The short answer
Pruning is almost always quoted per job, because two trees of the same height can take very different amounts of work, and that's how we price it. Nationally, one trades marketplace's 2026 job data puts arborist services at an average of $182.29 an hour and $1,422.69 a day.
Published tree pruning and arborist rates
These are national averages across all arborist work on one marketplace, not Bendigo prices and not pruning alone, so treat them as a rough guide only.
Arborist rates, national marketplace data
| What's charged | Published price | Who publishes it |
|---|---|---|
| Arborist services, average hourly rate | $182.29 an hour | ServiceSeeking, national |
| Arborist services, average daily rate | $1,422.69 a day | ServiceSeeking, national |
| Arborist services, average total job | $1,315 | ServiceSeeking, national |
Averages from a national trades marketplace's 2026 job data (published 24 March 2026), checked 27 September 2026. They cover all arborist work posted on the marketplace, not pruning alone, and aren't broken down by state. Like most Bendigo tree businesses, we quote pruning per job after seeing the tree.
An older national cost guide gives a very wide pruning range, which shows how much jobs vary:
Older national pruning range
| What's charged | Published price | Who publishes it |
|---|---|---|
| Tree pruning, typical range | $150 – $2,000 | Airtasker, national |
From a national marketplace cost guide last updated 20 November 2023, so almost three years old; checked 27 September 2026. Shown for the spread, not as a current price.
What changes the price of pruning
- Size and number of cuts. Lifting a few low branches off the driveway is a short job; thinning a big gum's canopy is a day.
- Climber or platform. Branches over a roof are cut from a climbing rope or an elevated work platform, which adds gear and people.
- What's underneath. Cuts over the house, a pool or the neighbour's yard are lowered on ropes rather than dropped.
- Access and green waste. Carrying branches out by hand, and taking the chips away rather than leaving them, both add time.
- Powerlines. Powercor says only workers it authorises can trim trees within the No Go Zone around its lines, and it clears around its own lines at no cost to you.
Lopping versus pruning, and why it matters for cost
Lopping usually means cutting branches back to stubs. It's fast, so it can look cheaper on the day, but the tree answers with a mass of fast, weakly attached shoots that need cutting again. Pruning back to a proper branch point, as the Australian Standard AS 4373 describes, usually means fewer return visits. See tree lopping and pruning in Bendigo.
Permits for pruning
The state native vegetation rules exempt "lopping or pruning native vegetation, for maintenance only, provided no more than 1/3 of the foliage of each individual plant is lopped or pruned". The exemption doesn't cover cutting the trunk of a native tree, or native vegetation on a roadside. Overlays on some properties have their own rules. See do you need a permit?
Getting a useful quote
- Say which branches you want cut and why: roof, gutters, light, safety
- Ask whether the work will be done to AS 4373
- Ask whether green waste removal and GST are included
- Get the price in writing before work starts
Common questions
How much does tree pruning cost?
We quote pruning per job after seeing the tree, because two trees of the same height can take very different amounts of work. As a guide, one trades marketplace's 2026 job data puts arborist services at an average of $182.29 an hour and $1,422.69 a day (checked 27 September 2026).
Is tree lopping cheaper than pruning?
It can be quicker on the day, but lopping to stubs usually brings a mass of weak regrowth that needs cutting again, so it rarely saves money over a few years. Ask for pruning to AS 4373.
Do I need a permit to prune a tree?
For light maintenance, often not. The state native vegetation rules exempt lopping or pruning for maintenance only, as long as no more than a third of each plant's foliage is removed and the trunk isn't cut, but not on a roadside. Overlays can differ. See do you need a permit?
Who pays to prune trees near powerlines?
Powercor manages trees around its own powerlines at no cost to you. The service line from the pole to your house is different: Energy Safe Victoria says you're responsible for keeping your own trees at least one metre clear of it.
Can council prune the street tree in front of my house?
You can ask. The City of Greater Bendigo maintains its own street trees, and property owners mustn't prune or lop them. Council's policy says it won't prune its trees just to reduce leaf litter or for personal preference. Request it online or on 1300 002 642.
Where these figures come from
The prices and rules on this page come from these published pages, checked on 27 September 2026.
- ServiceSeeking: how much do arborist services cost in 2026 · National marketplace job data, published 24 March 2026
- Airtasker: tree pruning cost · National marketplace cost guide, last updated 20 November 2023
- TB'S Trees: instant quote, set prices · Bendigo tree service, published set prices by tree size
- Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme, Clause 52.17 Native vegetation · State-wide native vegetation provision and its table of exemptions
- CitiPower and Powercor: vegetation management · The electricity distributor for Bendigo, on trees near powerlines
- Energy Safe Victoria: trees and vegetation · State electrical safety regulator, service lines and fallen powerlines
- City of Greater Bendigo: Nature Strip Guidelines · Council rules for nature strips and street trees
- City of Greater Bendigo: Urban Tree Management Policy · Council policy on when it prunes and removes its own trees, approved 11 December 2023
