• Our city is growing, and we must think about how to build and plan our city for the future.  
  • There are ways we can do this sustainably to protect nature.  
  • Living infrastructure is a way to create more sustainable and healthy spaces to live in.

As our city grows, we must think about building a healthy and more liveable urban environment. The ACT Government's Living Infrastructure Plan [11.4 MB] includes ways to plan and manage our city to value and protect nature.

Living infrastructure improves our wellbeing and health. It helps us connect to nature even while living in an urban environment. It provides space for outdoor recreation. It also provides shade, keeps water in the landscape, and helps wildlife.

What's required

There are requirements in the Territory Plan for tree coverage for residential developments, and developments in commercial and community facilities zones and new subdivisions. These strengthen our 'living infrastructure' resources. They also help future developments to adapt and reduce the effects of climate change.

The change means that single homes and multi-unit buildings need to have a certain level of shade. This helps to increase the tree shade across the city and gives us more natural space to enjoy. In this instance, a 'tree' is a woody perennial plant suitable for the Canberra climate.

Single homes in the ACT must have a certain amount of trees planted. There are also provisions for tree shade for compact, mid-sized and large residential blocks. Multi-unit buildings need at least a 15% tree shade in RZ1-2 zones, and at least 20% canopy cover for multi-unit development in RZ3-5 zones.

Unless the tree is on the ACT tree register, you can’t plant new trees that are on:

  • Schedule 1 of the Pest Plants and Animals (Pest Plants) Declaration 2015 (No 1), or
  • any declaration made under section 7 of the Pest Plants and Animals Act 2005.

Figuring out your site coverage and planting areas

You must count all existing structures (sheds, carports, pools, etc.) when figuring out your site coverage and planting areas. This includes all approved and unapproved structures.

To meet the tree planting requirements, you must plant them in the ground in a deep soil zone. This means that trees cannot be in pots or planter boxes.

There are some areas that don’t count as planting areas. This is because they’ll damage your home and infrastructure. These include:

  • chicken coops or dog kennels, because they impact the ground's ability to absorb water
  • swimming pools
  • driveways and other manoeuvring areas including driveways made from pavers, even though they’re water-absorbent
  • areas over basements, because they’re not deep soil zones
  • easement areas e.g. under powerlines, over underground pipes, or right next to a house
  • unroofed terraces
  • paved pathways, and
  • unroofed tiled or concrete areas.

Stepping stones or a few pavers spread apart within the planting area are okay, if they don’t interfere with run-off and infiltration.

If an area has a roof, you’ll need to add it to your site coverage calculations. Areas that don’t count as site coverage:

  • chicken coops or dog kennels
  • standard sized eaves (no wider than 600mm)
  • open pergolas with a vine growing over it (or similar), and
  • canopy cover from trees outside your block, like your neighbours' trees or trees on street verges.

If your development is in an RZ3-5 zone, you may use similar planting on structures to meet the canopy requirements.

Planting trees in your block

This list includes examples of trees that meet the requirements in the Residential Zones Specifications.

This list doesn't contain all the available tree options. You may choose another tree if the ones on this list aren't available. It should meet the height and canopy dimensions in the specification, and can't be a pest species tree.

If an existing tree is a pest species, the following requirements won't apply. Your block's survey diagram will need to show the size and location of the tree on the block.

Eucalypt species trees have different minimum pot size requirements to other species. Eucalypt species aren't mandatory, but they do have specific requirements to meet.

Tree sizes and planting requirements

The following table includes the rules for different sized trees and how you need to plant them.

Tree Size

Mature height

Minimum canopy diameter

Minimum soil surface dimension

Minimum pot size* (litres)

Minimum soil volume

Small tree

5-8m

4m

3m

45

18m3

Medium tree

8-12m

6m

5m

75

42m3

Large tree

>12m

8m

7m

75

85m3

Small trees

Tree species

Mature height

Narrow-leaved sallee, Little sallee

5m

Callistemon 'King’s Park Special'

4-6m

Bechtel's crab apple

6m

Black cherry plum

6m

Japanese elm

7m

Chinese flowering crab apple

7m

Natchez crepe myrtle

6-8m

Weeping myall

6-8m

Flax leaf paperbark, Snow in summer

6-8m

White cedar

6-8m

Medium Trees

Tree species

Mature height

Chinese pistachio (male form)

8-10m

Trident maple

10m

Black sallee

10m

Todd Chinese elm

10m

Mount Buffalo sallee

10m

Black tea tree

8-12m

Aristocrat callery pear

11m

Weeping snow gum

8-12m

Cimmaron green ash

10-12m

Kurrajong tree

10-12m

Large Trees

Tree species

Mature height

Autumn blaze maple

12m

Wallangarra white gum

12m

Blackwood

8-15m

Argyle apple

10-15m

Hillgrove gum

15m

Free Fall pin oak

18m

Common Linden, Lime Tree

18m

American sweet gum

15-20m

Indian Bean Tree

15m

Red box gum

20m

For more details see the Plant a Tree in Your Canberra Garden guide. If you need help choosing plants for your garden, search the Canberra Plant Selector.

*Minimum pot size refers to the container size of new trees before they're planted.

**The maximum pot size for small, medium and large eucalyptus sp. trees if selected is 45 litres, with maximum height at planting of 2.5m and maximum trunk calliper of 3cm.

Compliance checks

Access Canberra conducts random checks to make sure developments follow the rules on-site. This can include checking if it meets the tree requirements.

The tree should be in the deep soil zone on the block before getting a final compliance certificate. If the tree isn’t planted then, you (as the owner) will need to complete and sign a Lessee Declaration Form [72.7 KB]. This form states that you’ll be responsible for planting the tree. You can include a site plan showing the location of the future tree with the form. A certifier can also use this form to show you've met the tree-planting rules.

Approvals, exempt and assessable development

If your development doesn't meet the requirements for exempt development please lodge your development application (DA). It’ll be assessed against the assessment outcomes in the Residential Zones Policy.

Exemption Declarations don’t apply to planting area and tree requirements. Departures from a control can only relate to:

  • front, side or rear setback requirements
  • building or solar envelope
  • courtyard wall setback requirements, and
  • dimensions of minimum Private Open Space (POS) requirements.

More information