to put there so they can say how deep they can realistically go.

Street trees belong to the City of Joondalup

This is the rule that catches people out. Street trees on the verge are owned by the City, and the City says only the City or its contractors are permitted to remove a street tree. Unauthorised pruning or removal of a verge tree is an offence under the City's local law.

That applies even when the verge tree is dropping leaves in your gutters or its branches are over your driveway. The arborist we send can work on trees on your property, but not on the City's tree. If a verge tree is the problem, contact the City and ask for it to be inspected.

Significant trees and trees on private land

The City of Joondalup keeps a Significant Tree Register, but it covers trees on land owned or managed by the City, not trees in private backyards.

For trees on your own land, we have not found a general City of Joondalup approval requirement for removal. That is not the same as saying no approval is ever needed. Heritage listings, conditions on a development approval and other planning matters can still apply to a particular tree, and council rules across Perth are changing. Before a large removal, check with the City, and read our guide to whether you can cut down a tree in Perth.

Green waste: bins, vouchers and Wangara

If you are doing some of the work yourself, or want to deal with a pile of prunings later, Joondalup households have several options:

• A garden organics bin collected at the kerb.
• An annual bulk green waste verge collection. Branches thicker than 150 mm need to be cut into 300 mm lengths.
• Four green waste tipping vouchers a year, each for up to 500 kg, for the Wangara Recycling Centre.

For a lopping or removal job, the simpler option is usually to have the crew chip the branches on site and take the lot away. If you would like the mulch for garden beds, ask for it to be left in a pile.

Shot-hole borer checks

The polyphagous shot-hole borer quarantine area covers the whole Perth metropolitan area, and there are rules on moving untreated wood and plant material out of the Management Zone. Do not assume which zone your street is in: check your address on DPIRD's zone map.

The City of Joondalup's advice is to check trees before and after pruning. If you see anything suspicious on the trunk or branches, leave the tree and the prunings on your property and report it to DPIRD. You can use the MyPestGuide Reporter app, call the Pest and Disease Information Service on (08) 9368 3080, or email [email protected]. Our shot-hole borer guide has more detail.

What tree work costs in Joondalup

Prices depend on the tree in front of the arborist, the access and what is underneath it, so every job is quoted on site. As a 2026 guide, removing a small tree in an open backyard often sits around $400 to $1,000, a medium tree $1,000 to $2,500, and a large gum or pine close to the house $2,500 to $6,000 or more. Lopping and pruning are usually less than a full removal of the same tree. The tree removal cost guide has the full bands and explains how to compare quotes.

Getting a quote

Call (08) 9930 2033, open 7 days from 8am to 5pm, or use the form. A photo helps, along with a note about what is near the tree: the house, a fence, the pool, the power line to the house or a neighbour's shed. We will arrange a local arborist to look at it and put a written quote together that sets out exactly what is being cut, whether the stump is ground, and what leaves the block.

We ask the arborists and contractors we work with to hold the public liability cover the job needs. Ask to see the certificate before work starts.