Trees and Powerlines in Brisbane: Energex Rules, Who Can Cut What, and Clearance Distances

Energex rules for trees near powerlines

Trees and powerlines are the one part of tree work where the rules are simple and non-negotiable. Electricity does not care whether you are a homeowner with a pole saw or a professional. Energex, which runs the network across south-east Queensland, sets the rules and they apply to everyone.

The key figures from Energex's trees and powerlines and exclusion zones pages:

• 3 metre exclusion zone. Untrained persons must not come within 3 metres of powerlines up to 132kV. That includes you, your ladder, your pole saw and the branch you are cutting.
• Hire a professional. Energex's advice for trees near lines is to use a professional, not to do it yourself.
• 10 metres if a tree is touching a line. Stay at least 10 metres away and call 000. The tree, the ground around it and anything metal nearby may be live.
• 1:1 planting rule. Plant a tree at least as far from a powerline as it will be tall at maturity.

The 3 metre zone is bigger than it sounds. A branch swinging in the wind, a falling limb, or a wet pole saw can all close the gap. That is why powerline work needs trained crews and a plan. We assess every job for lines before we quote across the Redlands, Logan and Brisbane.

Who can cut what near powerlines

People often assume that any tree near a line is Energex's problem, or that any tree on their block is theirs. It is not that clean.

Energex's published guidance says this: untrained people must stay outside the 3 metre exclusion zone, homeowners should hire a professional for trees near lines, and any tree in contact with a line is a 000 call. Beyond that, it depends on which line it is:

• Street powerlines on Energex poles. Contact Energex first about a tree on your block that is growing into the street lines. They will tell you whether it is their job or yours.
• The line from the pole to your house. Still a powerline. The same exclusion zone applies.
• Trees near the lines but outside the zone. Ordinary tree work, done by a qualified arborist who knows where the lines are and rigs away from them.

Our crew does not work inside the exclusion zone on live lines. Where a tree sits inside that zone, the job needs to go through Energex first, and we will tell you that when we quote. What we will do is everything on the safe side of the zone: reductions, crown lifts, dismantles rigged away from the lines, and full removals where the tree is the wrong tree in the wrong place.

What Cyclone Alfred taught Brisbane about trees and power

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in March 2025 was the biggest test of the network in years. It crossed the mainland on 8 March as a category 1 system, Brisbane recorded 275.2mm of rain on 10 March, the highest daily total since 1974, and more than 500,000 customers lost power.

Afterwards, Energex linked 42% of the Alfred blackouts to vegetation. Nearly half of the outages came from trees and branches on lines. Brisbane City Council's own review found around 20,000 of its 411,000 street trees in poor condition.

The lesson for homeowners is that the tree on your block that is leaning over the street lines is not just your problem. When it goes, the whole street goes dark, and in a big event you may be waiting a long time for reconnection.

It is also a reminder about which trees fail. Big gums shedding limbs, weed trees with rotten unions, lopped trees with heavy regrowth, and palms whipping in the wind. Our storm season guide covers how to check your trees before November, and the gum tree guide covers why eucalypts drop limbs. Doing that work before the season, with the powerlines in mind, is the cheapest insurance there is.

What to do if a tree falls on a powerline

Storms bring trees down on lines every summer. What you do in the first minute matters more than anything else.

• Stay at least 10 metres away. That is Energex's rule for a tree touching a line. The ground, fences, gutters and the tree itself can all be live.
• Call 000. Do not call an arborist first. We cannot touch a tree that is in contact with a line, and we will tell you the same thing.
• Keep everyone back. Children, pets and helpful neighbours. Fallen lines can be hidden under foliage.
• Do not drive over or under it. Wet foliage on a line can conduct.
• Assume it is live even if the power is out. Lines can be re-energised, and a line can be live without the lights being on.
• Photograph from a distance for your insurer.

Once Energex has made the line safe, the rest is an ordinary storm job. We run emergency tree removal seven days a week and can clear the tree, make the site safe and come back for the stump. Brisbane guide pricing notes around 50% on top of normal rates for after-hours work, and an EWP, if one is needed for a tree near lines, at $800 to $2,200 a day.

Planting and pruning to keep trees clear of lines

The best powerline problem is the one you never have. Two habits make the difference.

Plant with the 1:1 rule. Energex's guidance is to plant a tree at least as far from a powerline as its mature height. A tree that will grow as tall as your house goes at least that far from the line. Under the lines themselves, plant only small shrubs and low screening.

Prune early and properly. A young tree growing towards the lines can be shaped with formative pruning so it never gets there. A mature tree can be reduced or lifted to AS 4373-2007 to hold clearance. What does not work is lopping: hacking the top out of a tree under a line produces a mass of fast, weak regrowth that is back in the zone within a couple of seasons and fails more easily. See lopping vs pruning.

Guide pruning costs from GoTreeQuotes: crown reductions $350 to $1,500 and canopy lifts $200 to $700. That is a lot cheaper than the removal a neglected tree under a line eventually needs.

Species matters too. Cocos palms, camphor laurels and umbrella trees all grow fast and shed material, and none belongs under a line. Our cocos palm guide and weed tree guide cover them. Our tree pruning page covers the pruning types.

Council permits and powerline trees

A tree near a powerline is not automatically exempt from council rules. The line is Energex's concern; the tree may still be council's.

Brisbane City Council's permit fact sheet exempts pruning of up to 20% of live foliage in 12 months, trees with a trunk under 30cm at 1.4m, dead trees and obvious immediate hazards. A heavy reduction of a protected tree to clear lines may go beyond 20%, and a full removal of a protected tree needs a free permit application.

In the Redlands, council confirmed in November 2025 that routine trimming along fence lines and near buildings is not regulated, but removal of a tree under an overlay or Vegetation Protection Order is a different matter. Logan's exemptions do not apply in koala corridors.

So the sequence for a big tree growing into the lines in Cleveland, Beenleigh or Coorparoo is: check with Energex about the line, check with council about the tree, then get an arborist to quote. We do the council check as part of our quote and will tell you straight if the job has to go through Energex first. Start with the permit checker, then contact us. Safe Work Australia's guide to managing the risks of tree work is the safety reference our crew works to on site.

Sources

• Energex: trees and powerlines
• Energex: exclusion zones and safety laws
• Bureau of Meteorology: Tropical Cyclone Alfred 2025
• ABC News: Brisbane council trees and Cyclone Alfred damage
• Dynamic Tree Solutions: Brisbane tree removal cost 2026
• GoTreeQuotes: tree pruning cost guide
• Brisbane City Council: Do I need a permit? fact sheet
• Safe Work Australia: Guide to managing the risks of tree work