There is no national register of protected trees in England. Every Tree Preservation Order is held by the council that made it, and conservation area boundaries are drawn council by council, which is why no website can tell you from a postcode alone whether your tree is protected.
What this tool does is get you to the right two records in about a minute, and tell you what the rules actually require once you are there.
Why it is worth the ten minutes
Cutting down or destroying a protected tree is a criminal offence, and the liability falls on whoever caused or permitted the work. That is the householder as well as the contractor. "The tree surgeon said it was fine" is not a defence, and neither is not knowing.
The two records to check are separate things. A tree can be protected by an Order anywhere; a tree can also be protected simply by standing in a conservation area, with no Order at all. Checking one and not the other is the usual mistake.
Questions
Can you tell me whether my tree has a TPO?
No, and neither can any other website. Orders are held locally by each council, in registers and maps that are not published as one national dataset. This tool takes you to the right register for your postcode, which is the fastest honest answer available.
What if the council takes weeks to reply?
That is normal and it is why the notice periods matter. Build them into the plan: six weeks for a conservation area, around eight weeks for a decision on an Order. Firms get blamed for delays that were always the paperwork.
Does a Tree Preservation Order stop all work?
No. It means you need written consent for the work. Councils routinely approve sensible pruning and crown reductions, and will approve a removal where there is good reason. Applying costs nothing.
Who pays the fine if it goes wrong?
Whoever caused or permitted the work, which can mean both the contractor and the homeowner. This is one reason to use a firm that checks before it cuts.
This tool is general information for homeowners in England, not legal advice. Rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Councils change their processes: always confirm with yours before work starts.