How to check if a tree has a TPO

The quickest way to check whether a tree has a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) is your council's online TPO map or register. Birmingham, Solihull and Lichfield all have one; Walsall publishes a register you can download and will confirm by phone. Search your address, check whether the tree falls inside a protected area, check for a conservation area at the same time, and if there is any doubt, ask the council to confirm in writing. Maps are a guide only: the order document itself is the legal record.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Steps

1. Work out which council covers the tree. It is the council where the tree stands, not where you live. Near a boundary, such as Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield District or Hall Green and Solihull, check the postcode on GOV.UK's find your local council.
2. Open the council's TPO map or register. Use the links for your council below.
3. Search by address or postcode and zoom in on the tree. A TPO can protect a single tree, a group, a woodland or a whole "area", so check whether your tree sits inside a shaded area as well as looking for a point marker.
4. Check the conservation area layer too. A tree without a TPO can still need six weeks' notice if it is in a conservation area. See trees in conservation areas.
5. Read the order document if one shows up. The schedule and plan in the order say exactly which trees are covered. Maps can be out of date or slightly misplaced.
6. Ask the council to confirm if anything is unclear. Give the address, a description of the tree and ideally a photo and a sketch of where it stands. Keep the reply.
7. Apply for consent or give notice before any work. Work on a TPO tree needs consent; the council has eight weeks to decide. Work in a conservation area needs six weeks' notice.

Birmingham City Council

Birmingham shows TPO sites on its online map.

• TPO map: maps.birmingham.gov.uk/webapps/tpo, linked from the council's find out if a tree is protected page.
• Copy of an order: use the request a copy of a TPO form. The council says it may take up to 10 working days.
• Conservation areas: Birmingham has 29. Use the council's interactive map and select "conservation areas" in the layers panel (Birmingham's conservation areas).
• Contact: planningandregenerationenquiries@birmingham.gov.uk (trees in conservation areas).
• Applying: through the Planning Portal, as set out on how to apply for tree works consent. Birmingham notes this includes branches overhanging your boundary from a neighbour's protected tree.

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Solihull has both a map and a document search.

• Map: the Conservation, Heritage and Enforcement Web Map shows TPOs and conservation areas.
• Order documents: search for a TPO by case number (format TPO/xxxxx) or partial address.
• If nothing comes up: email planning@solihull.gov.uk or call 0121 704 8008 to arrange to view the order. For a copy of a known order, email landcharges@solihull.gov.uk quoting the TPO number.
• Conservation areas: Solihull has 20.
• Applying: send the tree works application form with a sketch plan to planning@solihull.gov.uk. Details are on the council's Tree Preservation Orders page.

Walsall Council

Walsall does not currently offer an online TPO map on its website. It publishes a register instead and will confirm by phone.

• Register: download the register of tree preservation orders (PDF, updated quarterly). The council says the list is not definitive, so confirm with them. The borough has over 900 TPOs.
• Ask the council: Walsall says that if you can describe the tree's location it can normally tell you whether there is a TPO within minutes. Call planning enquiries on 01922 652677, or arrange to view TPO details at the Civic Centre, Darwall Street, Walsall WS1 1DG.
• Conservation areas: Walsall has 18, with a boundary plan for each on its conservation areas page.
• Applying: use the form on apply to work on a protected tree. The same form covers TPO and conservation area trees.

Lichfield District Council

Lichfield District covers the area just north and east of Sutton Coldfield, including Shenstone, Little Aston and Lichfield itself. Its tree portal is the most complete of the four.

• Map: the protected tree map search shows TPOs and conservation areas by address.
• Order documents: the TPO register lets you download order documents as PDFs free of charge.
• Contact: arboriculture@lichfielddc.gov.uk.
• Applying: online through the tree portal, which also handles conservation area notices at no charge (Lichfield: apply for tree works).

If you are buying a house

The local land charges search your solicitor orders will show TPOs and whether the property is in a conservation area. Walsall's guidance makes the same point. Ask your solicitor to tell you which trees are protected before you exchange.

Once you know the answer

If the tree is not protected and not in a conservation area, see do I need permission to cut down a tree? for the other checks, such as nesting birds and your deeds. If it is protected, a qualified tree surgeon can help you describe the work for the application. Consent is often easier to get for crown reduction than for tree removal. For typical prices, see the tree removal cost guide and the crown reduction cost guide.