Most landscaping jobs don't need a council permit. A new garden bed? No. Laying turf? No. A small retaining wall? Usually no.

But the ones that do need permits tend to be the jobs worth chasing. We're talking major earthworks, tall retaining walls, significant vegetation removal, structural landscaping on sloping sites. These are $20,000 to $100,000+ projects from homeowners who've already committed to the process.

When Landscaping Work Needs a Permit

In Victoria, you'll generally need a building or planning permit for landscaping work when:

  • Retaining walls exceed 1 metre in height (building permit territory)
  • Significant earthworks change the natural ground level (especially near boundaries)
  • Tree removal of a canopy tree: since September 2025, Victoria's new Clause 52.37 means any tree over 5m tall with a trunk circumference over 0.5m at chest height needs a planning permit to remove in residential zones
  • The property has overlays: Vegetation Protection Overlay, Environmental Significance Overlay, Heritage Overlay
  • Structures are involved: gazebos, garden walls, water features, large raised garden beds with engineering requirements

The projects that hit these thresholds are, by definition, substantial, and they're the kind of work where clients expect professional execution, not someone who showed up with a ute and a shovel. Small-time "mow and blow" operators don't quote on retaining walls that need engineering certification. This is your territory.

The Retaining Wall Opportunity

Retaining walls are the unsung hero of Melbourne landscaping. Big money, too. The city's eastern and north-eastern suburbs (Manningham, Nillumbik, Yarra Ranges) are built on hilly terrain, and almost every new build or renovation on a sloping block needs retaining walls before anything else can happen on site.

A retaining wall DA in our system might read:

  • "Construction of retaining walls and associated earthworks"
  • "Earthworks, retaining walls and site cut for new dwelling"
  • "Retaining wall to rear boundary, maximum height 2.4 metres"

That last one isn't a garden feature. It's an engineering project. Rock anchors, drainage, structural certification. If you do this kind of work, these leads are perfect.

The New Tree Removal Rules Changed Everything

Since 15 September 2025, Amendment VC289 introduced Clause 52.37 to all Victorian planning schemes. It protects canopy trees, defined as trees over 5m tall with a trunk circumference over 0.5m (measured at 1.4m above ground).

In residential zones (except Low Density), you now need a planning permit to remove, destroy or lop one of these trees. Boundary canopy trees (within 6m of the street frontage or 4.5m of the rear boundary) get extra protection.

What does this mean for landscapers and arborists? More tree removal work now shows up as DAs, which means more applications flowing through the system and more qualified leads appearing in council registers every week that simply didn't exist before September 2025.

Exemptions exist for dead trees, fire protection, and declared weeds. But for everything else, the permit requirement means the work shows up in council records, and on DA Leads.

Where to Find Landscaping Leads

Hilly suburbs (Nillumbik, Manningham, Yarra Ranges, parts of Knox). Sloping sites mean retaining walls are almost mandatory. These councils generate a steady flow of earthworks and retaining wall DAs.

Established suburbs (Glen Eira, Monash, Bayside). Renovation-driven landscaping where tired backyards are being transformed into proper outdoor living spaces. Often paired with deck or pool DAs.

Growth areas (Casey, Cardinia, Wyndham). New homes on bare dirt. The landscaping here tends to be full-property scope: retaining walls for site cuts, front and back garden installation, fencing, driveways.

Don't Just Look at "Landscaping" DAs

Here's a tip that the smartest landscapers already know: look beyond the "Landscaping / Retaining Wall" category.

  • New dwelling DAs almost always need landscaping afterwards
  • Renovation DAs often include backyard redesign
  • Pool DAs need surrounding landscaping, paving, and often retaining walls
  • Demolition DAs mean a bare site that'll need everything from scratch

That's the difference. Cross-referencing categories is how you build a steady pipeline of work instead of scrambling after individual leads one at a time.

Key takeaway: The smartest landscapers do not just filter for "Landscaping" DAs. New dwelling, renovation, pool, and demolition applications all generate landscaping work downstream. Cross-referencing categories is how you build a steady pipeline instead of chasing one lead at a time.

Browse landscaping and retaining wall DAs across Victoria on DA Leads.

Sources and Further Reading