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Tree Trimming in the Northern Beaches

  • Certificate III in Roof Plumbing — a qualified roof plumber, not just a cleaner
Cutting back branches that overhang roofs and gutters on bush-edge streets, from Manly to Palm Beach.

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Free on-site inspection at your property. Fill in your details below to request a quote or for any general enquiries.

Gums Sitting Over the Roofline

A lot of the peninsula backs onto bush, and the trees that come with it drop constantly rather than once a season. Branches sitting over a roof do three things at once: they feed the gutters a steady supply of leaf litter, they scrape and crack tiles when the wind comes through, and they give possums and rats a bridge onto the roof. Cutting back off the roofline deals with all three. This is roof-focused trimming, meaning the branches over and against the roof, rather than a general landscaping service.

Our tree trimming service is limited to manageable branches affecting roofs and gutters. Larger trees, protected trees or work needing a specialist assessment may need to be referred to a qualified arborist.

Our Roofing and Restoration Services in the Northern Beaches

At Monkeys Roofing, we specialise in providing a comprehensive range of roofing services tailored to meet the needs of residential, commercial, strata and real estate clients throughout Sydney.

Gutter Cleaning

Gutter Guard Installation

High-Pressure Cleaning

Roof Repointing

Roof Painting

Skylight Cleaning

Solar Panel Cleaning​

Roof Repair

Tree Trimming

Roof Screw Replacement

What the Trimming Covers

Branches over the roof

Limbs sitting over or against the roof are cut back so they are clear of the surface and the gutter line.

Contact points removed

Branches rubbing on tiles, ridge caps or the gutter are the ones that do damage in wind, so those come off first.

Access routes cut back

Limbs that let possums and rats step straight onto the roof are trimmed away from the roofline.

Gutter line cleared

The growth feeding the gutter directly overhead is cut back so it stops filling as quickly.

Debris removed

Cuttings are taken away rather than left on the roof, in the gutters or on the ground.

Roof checked afterwards

We look over the roof and gutters once the trimming is done and tell you if we notice damage the branches have already caused.

How the Job Runs

Get in touch

Call 0478 688 951 or send the form with your address and which trees are over the roof.

On-site look and quote

We come out, look at the trees, the roof and the access, and price the work before it starts.

Trim and clear

We cut back off the roofline, remove the cuttings and check the roof and gutters afterwards.

What our Customers say

5.0★★★★★Based on 24 reviewsGoogle

Areas We Serve

Monkeys Roofing trims branches overhanging roofs and gutters across the Northern Beaches and the rest of Sydney. It pairs naturally with a gutter clean, since the litter has to come out either way.

Northern Beaches Suburbs We Cover
Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Elizabeth Bay, Potts Point, Rushcutters Bay, Woolloomooloo, Eastlakes, Banksmeadow, Botany, Centennial Park, Moore Park, Paddington, Bondi Junction, Queens Park, Bellevue Hill, Bronte, Waverley, Woollahra, Bondi, North Bondi, Bondi Beach, Tamarama, Darling Point, Edgecliff, Point Piper, Double Bay, Rose Bay, Dover Heights, Vaucluse, Watsons Bay, Clovelly, Randwick, Kingsford, Daceyville, Kensington, Coogee, South Coogee, Maroubra, Pagewood, Chifley, Eastgardens, Hillsdale, La Perouse, Little Bay, Malabar, Matraville, Phillip Bay, Port Botany.
Manly, Manly Vale, Dee Why, Curl Curl, Narrabeen, Avalon, Mona Vale, Warriewood, Palm Beach, Barrenjoey, Fairlight, Frenchs Forest.
Abbotsford, Annandale, Ashbury, Ashfield, Balmain, Balmain East, Birchgrove, Breakfast Point, Burwood, Burwood Heights, Cabarita, Camperdown, Canada Bay, Chiswick, Concord, Concord West, Croydon, Croydon Park, Drummoyne, Dulwich Hill, Enfield, Enmore, Erskineville, Five Dock, Flemington, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Haberfield, Homebush, Hurlstone Park, Leichhardt, Lewisham, Liberty Grove, Lilyfield, Marrickville, Mortlake, Newington, Newtown, North Strathfield, Petersham, Rhodes, Rodd Point, Rozelle, Russell Lea, St Peters, Stanmore, Strathfield, Strathfield South, Summer Hill, Sydenham, Tempe, Wareemba, Alexandria, Beaconsfield, Belfield, Campsie, Canterbury, Earlwood, Wentworth Point.
Barangaroo, Dawes Point, Haymarket, Millers Point, Parliament House, Sydney, Sydney South, The Rocks, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Elizabeth Bay, Potts Point, Rushcutters Bay, Woolloomooloo.
Artarmon, Balgowlah, Balgowlah Heights, Belrose, Cammeray, Chatswood, Cremorne, Davidson, Denistone, Denistone East, Denistone West, East Gordon, East Lindfield, Forestville, Gordon, Hunters Hill, Killara, Killarney Heights, Lane Cove, Lane Cove North, Lindfield, Mosman, Neutral Bay, North Balgowlah, North Ryde, Northbridge, Pymble, Riverview, Roseville, Seaforth, St Ives, St Leonards, Turramurra, Wahroonga.
Kogarah, Hurstville, Rockdale, Brighton-Le-Sands, Bexley.
Parramatta, Blacktown, Bankstown, Castle Hill.
Miranda, Cronulla, Caringbah, Gymea, Sylvania.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. We trim branches that overhang or touch the roof and gutters. Full removals and general garden work are a different trade.

It slows it down a long way, but a bush-edge property still collects litter blown in from further away. Most people here pair the trimming with a gutter clean rather than expecting one to replace the other.

