Tree Preservation Order (TPO) & Planning Checker
Check active Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), Conservation Areas, Article 4 Directions, and local planning applications for any UK property.
Tree Preservation Orders (TPO): The Legal Framework & Fines
A Tree Preservation Order (TPO) is an official statutory order made by a Local Planning Authority (LPA) under Section 198 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to protect specific trees, groups of trees, or woodlands in the interests of public amenity.
Anyone who cuts down, tops, lops, uproots, or willfully damages a protected tree without LPA permission commits a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £20,000 in the magistrates' court, or an unlimited fine in the Crown Court.
To carry out works on a TPO tree, you must submit a formal application to the council (standard form 1APP). The council has a statutory 8-week period to approve, approve with conditions, or refuse the application.
The 4 Types of Tree Preservation Orders
Protects a single specified tree (e.g. an ancient oak, beech, or cedar) marked with an exact point on the LPA's statutory map.
Protects a distinct cluster of trees where the collective visual amenity of the group is valuable, even if individual specimens are not exceptional.
Protects all trees present within a designated boundary at the time the order was drafted. Often used as an interim emergency protection measure.
Protects an entire woodland ecosystem, including existing trees and any natural saplings and regeneration that sprout in the future.
Trees in Conservation Areas (Section 211 Notice)
If a property is situated within a designated Conservation Area, all trees with a trunk diameter exceeding 75mm (measured at 1.5m above ground level) receive blanket statutory protection automatically, even without an individual TPO.
Before pruning, topping, or cutting down any tree in a Conservation Area, property owners must give the council 6 weeks' formal written notice (a Section 211 Notice). This gives the LPA the opportunity to consider whether to issue a full Tree Preservation Order before work begins.
Frequently Asked Questions: Tree Preservation Orders & Planning
Essential guidance for home buyers, owners, and developers regarding tree regulations.
You can check our online TPO checker or inspect the local planning authority's statutory register. Your conveyancer's local authority search (CON29) will also reveal any registered TPOs on the title boundary.