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Golden Robinia

Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia' · Fabaceae
15m
Mature height
7
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
13
Councils: permit required
Golden Robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia') growing in Sydney
Golden Robinia · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Golden Robinia is exempt in some councils and protected in others, and several exemptions carry a height limit. Check the table below against the council for your address before assuming a permit is not needed.

How to identify it

Compound leaves with many small oval leaflets, golden yellow in the Frisia cultivar and green in the species. Thorns at the leaf nodes on the species form. Fragrant white pea flowers in spring, then flat brown pods.

Where it grows in Sydney

Planted widely as a feature tree in 1980s and 1990s gardens across the North Shore, Hills District, Blacktown and Inner West.

Common problems

  • Suckers aggressively, sending shoots across lawns and into neighbouring properties
  • Brittle limbs that fail in storms
  • Thorny on the species form, hazardous to handle
  • Short lived with early internal decay

What removal involves

Exempt in most councils on this list. Like poplar, the real work is below ground. Felling without root treatment produces a persistent sucker problem, often across the boundary, so root management should be part of the quote.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.

Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Willoughby
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Lane Cove
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Ryde
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Hunters Hill
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Sydney
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Inner West
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Woollahra
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Waverley
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Randwick
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Bayside
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Georges River
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Strathfield
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Frequently asked questions

Suckers keep appearing in my neighbour’s yard. What can be done?

Robinia suckers from an extensive root system that crosses boundaries. Treating the stump and root system at the time of removal is the only reliable way to stop it, and it often takes a follow up visit.

Commonly confused with

Honey Locust
Both have fine compound leaves and suckering roots. Robinia leaflets are rounded, Honey Locust are smaller and more numerous

Related species

Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) growing in Sydney
Honey Locust
Gleditsia triacanthos
Coral Tree (Erythrina x sykesii) growing in Sydney
Coral Tree
Erythrina x sykesii
African Olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) growing in Sydney
African Olive
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata
Athel Tree (Tamarix aphylla) growing in Sydney
Athel Tree
Tamarix aphylla

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Norbert Nagel via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Frisia’
Also known as
Black Locust, False Acacia
Family
Fabaceae
Origin
North America
Mature height
10m to 15m
Canopy spread
8m to 12m
Growth rate
Fast
Foliage
Deciduous, compound, bright golden yellow in the Frisia form
Typical lifespan
50 years plus
Root habit
Very aggressive and suckering
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Most councils will not accept a removal application without species identification, photographs and a stated reason. We prepare and lodge the lot, then carry out the work once it is approved. One call, one invoice, no forms to work out yourself.
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