Councils on the Northern Beaches set their own rules on pruning and protected trees, and they vary from one area to the next. If you are unsure about a particular tree it is worth checking with your council before the work is booked.

Request a Northern Beaches Tree Trimming Quote

If branches are sitting on the roof and feeding the gutters every week, cutting them back is the cheapest fix available. Call 0478 688 951 or send the form for a free on-site quote.

Manly · Fairlight · Balgowlah · Seaforth · Clontarf · Freshwater · Curl Curl · Dee Why · Collaroy · Narrabeen · Warriewood · Mona Vale · Newport · Avalon Beach · Palm Beach · Brookvale · Frenchs Forest · Belrose · Elanora Heights · Killarney Heights

Also servicing surrounding Northern Beaches suburbs. See our Northern Beaches roofing page, or how we handle tree trimming across Sydney.

The rules this job has to meet

Australian standards and Code requirements we work to, with the source for each.

A safe work method statement applies above 2 metres

NSW work health and safety law requires a safe work method statement for construction work where a person could fall more than two metres. Single-storey gutter and roof work clears that line, which is why the job is planned, harnessed or edge-protected before anyone gets on the roof.

Source: SafeWork NSW, working at heights

Most fatal falls are from 4 metres or less

SafeWork NSW reports that most serious and fatal falls happen from roofs, ladders and building edges at four metres or under, and a fall from two metres can kill. A single-storey Sydney house is squarely inside that range.

Source: SafeWork NSW, falls from heights

Sydney sheds about 1,213 mm of rain a year

Observatory Hill has averaged around 1,213 mm of rain a year on records kept since 1858. Everything on the roof, from panels and skylights to gutters, has to keep working through that volume of water and the grit it carries off the surface.

Source: Bureau of Meteorology, station 066062

Usually done with this

  • Gutter Cleaning — We clear the gutters in the same visit, so the cuttings and the old build-up leave together.

Last updated: 13 August 2026

What is different about roofs in the Northern Beaches

Quoting tree trimming in the Northern Beaches is not the same job as quoting it elsewhere in Sydney. Most gutter trees here cannot legally be removed: You can prune up to 10 per cent of a canopy a year without approval, but the eucalypts, angophoras and banksias that fill Northern Beaches gutters… That is the kind of detail that changes the materials, the timing and the paperwork on a roof in Manly or the streets around it. Everything below links to the council or standard it comes from, so you can check it yourself.

Most gutter trees here cannot legally be removed

You can prune up to 10 per cent of a canopy a year without approval, but the eucalypts, angophoras and banksias that fill Northern Beaches gutters are not on the exempt list, and illegal tree work carries fines up to 1.1 million dollars. Gutter protection is usually the only lawful answer.

Source: Northern Beaches Council, tree management

Norfolk Island pines are never exempt

The council exempt species list lets you remove camphor laurel, cocos palm, pines and liquidambar without consent, but it specifically does not exempt Norfolk Island Pines, and no exemption applies inside a heritage conservation area. The Moreton Bay and Port Jackson figs are carved out too.

Source: Northern Beaches Council, exempt tree species list

Manly is the textbook example of a surf environment

BlueScope names Manly Beach as its metropolitan example of a surf marine environment, the harshest of its three salt classes under AS 4312. Wind, shelter and areas the rain never washes push the real corrosivity higher still, which is why the steel grade used here is not the one used inland.

Source: BlueScope Technical Bulletin TB-35 and AS 4312:2019

Your screws have to match your distance from the surf

Class 3 fasteners are only acceptable beyond 1km from marine influence. From 200m to 1km Class 4 is required, and inside 200m even Class 4 is not enough without checking with the supplier. Most of the ocean strip sits inside that band, so standard screws rust out long before the sheeting does.

Source: BlueScope TB-16 and AS 3566.2

Colorbond warranty asks for a six monthly wash

The standard warranty requires fresh water washing at least every six months of any roof area rain does not wash naturally, and does not cover failure to replace corroded fasteners. On a coastal home that means eaves, awnings and wall abutments need washing deliberately.

Source: BlueScope, Colorbond roofing sample warranty

We cover Manly, Fairlight, Freshwater, Curl Curl, Dee Why, Collaroy, Narrabeen, Warriewood, Mona Vale, Newport, Bilgola, Avalon, Whale Beach, Palm Beach, Frenchs Forest, Belrose, Terrey Hills, Forestville, Killarney Heights, Balgowlah, Seaforth, Brookvale, Cromer, Elanora Heights, Bayview and Church Point.

Common questions about tree trimming in the Northern Beaches

Do I need council approval for roof work in the Northern Beaches?

You can prune up to 10 per cent of a canopy a year without approval, but the eucalypts, angophoras and banksias that fill Northern Beaches gutters are not on the exempt list, and illegal tree work carries fines up to 1.1 million dollars. Gutter protection is usually the only lawful answer.

Do I need council approval for roof work in the Northern Beaches?

The council exempt species list lets you remove camphor laurel, cocos palm, pines and liquidambar without consent, but it specifically does not exempt Norfolk Island Pines, and no exemption applies inside a heritage conservation area. The Moreton Bay and Port Jackson figs are carved out too.

Why do roofs corrode faster in the Northern Beaches?

BlueScope names Manly Beach as its metropolitan example of a surf marine environment, the harshest of its three salt classes under AS 4312. Wind, shelter and areas the rain never washes push the real corrosivity higher still, which is why the steel grade used here is not the one used inland.

Roofing advice worth reading

Why beachside roofs rust faster in the Eastern Suburbs, and what the building code requires

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Roof work in a Waverley heritage conservation area: what you can and cannot change

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