Tree clearing in emergencies and natural disasters
Clearing native vegetation can be regulated by local, state and the federal governments. Before doing any clearing, check with your local council to understand any by-laws that may apply to your land, as they are unique to each local council and are in addition to the regulations found here. This page outlines the Queensland Government native vegetation clearing regulations found in the Vegetation Management Act 1999 and Planning Act 2017.
To assist with the impacts of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily in North Queensland, the Queensland Government is providing tree clearing exemptions to support clean up and recovery. This will apply for 1 year following the disaster declaration made on 24 January 2024.
On freehold and leasehold land, you can also undertake clearing without a permit or notification:
to maintain existing infrastructure including buildings, fences, roads, stockyards and vehicular tracks – this includes removing fallen trees and woody debris
to create a necessary road or vehicular track up to a maximum 10 metres wide in a 'least concern' regional ecosystem (you can check the ecosystem of your property by requesting a vegetation management map).
Vegetation along and within watercourses in Great Barrier Reef catchments is generally regulated under the vegetation management framework and plays an important role in the protection of the health of the reef. The extent of any works or clearing in or near a watercourse should be minimised or avoided where practical. We recommend you contact us before commencing any works in or near a watercourse.
Other clearing under a code or development approval
You may be able to undertake other clearing to mitigate the impact of natural disasters using an accepted development vegetation clearing code.
These codes are self-assessable. You must notify us before starting to clear, and make sure you follow the requirements listed in the code. The codes in the following table have relevant provisions.
For any clearing beyond this scope, you’ll need to apply for a development approval.
Clearing for natural disasters using a clearing code
You can remove fallen woody debris without a permit or notification from existing tracks, roads, fire management lines and firebreaks.
Clearing in disaster-declared areas
If the government has declared your district a disaster area, you don’t need to get our approval or to notify us if the clearing is necessary to prevent or minimise any of the following:
loss of human life, or illness or injury
property loss or damage
damage to the environment.
This applies for 1 year following the disaster declaration. The following table shows current disaster declared areas in Queensland.
Clearing exemption dates in disaster declared areas
Local government area
Date declared
Exemption valid to
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily in North Queensland in January 2024
Townsville and Mackay Districts Burdekin Shire Council, Charters Towers Regional Council, Flinders Shire Council, Hinchinbrook Shire Council, Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council, Richmond Shire Council, Townsville City Council, Isaac Regional Council, Mackay Regional Council, Whitsunday Regional Council
